Kyiv Marks Christmas by Dressing Up Founders’ Statues

Kyivans have begun a tradition of marking holidays by dressing up the sculptures of the four children on Poshtova (Post Office) Square on the edge of the historical Podil district on special days. The statues which represent the founders of Kyiv – the brothers Kyi, Shchek, and Khoryv with their sister Lybid sitting on a nearby bench, were positioned in and around the fountain on the newly refurbished square in 2017.

This year’s motif sees the Kyi, Khoryv and Lybid dressed in traditional Ukrainian costumes, while Shchek, is dressed in a military uniform bearing the badges of the units in which the brothers of the makers of the sculptures serve.

The statue of Lybid, the sister of the founders of Kyiv dressed in traditional Ukrainian dress. Photo: Telegram.

In December last year the three founders were dressed as angels while their sister was dressed as an energy worker – someone who, like the angels, was bringing much needed light and warmth into the lives of Ukrainians in these difficult times.

In July they are dressed in clothing representing the US on the July 4 Independence Day celebration. It was Kyiv’s way of marking the support given to Ukraine by Washington, another example of bringing light into the darkness that besets the country in time of war.

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Previously, the children’s statues have been dressed in military uniform, national costume, even as medical staff during the COVID pandemic.

The square is one of the Ukrainian capital’s oldest. It was modernized in the 19th century with the opening of the post office after which it was named. In the 1970s it was expanded and reconstructed after a metro station opened nearby. Then in 2015 it was further modernized, and a sunken fountain was created at the center of the square which is the focus not only for the metro but also the reconstructed Church of the Nativity, the lower station of Kyiv’s funicular railway, and the nearby river station.

During excavations of Poshtova Square, while refurbishment was underway, archaeologists discovered an entire street dating back to the times of Kyivan Rus and numerous artifacts from the 11th and 13th centuries. It is planned to eventually build an underground museum complex taking in the discoveries, a reminder of Kyiv’s long history.