Galician paratroopers undergoing rehabilitation after being wounded, set up the largest Trident of didukhs

In Lviv on December 23 , paratroopers of the 80th separate airborne assault Galician brigade, who are undergoing rehabilitation after being wounded, presented the largest Trident in Ukraine, made of didukh, with the support of the reintegration program for military and veterans “MHP Poruch”. This symbol of Ukrainian statehood and Christmas traditions was installed on the square near the monument to Taras Shevchenko. 

Pelagia Zhyvko , a 91-year-old woman from Lviv Oblast, taught the military how to weave didukhs. 

“The main goal of the event is  to support the military and veterans on their way to rehabilitation. Pelagia Zhyvko made didukhs together with a military man. The woman survived 5 wars, persecution by the Soviet government, deportation and imprisonment of her relatives in Siberia. But despite this, Pelagia made didukhs every year and brought them into the house for Christmas. And for the second year in a row, she has been passing on her knowledge and skills to the next generations. Because culture is an important factor in this struggle, because it is through culture that we create and spread values and meanings that are important to us,” says Olena Zhyvko , a veteran and head of the NGO ”Association of Volunteers.

The didukhs for the trident were made of wheat and rye. 30 sheaves of wheat were harvested from the fields of Zakhid-Agro MHP in Lviv region, and 7 sheaves of rye were brought from Volyn, where another Western Hub company , MHP-Buffalo, operates. 

Viktor Koryagin, Director of MHP's Western Hub, said: “Within the framework of the MHP Next Door program and through this event, our primary task is to support military personnel and veterans on their rehabilitation path. And it is not only about physical recovery, but also mental recovery, increasing motivation for life and new achievements. One of the most effective methods of such rehabilitation is to involve the military in art therapy, in particular didukh weaving. This process has a therapeutic effect, it calms, relieves stress and anxiety. And most importantly, it establishes a connection with Ukrainian traditions, because the soldiers who cannot be on the battlefield now continue this struggle for our identity in such a beautiful way as weaving didukhs. I invite all Ukrainians to come and see this trident created by the hands of our defenders.”

This event, initiated by the NGO “Association of Volunteers”, in addition to its important cultural component, has an additional value - support for the military during rehabilitation. That is why the MHP-Hromada Charitable Foundation and the Lviv Regional State Administration provided comprehensive support. 

“This Didukh trident is not only a symbol of our statehood and Christmas traditions, but also an example of how art can become a powerful tool of rehabilitation for our soldiers. Participation in the creation of this unique symbol, using wheat and rye harvested from the fields of our strategic partner, MHP, is an important step in the mental recovery and fight for a new life after injury. I invite all Ukrainians to see this trident created by the hands of our defenders and feel proud of their resilience and talent. This is not just art, but a symbol of our invincibility,” says Oleksandr Pakholyuk, Director of the MHP-Hromadske Charitable Foundation. 

Last year, a record was set at the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life - a 7.41-meter-high Trident made of didukhs, which was included in the National Register of Records of Ukraine. This year's project was updated, improved, and made more impressive. 

On Christmas and New Year's Eve, Lviv hosts many activities for residents and visitors. The main purpose of which is to discover authentic traditions of Ukrainians, to plunge into the atmosphere of knowing your own roots, to realize our common unity carried through the centuries.