Roksolana Pyrtko on Malanka and Carolers at the Spartak Shopping and Entertainment Center: how winter traditions resonate in the city

At the Spartak Shopping and Entertainment Center in Lviv, this year’s winter holidays received a lively continuation: following Malanka, carolers appeared throughout the center’s spaces. For several days, the shopping venue turned into a place where the modern rhythm of the city blended with folk music, singing, and familiar Christmas imagery, UNN reports.

The carolers moved through the center’s galleries, stopping near atriums and popular locations. Visitors—families with children, young people, and older residents—joined in the atmosphere: listening to carols, recording videos, and responding with smiles and applause. For many visitors, it was an unusual yet vivid expression ofz of traditions that are typically associated with family settings or public squares rather than a shopping center.

According to Roksolana Pyrtko, CEO of the Spartak Shopping and Entertainment Center, the combination of Malanka and carolers was a deliberate decision within the winter program. She notes that the center supports formats that allow Ukrainian culture to remain part of everyday urban life, rather than being limited to formal holiday events.

The festive activities became a logical continuation of Spartak’s Christmas program. Earlier, the center hosted St. Nicholas’s Residence near the main Christmas tree, organized themed activities for children, and prepared a traditional Nativity scene. As Roksolana Pyrtko emphasizes, openness remains a key principle—participation in such events does not require special invitations and is accessible to all visitors.

Roksolana Pyrtko also stresses that the format of open cultural events at the Spartak Shopping and Entertainment Center will continue to develop. Malanka and the carolers demonstrated that even within a commercial space, it is possible to create a sense of community where tradition does not feel formal, but sounds natural and relevant.