Ukraine: Hutsuls, people of the Carpathians (24 images)

Most often associated with the awe-inspiring and sinister cliché of count Dracula, in reality the Carpathians are one of the most diverse and multiethnic regions in the world. Crossing Romania, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine, Carpathian Mountains have been home to highlanders since centuries.
Scattered in villages throughout the remote valleys of southern Ukraine are the resilient Hutsul people (Hutsuly in Ukrainian). Despite the foreign occupations of their region throughout...
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Most often associated with the awe-inspiring and sinister cliché of count Dracula, in reality the Carpathians are one of the most diverse and multiethnic regions in the world. Crossing Romania, Slovakia, Poland and Ukraine, Carpathian Mountains have been home to highlanders since centuries.
Scattered in villages throughout the remote valleys of southern Ukraine are the resilient Hutsul people (Hutsuly in Ukrainian). Despite the foreign occupations of their region throughout centuries, this ethnic group of pastoral highlanders have preserved an authentic style of life closely tied to the cycles of nature.

Their Christianity, mixed with pre-Christian customs mainly regulates their life. Cultural globalization has made inroads into the traditional Hutsul way of life. Some of their customs tend to disappear but the Hutsuls are still very attached to their rich folklore, based on a colorful craftsmanship. They drink large quantities of their own home-distilled vodka and they love festivities.

Today, approximately half a million Hutsuls live in a territory that covers 2,500 square miles.
In Kosmach, a Hutsul village of 6000 inhabitants, only about one hundred kilometers away from the European Union, the life-style is changing.This area of Ukraine is slowly reached by modernity but is also affected by some common economic problems of the country. Young Hutsul people are looking towards the West, but at the same time they are fiercely proud of their cultural heritage and their Hutsul identity.
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