Cossack Brotherhood

Cossack Brotherhood

Following the destruction of the Zaporozhzhia Sich in 1775, the tradition of fraternity weakened somewhat, but did not disappear from Ukraine.

For example, the collection of Ukrainian proverbs by M. Nomis (1864) contains references to friendship and fraternity: “Good fraternity is better than wealth”, “In good times, everyone is your brother, but in bad times, you can hardly find a relative”, “Matchmaking is not the same as fraternisation”, “Do not fraternise with those you do not graze calves with!”, and so on. Even at the end of the 19th century, ethnographers recorded examples of brotherhood in the Katerynoslav and Kherson provinces. Among those who fraternised the most were people who had no families. According to the descriptions, such rituals were initially held in the house of one of the fraternals, with neighbours present. The future brothers prayed for a long time in front of an icon, and then hugged each other. The rite of brotherhood ended with a festive dinner, during which everyone drank ‘horivka’ (horilka/vodka), hence the name ‘gorivchane brotherhood’. Next, there was an exchange of valuables and crosses; the owner of the settlement gave an icon to the named brother. Then, everyone went to the second brother’s hut, and the whole process started again. From then on, friendship, mutual respect, and mutual assistance reigned between the named brothers. It was believed that quarrelling between the Gorivchane brothers was sinful. This spiritual kinship was held in such high regard that even the children of the brothers were forbidden to marry. In the 20th century Cossack brotherhood was revived during the struggle for our young country and was evident in the ranks of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Thus, in Ukraine, the traditions of fraternity either revived or died down again, remaining in the memory of the people through legends, songs, and tales. The 21st century was no exception. During the Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity, they became fraternal: one of the most significant words on the Maidan was ‘friend’ and ‘brother’. The war with the Russian aggressor has once again proven that Cossack traditions of fraternity have been preserved and, by the requirements of the time, have acquired a new, profound meaning.

‘Find yourself a faithful comrade, my son, and no human power will take you.’

/M. Gogol, “The Lost Diploma”.

The material was prepared by Elena Pachkovska, the head of the history department.

Illustrations:

1. Cossack fraternity. Source: naurok.com.ua

2. Frame from the film The Lost Diploma. Source: ua.kinorium.com

3. I. Repin: The Zaporozhians Write a Letter to the Turkish Sultan. Oil on canvas. 1880–1881. Photo from open sources.