Family — A Living Symbol

In Ukrainian tradition, the family has always been a source of strength. Parents and children, grandparents and grandchildren lived close to one another. The table, bread, and song brought everyone together. In folk tales, the mother protects, the father teaches, and the grandfather passes on wisdom. The family is a small state of its own, governed by laws of honor and love.

Japanese society, too, has long been shaped by a strong family model. Respect for elders, bonds between generations, and the inheritance of crafts and skills formed the cultural foundation. Here, Ukrainians and Japanese sense a quiet closeness: the value of home, gratitude toward ancestors, and the continuity of tradition.

There are telling parallels. In Ukraine, it was customary for a young couple at a wedding to stand upon a rushnyk—an embroidered ritual towel symbolizing a shared destiny and life path. In Japan, wedding ceremonies emphasized harmony between two families. In both cultures, the union of two hearts also meant the union of lineages.

Today, family holds a special power for Ukrainians. In the reality of war, it becomes protection, a rear guard, and a source of resilience. Those on the front lines carry the presence of their loved ones in their hearts. Those forced into displacement preserve the memory of home. Family remains a symbol that offers faith in the future.

To understand the family is to glimpse the depth of the Ukrainian spirit. It is the root that sustains a people in the hardest of times.