Glorious Ukrainians, or why Gogol is included in the set

When cannons roar, muses have no right to stay silent, or how the collection of handmade figurines that seeks to popularize the achievements of Ukraine in the world was created. Our people are renowned throughout the world for their talents, bravery, and the ability to fight to the end. Since the beginning of Russia\'s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, this skill has been revitalized and realized in new conditions. February 24 became a turning point in terms of how loudly we present ourselves. The set of Christmas decorations \'Glorious Ukrainians\' is about how to talk about Ukraine and explain ourselves to the world. One of the paths we have chosen is to speak about ourselves through the language of art.

On the one hand, we selected characters for the gift set that are directly associated with prominent cultural figures of Ukraine, and on the other hand, we added historical figures that do not evoke unanimous reactions in society, such as Mykola Hohol (Nikolai Gogol) or Stepan Bandera. Infantilism is a negative trait of our society that needs to be fought against. This set is about maturity and the search for multiple answers.

Who is included in the \'Glorious Ukrainians\' set?

Hryhoriy Skovoroda - a philosopher and thinker. He is the \'Ukrainian Socrates,\' \'Ukrainian Plato,\' and \'Ukrainian Confucius\' all in one person. A wandering traveler whose life credo was to love what you do and do what you love.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky - the hetman of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, a talented military commander and diplomat who achieved a series of victorious national-liberation struggles for the establishment of Ukrainian statehood. It is said: \'From Bohdan to Ivan, we did not have another hetman.\'

Taras Shevchenko - a genius poet, engraver, and political figure. He was an active member of the Kyiv-Mohyla Brotherhood and a sincere devotee of \'Tovarystvo Mochemordiya,\' a society of revelers. Shevchenko\'s most famous collection, \'Kobzar,\' stands in every Ukrainian home alongside the Bible.

Ivan Franko - an outstanding writer, poet, translator, philosopher, and political figure. He managed to combine European clothing with an embroidered shirt in his everyday attire. A rebel, an eternal revolutionary who constantly \'struck this rock\' and was an \'academy in one person.\'

Lesya Ukrainka - the shining beauty of Ukrainian poetry, prose, and drama. A brilliant translator and researcher of Ukrainian folklore. She is an author of European level, often referred to as the only man in Ukrainian literature. Alongside that, she fought against an incurable disease that she called the \'thirty-year war.\'

Solomiya Krushelnytska - a famous opera singer from Ternopil. She was called Salome in the world. She was among the top five European singers of her time and the only woman among them.

Stepan Bandera - the father of the Ukrainian nation, the leader of the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists), and a fighter for the independence of Ukraine. He was a logistician in the transportation of underground literature abroad. It was under his leadership that the fate of Ukraine\'s existence in the 20th century was decided.

Mykola Hohol (Nikolai Gogol) - a science fiction writer, one of the most famous Ukrainians in the world, whose national affiliation sparks debates between Ukraine and Russia. He is the author of fantastical poems filled with mystical images and folklore elements.

Why Gogol?

The presence of the Nikolai Gogol figurine turned out to be the most controversial. On the one hand, Gogol is presented as a skillful opportunist who used his national origin to build his career, but on the other hand, he is a Ukrainian patriot who exposed the flaws of Russian society from within and depicted it in his works. Gogol is called a \'cultural boundary\' figure because appeals to his position and creativity go hand in hand with the theme of Ukrainian-Russian relations. The main thing here is to overcome prejudices and certain stereotypes surrounding his persona and not lose sight of the main subject of study - Gogol. That is why the figurine of the Ukrainian-Russian writer appeared in our set. Our position is unanimous: \'We categorically oppose giving Gogol to the Russians.\'

Gender equality in the set

The question of the presence of women in the set also proved to be controversial. History has long been written by men, so the issue of gender equality is periodically activated. The set includes the figurine of Lesya Ukrainka, who was a feminist in spirit rather than a programmatic feminist. We see the main task here as not ignoring the problem but working towards its solution with real steps.

Manufacturing technique

The toys are made using an author\'s technique that involves a mixture of paper, cattail, water, buckwheat husks, and papier-mâché. Each figurine is sculpted by hand, baked at high temperatures, polished, and hand-painted by our masters with acrylic paints following the example of vintage decorations. Thanks to this treatment, they are sturdy and resistant to mechanical damage. The small details for each figurine, just like a hundred years ago, are carefully sculpted from cotton and decorated with fabric appliques. They are safe for children and pets as they do not break. They are eco-friendly and long-lasting.

We can beautifully package both individual characters and the entire set in a handmade box. It is made using the author\'s technique of \'papier-mâché\' with the addition of H-10 plaster, the raw material for which was previously supplied from the eastern part of Ukraine, making it valuable, rare, and exceptional. This box is a chest for preserving the material and spiritual values of your family.

Our advice: love this set, give it to friends and family, decorate the Christmas tree with these ornaments, and be infinitely fascinated by Ukraine.

The \'Glorious Ukrainians\' set is an image gift, an intellectual heritage, and an object of admiration. It is a set that fits as a gift for extraordinary personalities who shape our history, educate, and culturally explore Ukraine.