"Oi u luzi chervona kalyna"
Image of a 1922 print of the song
Song
LanguageUkrainian
English titleOh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow
Released1914
Genrepatriotic
Songwriter(s)Stepan Charnetsky

Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow (Ukrainian: Ой у лузі червона калина - Oi u luzi chervona kalyna) is a Ukrainian patriotic march first published in 1875 by Volodymyr Antonovych and Mykhailo Drahomanov.[1][2][3] It was written in a modern treatment by the composer Stepan Charnetsky in 1914, in honor and memory of the Sich Riflemen of the First World War. The song has many variations.

The red viburnum (kalyna in Ukrainian)—a deciduous shrub that grows four to five metres tall—is referenced throughout Ukrainian folklore.[4] A silhouette of it is depicted along the edges of the flag of the president of Ukraine.

Following the 2014 annexation by Russia of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, and then the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, singing "nationalist anthems" such as Chervona Kalyna in Crimea became punishable by fines and imprisonment.

History

Due to the song's association with the Ukrainian people's aspiration for independence, singing of the song was banned during the period in which Ukraine was a Soviet Republic (1919-1991). Nevertheless, Ukrainian patriots sang it with defiance, as anyone caught singing it was jailed, beaten, and even exiled.[5][6] The song was also used by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.[7][8]

Red Viburnum berries (kalyna) is a symbol that has been a part of Ukrainian culture since ancient times.[4]

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

Andriy Khlyvnyuk, of the Ukrainian band BoomBox.

In March 2022 the song gained international attention when an Instagram video [1] of an a cappella rendition by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of the Ukrainian band BoomBox singing the first verse of the song was remixed by different artists around the world. The melody was somewhat changed, literally in the first line of the chorus the last syllable is sung ascending sixth. According to Valentyna Kuzyk, in this variant the energy of the primordial breath breaks out of stable forms and enters a new life space.[9]

BoomBox was touring in the United States when the Russian invasion of Ukraine started on 24 February. In response to the invasion, Khlyvnyuk cut the tour short to return to Ukraine in order to join the armed forces. He recorded the video while wearing army fatigues, standing near Sophia Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, and uploaded it to his Instagram account on 27 February, where it became viral.

David Gilmour of Pink Floyd created an original song around Khlyvnyuk's vocal track of "Oh, the Red Viburnum..."

The first artist to remix[10] Khlyvnyuk's rendition was South African musician The Kiffness in early March.[11] At the end of the same month, Ukrainian ice dancers Oleksandra Nazarova and Maksym Nikitin performed to the song at the 2022 World Figure Skating Championships in protest of the invasion.[12]

In April 2022, Pink Floyd made use of Khlyvnyuk's recording for the vocal track of "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!", a single and a video which the band released in aid of Ukrainian humanitarian relief.[13][14] In the video, Khlyvnyuk's performance is projected behind the band while they are performing and is partly shown full screen. The song opens with a sample from another recording of Oi u luzi chervona kalyna, by the Veryovka Ukrainian Folk Choir.[15][16]

Since then, new versions have appeared on YouTube,[17] even remixes of the original remix.[18][19][20] including a blues version in English Red Kalyna Blues.

Banned in Crimea

Following the 2014 annexation by Russia of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, and then the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, singing "nationalist anthems" such as Chervona Kalyna in Crimea was deemed to discredit the Russian army, and was punished by fines and imprisonment. In September 2022, Russian occupation authorities in Crimea jailed and fined members of a wedding party for "discrediting" the Russian Armed Forces by playing the song.[21] The singers of the song in an online video were imprisoned and fined.[22][23]

Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian head of the Crimean peninsula, warned that authorities would punish people harshly for singing such songs. He said that "People who do this are acting like traitors", and that there was a special FSB security service group working on the matter.[23]

Charts

Lyrics

Original Ukrainian Transliteration Translation

Ой у лузі червона калина похилилася,
Чогось наша славна Україна зажурилася.
А ми тую червону калину підіймемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!
А ми тую червону калину підіймемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!

Oi u luzi chervona kalyna pokhylylasia,
Chohos nasha slavna Ukraina zazhurylasia.
A my tuiu chervonu kalynu pidiimemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!
A my tuiu chervonu kalynu pidiimemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!

Oh, in the meadow a red kalyna has bent down low,
For some reason, our glorious Ukraine is in sorrow.
And we'll take that red kalyna and we will raise it up,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!
And we'll take that red kalyna and we will raise it up,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!

Не хилися, червона калино, маєш білий цвіт,
Не журися, славна Україно, маєш вільний рід.
А ми тую червону калину підіймемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!
А ми тую червону калину підіймемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!

Ne khylysia, chervona kalyno, maiesh bilyi tsvit,
Ne zhurysia, slavna Ukraino, maiesh vilnyi rid.
A my tuiu chervonu kalynu pidiimemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!
A my tuiu chervonu kalynu pidiimemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!

Do not bend low, oh red kalyna, you have a white flower,
Do not worry, glorious Ukraine, you have a free people.
And we'll take that red kalyna and will raise it up,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!
And we'll take that red kalyna and will raise it up,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!

Марширують наші добровольці у кривавий тан,
Визволяти братів-українців з московських кайдан.
А ми наших братів-українців визволимо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!
А ми наших братів-українців визволимо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!

Marshyruiut nashi dobrovoltsi u kryvavyi tan,
Vyzvoliaty brativ-ukraintsiv z Moskovskykh kaidan.
A my nashykh brativ-ukraintsiv vyzvolymo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!
A my nashykh brativ-ukraintsiv vyzvolymo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!

Marching forward, our fellow volunteers, into a bloody fray,
For to free our brother Ukrainians from the Moscovite shackles.
And we, our brother Ukrainians, we will then liberate,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!
And we, our brothers Ukrainians, will then liberate,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!

Ой у полі ярої пшенички золотистий лан,
Розпочали стрільці українські з ворогами тан.
А ми тую ярую пшеничку ізберемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!
А ми тую ярую пшеничку ізберемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!

Oi u poli yaroi pshenychky zolotystyi lan,
Rozpochaly striltsi ukrainski z vorohamy tan.
A my tuiu yaruiu pshenychku izberemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!
A my tuiu yaruiu pshenychku izberemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!

Oh in the field of early spring wheat, there's a golden furrow,
Then began the Ukrainian riflemen to engage the enemy.
And we'll take that precious, early wheat and will gather it,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!
And we'll take that precious, early wheat and will gather it,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!

Як повіє буйнесенький вітер з широких степів,
То прославить по всій Україні січових стрільців.
А ми тую стрілецькую славу збережемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!
А ми тую стрілецькую славу збережемо,
А ми нашу славну Україну, гей-гей, розвеселимо!

Yak poviie buinesenkyi viter z shyrokykh stepiv,
To proslavyt po vsii Ukraini sichovykh striltsiv.
A my tuiu striletskuiu slavu zberezhemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!
A my tuiu striletskuiu slavu zberezhemo,
A my nashu slavnu Ukrainu, hei-hei, rozveselymo!

When the stormy winds blow forth from the wide steppes,
They will glorify, throughout Ukraine, the Sich Riflemen.
And so we will preserve the glories of these riflemen,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!
And so we will preserve the glories of these riflemen,
And, hey-hey, we shall cheer up our glorious Ukraine!

References

  1. ↑ Від Хмельниччини до Хливнюка: як змінилася пісня «Ой у лузі червона калина…» за цілі епохи визвольної боротьби
  2. ↑ "Ой, у лузі червона калина...". Історія легендарного гімну січових стрільців, що сьогодні звучить по-новому на весь світ
  3. ↑ History of the song "Red Viburnum" is the history of our people
  4. 1 2 Adams, William Lee (18 March 2022). "Go_A release "Kalyna" to raise funds for Ukraine…and to remind the world it must unite to fight evil". Kalyna (guelder-rose) is a symbol that has been a part of Ukrainian culture since ancient times. Its meanings were transferred through the ages in legends and songs. A broken kalyna tree was a sign of trouble and tragedy; abuse of this tree was a shameful act. Ukrainian people carefully protected it because there was a belief that kalyna grew only next to good people. According to our ancestors, kalyna has a power that brings immortality and can unite generations to fight evil.
  5. ↑ Songs of Ukrainian World War I Soldier, Lubow Wolynetz, "The Sower", November 25, 2018
  6. ↑ A teacher from Crimea was beaten and arrested due to the publication of “Chervona Kalina” on the Russian social media site VKontakte. Previously, this teacher was fired from a technical school for listening to the song “Bayraktar.” Web Archive
  7. ↑ "Avramenko, O.M., Shabelnykova, L.P. Chapter 12. Riflemen songs. Ukrainian literature. Sixth grade. (textbook)" (in Russian). School.xvatit.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  8. ↑ Kovalev, Valery. Саур Могила.
  9. ↑ Kuzyk, Valentyna (2022-08-08). "Алгоритми конструювання символічної образності пісні "Ой у лузі червона калина"". МУЗИКА (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  10. ↑ Ukrainian Folk Song 🇺🇦 ARMY REMIX, Andriy Khlyvnyuk x The Kiffness on YouTube
  11. ↑ "The Kyivness (The Kiffness) remixes Ukrainian folk song – tops charts worldwide". CapeTalk. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  12. ↑ Russell, Susan D. (March 25, 2022). "Nazarova and Nikitin – A Courageous Dance". International Figure Skating.
  13. ↑ Pink Floyd - Hey Hey Rise Up (feat. Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Boombox) on YouTube
  14. ↑ "'This is a crazy, unjust attack': Pink Floyd re-form to support Ukraine". The Guardian. 7 April 2022. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  15. ↑ Grow, Kory. "David Gilmour: Why I'm Bringing Back Pink Floyd After 28 Years". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 April 2022.
  16. ↑ Хор імені Г. Верьовки - Ой, у лузі червона калина (G. Veryovka Choir - Oh, red viburnum in the meadow) on YouTube.
  17. ↑ Ой у лузі червона калина (концерт "Доброго вечора! Ми з України!") on YouTube
  18. ↑ Ukrainian Folk Song Marimba Remix on YouTube
  19. ↑ Бумбокс - Ой, у лузі червона калина (The Kiffness) and GUITAR (VOVA from My Lions Pride) on YouTube
  20. ↑ Chervona Kalyna (Червона калина 🇺🇦) The Kiffness Remix 2.0: YAVAS MEGAMIX on YouTube
  21. ↑ "Crimea Wedding Party Arrested, Fined For Playing Ukrainian Patriotic Song". The Moscow Times. 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  22. ↑ "Miss Crimea Fined for Singing Patriotic Ukrainian Song". The Moscow Times. 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2022-10-04.
  23. 1 2 "Miss Crimea fined for singing patriotic Ukrainian song". The Guardian. 4 October 2022.
  24. ↑ "Ukraine Airplay Chart for 2022-03-25." TopHit. Retrieved 12 August 2022.
  25. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Ukraine Monthly Chart March 2022". TopHit. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  26. ↑ "Top Radio Hits Ukraine Annual Chart 2022". TopHit. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
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