Every year at the end of October, amidst the bright pumpkins and costume parties, social media posts about the "real Ukrainian Halloween" – Velesova Nych (Veles' Night) – appear. Mentions of it aren't as widespread as Halloween itself, but they're becoming more frequent. But did our ancestors really have such a holiday, or is it just a modern invention, cleverly disguised as an ancient tradition?

Together with Anastasia Kryvenko, Candidate of Historical Sciences and ethnologist LIGA.net investigates who invented Veles' Night and why – and why we believed in it so readily.

Anastasia Kryvenko, Candidate of Historical Sciences and Ethnologist (Photo provided by Anastasia Kryvenko)

Myth or reality: what science says about Veles' Night

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Ukrainian traditionsHalloweenAll Saints' DayUkrainian holidays