Oleksandr Kryvobok (Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship Fellowship, Mar – Jul ‘26) will present his research on:

Holidays in the Military Everyday Life of the First World War (Based on Materials from Ego-Sources of Eastern European Countries)

4 June 2026 (Thursday), 16:30 h.

Moderated by: Mykola Homanyuk

Abstract: The growing attention to the study of everyday history, microhistory, human emotions and personal perception of events is a characteristic feature of modern historical science. The proposed report is dedicated to the celebration practices in conditions of total war, their characteristics at the front and in the rear areas. Experiencing holidays was an important part of everyday life in wartime. Designed to unite people, holidays during the war remained an island of time stopping, nostalgia for the past, and a source of resilience and emotional exchange. To highlight these details, so-called personal sources or ego-documents are used (mostly diaries, but also memoirs, letters, etc.), as those that directly convey the public atmosphere, the emotions of the participants and the circumstances of the celebration of holidays.

The geographical boundaries of the study include the southern part of the Eastern Front of World War I, Ukrainian and Polish lands on both sides of this front. The research addresses key investigative questions regarding how holiday celebrations reflect the war’s impact on society, differences between front-line and civilian perceptions, occupation policies, psychological attitudes toward enemies, and the interplay between traditional and modern cultural elements.