Amateur actors from Zahnitkiv in Odesa, along with masters from the Black Sea region and Budjak steppe, participated in the «Living Culture – Living World» festival held on September 6-7 in Kyiv.

This festival served as a herald for the celebration of the International Days of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2025, which were officially announced at the 42nd session of the UNESCO General Conference in November 2023.

The highlight of the Odesa delegation was the amateurs from Zahnitkiv. The folk-authentic group «Vytoki» showcased ancient children’s games inherited from their ancestors, with the oldest participant being 85 and the youngest just 9 years old.

Moreover, the village’s intangible cultural heritage includes ancient dances and songs.

The klezmer music captivated the participants and guests of the festival, with the boys from the brass band «Vytoki» creating an enchanting atmosphere. Everyone danced to their music.

The frayliks played by the musicians from Zahnitkiv delighted the audience so much that one festival participant gifted the entire brass band hats made from bulrush, purchased from artisans in Vinnytsia. Each hat costs one thousand hryvnias.

Over the two festival days, more than thirty elements of intangible cultural heritage from various regions of Ukraine were presented, including Zahnitkiv's stuffed cabbage rolls, prepared this time with beet greens and coltsfoot. Guests also enjoyed traditional Zahnitkiv cabbage soup, vertuty, and bread.

A UNESCO representative called the performers from Zahnitkiv the most colorful collective present at the festival.

The festival was organized by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine, and the Center for Development «Democracy through Culture».