Ukrainian Christmas Drop: Weave a centuries-old tradition at home with Kyiv Independent and Pavuk

The Kyiv Independent has teamed up with Ukrainian brand Pavuk on a limited-edition Christmas drop built around one of Ukraine's oldest holiday traditions: weaving a pavuk, a delicate mobile made of rye straw.

The collection includes two sets created specially for the Kyiv Independent community in collaboration with Pavuk. Each set contains everything you need to make a pavuk, a hanging mobile woven from rye straw, alongside handmade Christmas ornaments. All handmade in Ukraine, with details in the Kyiv Independent's signature blue.

Only 150 sets were made, and the Kyiv Independent community got first access to pre-order them. The drop resonated with members: one of the two sets — the Winter Diamond and Snowflakes Set — sold out in the first few hours.

The Christmas Star and Surprise Ornaments Set is still available. If you'd like to bring a piece of Ukrainian tradition into your home this Christmas, there's still time to get yours. Presale is open now at the Kyiv Independent Store, and sets begin shipping on Nov. 11.

For centuries, Ukrainian families have woven pavuks, which literally means "spider," and used them to decorate their homes at Christmastime. Hung from a ceiling beam or in a window, the pavuk turns with the slightest draft, casting shadows on the walls, and its gentle movement was believed to protect the home and everyone living in it. Pavuks were made across Ukraine, from Polissia and Kyiv Oblast to Bukovyna and the Carpathians. With this collection, the Kyiv Independent set out to bring that tradition into readers' homes, wherever they live.

From a grandmother's table to homes around the world

Pavuk's founder, Tetiana Poddubna, learned to weave pavuks as a child, at her grandmother Kateryna's table in the village of Novi Kryvotuly in western Ukraine. As an adult, she set out to revive the tradition and share it with others. Then she learned that one of her grandmother's pavuks had been kept in the village's house of culture for more than 20 years. Tetiana recreated it with the Pavuk team and the village community, adding a new chapter to the family story.

"We grow the rye for our pavuks ourselves," said Tetiana. "The whole journey of each piece matters to us: from the sown grain to an object made by hand. Through our pieces and kits, we aim to pass on the way we care for natural materials and a sense of the land's strength, and to introduce the world to Ukraine through its living culture, family stories, and the experience of making things together."

A blue starry night

The Kyiv Independent Store had been talking to Pavuk about creating something special for Kyiv Independent supporters for a while. During one of those discussions, Tetiana had the idea of adding deep blue tassels to the traditional pavuks to match the Kyiv Independent's signature color.

"The idea of blue tassels came almost immediately, when I started working on a pavuk for the Kyiv Independent," she says. "I imagined the blue starry sky of a bright Christmas night. I remembered the words of a song based on a poem by Mykhailo Starytsky: 'What a moonlit night, so starry and clear, you could even gather needles by its light.' That was exactly the mood I wanted to convey."

The tassels are tied by hand by Pavuk craftswoman Olha, and the same blue thread is used to hand-stitch the envelopes that hold each kit's straws.

Two sets, limited to only 150 pieces

The Christmas Star and Surprise Ornaments Set includes everything needed to make the "Christmas Star" pavuk. It also comes with two handmade Christmas ornaments, chosen at random from six designs: two different angels, a star, a bell, and two spinning cones, and a surprise when the box is opened. Only 100 boxes were made, and fewer than 40 are left.

The Winter Diamond and Snowflake Set, now sold out, includes a kit for making a diamond-shaped pavuk inspired by the geometric patterns of Ukrainian embroidery, and five handmade straw snowflake stars.

The ornaments and stars are made by Inna, a straw-weaving craftswoman from Volyn with more than 20 years of experience.

"My mission is to preserve and popularize Ukrainian straw weaving, pass it on to the next generations, and show that every straw holds a special beauty," Inna says.

No experience is needed to make either pavuk. Each set includes step-by-step instructions, video tutorials, and spare straws in case any break, and it takes about 1.5 hours for one person to make a pavuk. Every set arrives in a gift box with a postcard.

The remaining Christmas Star and Surprise Ornaments Sets are available for pre-order now on the Kyiv Independent Store.

About the collaborator

Pavuk is a Ukrainian brand founded in 2023 by Tetiana Poddubna to revive and popularize the craft of the straw pavuk. Alongside rye for its pavuks, the brand grows wheat and other grains for straw decorations and didukhs, the traditional Christmas sheaves that symbolize the harvest, prosperity, and the memory of ancestors. Pavuk creates handmade decorations and DIY weaving kits, runs workshops, and makes photo and video tutorials, so that anyone, anywhere, can make a pavuk of their own.

One of the Kyiv Independent's founding missions is to serve as a bridge between Ukraine and the world. Collections like this one give readers another way to discover Ukrainian culture and traditions while supporting independent journalism. To become a regular supporter of the Kyiv Independent, consider becoming a member.