THE CONCEPT OF «CHRISTMAS» IN PRE-CHRISTIAN AND CHRISTIAN UKRAINIAN CULTURE (LINGUO-COGNITIVE ANALYSIS)

Abstract

The article presents a linguo-cognitive analysis of the concept CHRISTMAS in Ukrainian culture, taking into account its pre-Christian and Christian layers. The scientific novelty of the study lies in the comprehensive description of the cognitive structure of the concept CHRISTMAS in Ukrainian culture, which has not previously been the object of systematic linguo-cognitive research. The aim of the article is to identify the notional, evaluative, and perceptual-imagery components of the concept and to reveal the interaction of pre-Christian and Christian meanings. The material of the research includes Ukrainian carols, shchedrivkas, spiritual songs, and modern media texts.The study establishes that the notional component of the concept evolved from the agrarian-magical interpretation of the pre-Christian period, associated with fertility cults, ancestor worship, and the birth of the new Sun, to the theological-sacred interpretation in the Christian tradition, where the dominant ideas are the birth of Christ and the salvation of humankind. The evaluative component has a syncretic nature: the pre-Christian layer is characterized by pragmatic values (prosperity, family unity, material well-being), while the Christian layer emphasizes spiritual and ethical dominants (faith, humility, mercy, hope for salvation). The perceptual-imagery component also demonstrates the synthesis of archaic symbols (sun, rye, goat, cattle, master of the household) and Christian ones (Holy Infant, Bethlehem star, angels), which reflects the continuity of Ukrainian cultural memory.The research concludes that the concept CHRISTMAS in Ukrainian culture is a multilayered mental and linguistic phenomenon of syncretic character, in which archaic and Christian meanings are not opposed but integrated, forming a unique national and cultural imagery of the Ukrainian Christmas tradition.