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Volodymyr Shukhevych (1849-1915) was a prominent Ukrainian ethnographer, folklorist, publicist, teacher, cultural, educational, and public figure, a full member of the Taras Shevchenko Scientific Society, and the grandfather of the UPA commander-in-chief, General Roman Shukhevych.

The greatest result of his many years of ethnographic work was the five-volume monograph Hutsulshchyna, dedicated to the study of the material and spiritual culture of the Galician Hutsuls, published in 1899-1908 by the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv and printed in four volumes. "The Hutsulshchyna was highly praised by domestic and foreign figures of science and culture, and Ivan Franko noted that the value of Shukhevych's work is best evidenced by the fact that it was translated into Polish in its manuscript.

The fourth volume of this monumental work has one section entitled "Church Rites." Following the church calendar, Volodymyr Shukhevych reveals the religious essence of the Hutsuls, their observance of Christian holidays in combination with local beliefs and customs. A significant part of the book is devoted to the description of the most magnificent event in the Hutsul region - the performance of carolers, which adds a special flavour to the Christmas holidays.