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“Shchedryk” (Ukrainian: Щедрик, from Щедрий вечiр, lit. ‘Bountiful Evening’) is a Ukrainian shchedrivka, or New Year’s song, known in English as “The Little Swallow”. It was arranged by the Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych between 1901 and 1919. The song tells a story of a swallow flying into a household to sing of the wealth that will come with the following spring.[1] “Shchedryk” was originally sung on the night of January 13, New Year’s Eve in the Julian Calendar (December 31 Old Style), known in Ukraine as Malanka or Shchedry Vechir [uk] (“Generous Evening”). Early performances of the piece were made by students at Kyiv University.

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