On December 12, 2025, Spiders For Ukraine will host the “Written
In Light” charity concert. The night features Scottish and Ukrainian music
through caroling and a concert as well as homemade Ukrainian food and crafts. This
is a family-friendly event.
The event will also feature a moving play called “Life in
One Suitcase.” Written by Ukrainian director Oksana Saiapina, this play tells
the story of those who are displaced and the decisions they have to make in the
moment. The play connects to Christmas as the events around the first Christmas
were not calm and peaceful, but there was a sense of promise and hope.
Other performances in the concert include the Harmony Kids
Club in Edinburgh choir, DINA and Viter Kondriyanenko, and John Morran. The
evening will also include a fair featuring Ukrainian artists and food from
Ukrainian volunteers. There will be a workshop on how to make a motanka, which
is a Ukrainian doll.
The goal of the concert is to provide a place where Scottish
and Ukrainian cultures can meet and to create a safe space to talk about the
war that is still happening. It also
offers a way for attendees to see Christmas from the Ukrainian perspective and
connect to both Scottish and Ukrainian culture.
This is Spiders for Ukraine’s first Christmas charity
concert, but they have hosted other events in the past. This past summer, the
organization hosted a Scottish–Irish–Ukrainian concert in Newhaven, which was
shortlisted for this year’s Creative Edinburgh Awards in the Collaboration of
the Year category.
“We are delighted to continue building connections through
art and supporting those who need our help,” says Inessa Rezanova.
“Written in Light” is organized by Spiders for Ukraine. The
Edinburgh-based organization hosts a wide variety of charity concerts and other
arts events to raise money to support those impacted by the war in Ukraine. The
funds generated by the organization's previous events have provided evacuation
vehicles, ambulances, and other humanitarian aid.
Spiders For Ukraine started in 2022 as a way for those who
fled to Scotland to escape the war to help those who stayed behind. Spiders for
Ukraine centers opened in Edinburgh first and then expanded to Dundee, Aberdeen, and other places. A huge
part of the efforts to help out is to weave camouflage nets. These nets
resemble spider webs and evoke images of spiders, which is how the
organization got its name.
Another project that Spiders For Ukraine has been a part of
is the exhibition called “Icons
on the Ammunition Boxes.” These icons were painted on ammunition boxes by Ukrainian
artists Oles Klymenko and Sonya Atlantova. This exhibition has traveled the
world, and the Spiders for Ukraine was the first organization to bring it to
Scotland.
If you go:
Date: December 12, 2025 from 6 to 9 pm
Location: Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh, EH1 2QQ
Tickets can be purchased in advance online
or at the door.
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