The Gerdan in Action

My gerdan has arrived! Just in time for the meeting where I’ll announce budget cuts.

You can’t figure out the scope of the thing before seeing it on a person, so here it is:

Don’t tell me it isn’t absolutely stunning.

The “g” in gerdan is pronounced closer to a “h” in “hurray.” It’s definitely not pronounced like a g in “gesture.”

I’m not sure if everybody can see the cracked planet over the woman with a cross. This symbolizes the rejection of paganism and embrace of Christianity. Also note that the woman depicted on the gerdan is wearing a gerdan of her own. This particular necklace is from the Catholic part of Ukraine, which is why the cross and the colors are not Orthodox.

The Orthodox part of Ukraine suffered more from the Soviets (and now the Russians), and the traditional arts weren’t preserved in the same way. We do have these necklaces in Eastern Ukraine but I’ve never seen a y religious themes in them. Usually, it’s flowers or even vegetables, very pretty but not menacing like this one.