The Soviet sociocultural space, as a system of social and cultural relations, was intended to ensure the dominance of communist ideology and the interests of the party and the state. Soviet rituals were used as a tool to supplant the national religious and ritual culture deeply rooted in the traditional way of life of Ukrainians. Socialist traditions were intended to reflect and embody the principles of the Soviet socio-political system and to shape a new sociocultural system. A centralized hierarchy was established to implement socialist rituals, headed by the Commission on Soviet Traditions, Holidays, and Rituals under the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR. By shaping and promoting socialist rituals, it was intended to create a unified sociocultural space. Thus the, rituals associated with folk art, sacred or everyday practices became the domain of Soviet cultural. While some rituals incorporated folk elements, most celebrations followed a script, were strictly regulated, and were imbued with Soviet ideology, which gave them a formulaic character. The mass media and houses of folk art were responsible for disseminating Soviet rituals to the masses, and amateur artistic activities served as the means of bringing them to life. By the 1980s, a hierarchy of holidays had emerged: nationwide (state), labor, collective, and everyday holidays. At the union level, efforts were made to establish and promote Soviet rituals across all the republics. The experience of implementing socialist rituals was discussed at union meetings, seminars, and training courses, and was disseminated throughout the republics. Hence, the goal of Soviet rituals practices was to legitimize the party-Soviet system in Ukraine, the systematic destruction of national and religious foundations and ethnic elements that underpinned national identity and the creation of a new sociocultural space for interaction with society.

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