The relatively large Ukrainian community in the United States has many traditions and customs, most of which stem from a feeling of Ukrainian nationalism. As Ukraine was being overtaken by Russia, Ukrainians were immigrating by the thousands to the US. Ukrainians moving to the new world were leaving behind a disappearing culture and moving to a completely different land. Immigrants were proud of their heritage, and many of the traditions that were started in America exist to preserve this heritage and to pass it on to future generations.

The Ukrainian Boy Scouting program is one such tradition. Ukrainians in America started this program in the early 1900's to train their young to return to Ukraine and drive the Russians out. This began as resistance to Russian rule over Ukraine. All boys and girls participate in this intermittently throughout the year, starting at age seven and continuing for life. Ukrainian Boy Scouts is very different from the typical American view of Boy Scouts, in that it involves a more rigorous wilderness-training program. This is because the program was essentially started as a military training program, and although it exists now only for fun

Ukrainians celebrate Easter in a very specific way, both in Ukraine and the US. The day before Easter Sunday, each family weaves a basket. In the basket they put kielbasa, babka (special bread), hard-boiled eggs, one peeled hard-boiled egg, butter, and cream cheese. The family takes the basket to church on the night before Easter to have it blessed, and the priest puts holy water on the peeled egg. Easter day, no one eats until after church, and when they come home, the family divides up the peeled egg and eats it. Then there is a feast consisting only of the items that were in the basket, in larger quantities of course. After the meal, everyone takes one of the other hard-boiled eggs, and tries to break everyone else's. The last person with an egg has good luck until the next year. This originates from the "old country", when crops were the primary source of income, and the good luck was meant in relation to the growing season.

The Hopak is a traditional Ukrainian dance, which is performed frequently by Ukrainians in America. Outsiders often refer it to as the "Russian Dance", but it is actually a Ukrainian dance. The dancer is a man wearing leather boots, loose fitting red silk pants, and a white shirt with colored embroidering down the middle. His hair is shaved to the scalp except for a small circle on the top of his head, where the hair is about half a foot long. He squats down low, and kicks his feet out with his body upright and his arms folded. The dance has a historic meaning behind it, dating back to when Russia took over Ukraine. A group of organized rebels known as the Cossacks, who hoped to end Russian Rule, isolated themselves in a fort in the Carpathian Mountains. The dancer symbolizes a triumphant Cossack warrior. During festivals and other celebrations, the Hopak was a common dance. This dance is still taught to Ukrainian Americans today, starting at age seven. At Ukrainian debutante balls, the men who know the dance do it during a specific song, which is played at every ball. There are also professional dance groups who perform the Hopak around the United States and Canada. The dancers today still wear the traditional clothing, but the hairstyle has become much less common. Many Ukrainians forget the dance with time, but those who remember it take great pride in their ability and perform the dance at nearly every ball and celebration they attend.

The Bandura is a Ukrainian instrument, which is somewhere between a guitar and the Indian sitar in sound. It is a string instrument, and Ukrainians use it for most traditional songs. It is played at weddings, some church services, and also during the aforementioned song, "The Red Flower". This instrument serves as a, "symbol of Ukrainian music which evokes pride from most Ukrainians." Therefore, the Bandura serves as a source of nationalism for Ukrainians.

This program, along with a handful of similar programs, was started for various reasons. To begin with, Ukrainian youths had trouble adjusting to American society. "They (Ukrainian youth programs) are helping to sol

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