The
Boykos or
Boikos are a distinctive group of
UkrainianUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
CarpathianThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the largest mountain range in Europe...
highlanders or mountain-dwellers of the
CarpathianThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the largest mountain range in Europe...
highlands. The Boykos inhabited the central and the western half of the Carpathians in Ukraine, including the
DolynskyiDolynskyi Raion ) may stand for:* Dolynskyi Raion — a raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast* Dolynskyi Raion — a raion of Kirovohrad Oblast...
and a part of the
Rozhniativskyi RaionThe Rozhniativ Raion is a raion of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast . Rozhniativ is the administrative center of the raion.-Cities:*Broshniv-Osada*Perehinske*Rozhniativ...
s (
districtsA raion is a type of administrative unit of some post-Soviet states. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is almost always translated as "district"...
) in the
Ivano-Frankivsk OblastIvano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine...
(
provinceOblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
), the Skolivskyi, Turkivskyi, and parts of the
DrohobytskyiDrohobych Raion is a raion of the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Drohobych. It has a population of 75,700 .-Settlements:...
, Sambirskyi and Starosambirskyi Raions in the
Lviv OblastLviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:...
, and parts of the Mizhhirskyi Raion in the
Zakarpattia OblastThe Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative oblast located in southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uzhhorod...
), as well as the adjacent areas of southeast
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and northeast
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
.
Boykos identify themselves as part of the Ukrainian ethnos.
The
Boykos or
Boikos are a distinctive group of
UkrainianUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
CarpathianThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the largest mountain range in Europe...
highlanders or mountain-dwellers of the
CarpathianThe Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the largest mountain range in Europe...
highlands. The Boykos inhabited the central and the western half of the Carpathians in Ukraine, including the
DolynskyiDolynskyi Raion ) may stand for:* Dolynskyi Raion — a raion of Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast* Dolynskyi Raion — a raion of Kirovohrad Oblast...
and a part of the
Rozhniativskyi RaionThe Rozhniativ Raion is a raion of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast . Rozhniativ is the administrative center of the raion.-Cities:*Broshniv-Osada*Perehinske*Rozhniativ...
s (
districtsA raion is a type of administrative unit of some post-Soviet states. The term, which is from French rayon 'honeycomb, department,' describes both a type of a subnational entity and a division of a city, and is almost always translated as "district"...
) in the
Ivano-Frankivsk OblastIvano-Frankivsk Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine...
(
provinceOblast is a type of administrative division in Slavic countries, including some countries of the former Soviet Union. The word "oblast" is a loanword in English, but it is nevertheless often translated as "area", "zone", "province", or "region"...
), the Skolivskyi, Turkivskyi, and parts of the
DrohobytskyiDrohobych Raion is a raion of the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Drohobych. It has a population of 75,700 .-Settlements:...
, Sambirskyi and Starosambirskyi Raions in the
Lviv OblastLviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:...
, and parts of the Mizhhirskyi Raion in the
Zakarpattia OblastThe Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative oblast located in southwestern Ukraine. Its administrative center is the city of Uzhhorod...
), as well as the adjacent areas of southeast
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and northeast
SlovakiaThe Slovak Republic is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia borders the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south. The largest city is its capital, Bratislava...
.
Boykos identify themselves as part of the Ukrainian ethnos. Indeed, in the 19th century and in the first part of the 20th century Boykos, as well as most of the population of the present day's Western
UkraineUkraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south. The city of Kiev is both the capital and the largest city of...
called themselves
RutheniansThe term Ruthenians is a culturally loaded term and has different meanings according to the context in which it is used. Initially it was the ethnonym used for the Ukrainian people. With the emergence of Ukrainian nationalism in the mid 19th century, the term initially went out of use first in...
. Then the term "
Ukrainian", that replaced the term "
Ruthenians" in Eastern Ukraine a century earlier, became more common among Western Ruthenians/Ukrainians, including Boykos, as well. According to the recent
census practically all Boykos in Ukraine declared their ethnicity as
UkrainianUkrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group primarily living in Ukraine, or more broadly—citizens of Ukraine...
.
The Boyko language is based on the
Ruthenian languageRusyn language is the language spoken by the Rusyns living in the Carpathian region. Opinions differ among linguists concerning whether Rusyn is a separate East Slavic language or a dialect of Ukrainian...
, much influenced by the liturgic Old Church Slavonic language.
The name, "Boyko" is thought by some to originate in their patterns of speech, specifically the use of the exclamation "bah!".
Genetically, the Boykos are distinct from Ukrainians and other European populations.
Most Boykos belong to the
Ukrainian Greek Catholic ChurchThe Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , also known as the Ukrainian Catholic Church, is one of the successor Churches to the acceptance of Christianity by Grand Prince Vladimir the Great of Kyiv, in 988. UGCC is the largest Eastern Rite Catholic sui juris particular church in full communion with...
, with a minority belonging to the
Ukrainian Orthodox ChurchUkrainian Orthodox Church may refer to:*Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kyiv Patriarchate*Ukrainian Orthodox Church *Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church*Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church...
. The distinctive wooden church architecture of the Boyko region is a three-domed church, with the domes arranged in one line, and the middle dome slightly larger than the others.
Boyko (Cyrillic: Бойко,
PolishPolish is a West Slavic language and the official language of Poland. Its written standard is the Polish alphabet which corresponds basically to the Latin alphabet with a few additions...
: Bojko) is also a common surname among people with origins in Western Ukraine, including in Canada and the United States.