Talk of the Town on Ukrainian Christmas

Talk of the Town on Ukrainian Christmas

- Rosanne Fortier - News Correspondent

People who follow the Julian calendar celebrate the traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve on January 6 and Ukrainian Christmas Day on January 7.

Some traditions which are followed are a meatless meal on Christmas Eve which is meant to honour the animals that were in the stable when Jesus was born. The 12 meatless dishes represent the 12 apostles.

The supper starts when a child spots the first star. The reason that supper starts then is the star represents the wise men’s journey to find Jesus and that Jesus was born. After this, an adult in the family brings in a sheaf of wheat. The straw from the wheat is placed under the table which signifies the manger which Christ was born.

Gladys Palahniuk, second on left in back row with her family.

(Mara Palahniuk/Submitted Photo)

The main dish people serve is kutia which is sort of like a tasty porridge made out of wheat. Other dishes that people eat are borsch, varenyky, perogies, holpchi, marinated mushrooms, herrings, white fish, and (Ukrainian Christmas bread (kolach), stewed cabbage, haricots, pampushky, and compote (a sweet drink made using dried fruit).

On January 7, people sometimes visit homes or they go Christmas caroling.

People shared what they do for Ukrainian Christmas.

Gladys Palahniuk who lives in Vegreville said she celebrates Ukrainian Christmas. “I cook the 12 meatless dishes; I used no animals’ products in this food.

For Christmas Eve, I put out a tablecloth with Ukrainian cross stitches on the table and I place the braided bread (kolach) in the center with a candle on it on the table. Also, I have the wheat (didukh) on a little side table and I have a holy icon above it on the wall.

This year, I will be celebrating on January 6 with my son and his family will come over and on January 7, my daughter and her husband will come down to visit,” Gladys said.

Leah Soroka who is from Innisfree and lives in Kyiv, Ukraine now said they celebrate almost the same way her family who is still in Innisfree observe the occasion. “On Christmas Eve we make the 12 traditional meatless dishes. We celebrate with primarily our immediate family. There will be some Ukrainian Canadian families who will come and join us; those we call the orphans (those who don’t have a big family in Ukraine.) It is not about as much about the gifts which we usually give on the Latin (Canadian) Christmas on December 25. It is mostly a quiet evening celebration.

L-R: Leah’s husband, Ross Demkiw, Leah’s daughter, Elyse Demkiw, and Leah Soroka.

(Celeste Landry/ Submitted Photo)

We go to the big cathedral which has bell towers and a 30 metre Christmas tree. We go there either Christmas Eve or on Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, we usually just go out with friends. But this year, we didn’t make any plans because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is actually very quiet in Kyiv on January 6 or 7 where it is hard to even get a taxi.

One of my memories of a past Ukrainian Christmas is my mother’s family who is from Two Hills where we used to go with my family on Christmas Eve. My grandfather would have a didukh (a sheaf of wheat) and he would get straw and put it under the table to represent the manger and we didn’t eat until we saw the first star. I remember one year, we were waiting for the star to appear but it was a cloudy night. So, eventually my grandmother said we could eat now, even if we didn’t see the star,” Leah said.