Churches offer festive dinners to help Ukrainians and Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas
CBC
For many Ukrainian newcomers and refugees who've moved their lives to Canada, Saturday marks their first Christmas in a new home.
In the Julian calendar, followed by many Ukrainian and Orthodox Christians, Christmas Eve falls on Jan. 6, with Christmas Day following on Jan. 7.
It's usually a time to be gathering with family, carolling and enjoying a large meal, but with the ongoing war in Ukraine, many people won't have that opportunity.
"We have many families that have been displaced," said Father Jim Nakonechny, leader at St. Vladimir Ukrainian Catholic Church in Red Deer, in an interview with The Homestretch.
"We decided this year that our parish ... would make people not feel so lonely and sad over the Christmas time. Instead of celebrating two or three or four together in little houses, everyone's coming together."
Some churches around the province took the opportunity to host large dinners Friday to help bring Ukrainian communities together for the holiday. Services are continuing to be held over the next two weeks, with the holiday season wrapping up on Jan. 19.
Christmas Eve is usually celebrated by preparing a course of 12 dishes, Nakonechny said.
He cooked for all of the guests in Red Deer on Friday, starting with kutia, a course of boiled wheat mixed with poppy seed and honey, kolach (a braided breach), borscht, perogies and plenty of other Ukrainian pastries and delicacies.
"That's kind of what Ukrainians are known for. Nobody leaves a Ukrainian table without being full and going home with a care package," he said.
Another tradition, Nakonechny says, is leaving a seat at the table empty for ancestors or for those who don't have a place to go. It's something of special significance for families this year.
"A lot of them have young children and they're really missing their parents and grandparents and uncles and aunties and cousins during this Christmas season," he said.
"We can gather together and kind of ease that pain and enjoy each other's company."
In Calgary, St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Orthodox Sobor held a similar meal, with dozens of volunteers from the community gathering together to prepare the food.
Olga Matsula, parish council president, said they also wanted to avoid any family having to celebrate alone.
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