London families prepare for Orthodox Christmas with remembrance

Ukrainian and Serbian communities across London, Ont., are celebrating Orthodox Christmas in the first week of January.

Those celebrating say the holiday is a joyous one with family, but there's also a sense of sadness from missing relatives around the world.

"It's both joyous and sad at the same time," said Rev. Ihor Petryk, a priest at Christ the King Ukrainian Catholic Church.

Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7 to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. The holiday begins shortly after the new year, per the Julian calendar. Like Christmas in December, families gather for a meatless dinner and church service. But according to Petryk, Orthodox Christmas comes with a few special traditions.

"Family comes to mind, and we've lost a number of people," he said. "Part of our tradition is on Christmas Eve. We set up an empty plate for the family members that can't be present or have already passed on."

The ongoing war in Ukraine was also top of mind for many refugees and families in Canada, he added.

Those celebrating have a holy supper on Christmas Eve after a day-long fast, which signifies the travel to Bethlehem to see the birth of the baby Jesus, according to Luba Kaipainen, a Ukrainian in London and member of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity.

"It's so special because we've had it with our families who are no longer here, having departed, or parents are the ones who taught us these traditions," Kaipainen said.

This Christmas is also a time of remembering her late mother, who used to share stories about their ancestry and is named after her grandmother. According to Kaipainen, one of the most traditional ingredients for Ukrainian Orthodox Christmas include wheat, which represents the staff of life and also reflects their blue and yellow flag.

"My grandma, she would always come to my mind because she would be the initiator of our celebration," said Svitlana Stryhun, a second-year broadcast student at Fanshawe College from Ukraine.

One of her fondest traditions for Orthodox included carolling and waking up at 5 a.m. to toss wheat grains around homes in the neighbourhood.

"They will be everywhere, but nobody cares because if you get them away, that means that you will give your Christmas luck away for the whole year," she added.

Like Kaipainen, Stryhun, 19, said she also misses her family and parents in Ukraine during Christmas.

"Most people can't gather together because it's kind of dangerous. The air raid siren can go at any time. But if they have their closest family together, they're together," she said.