“Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”
Oren Arnold
Our dear customers, Merry Christmas!
We are continuing our bog about holidays with the next important winter list holidays.
To celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December or on the 7th of January depend mostly from religious reviews.
As we have both Catholic communities and Orthodox Christian communities both dates are considered holidays in Ukraine. However, Ukrainians are mostly Orthodox Christians.
Many people wonder why the date of celebrating the day when the Christ was born is different.
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in all Christian churches including Eastern Rite, Roman and Protestant. Since most Eastern Orthodox churches have not accepted either the Gregorian calendar or the Revised Julian Calendar reforms, December 25 will fall on the civil date of January 7 for the years from 1900 to 2099. It is believed that the nativity was set on December 25th by a Roman bishop around the third century A.D.
Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated January 7 as we have mentioned before, 13 days after other Christians, according to the Gregorian calendar as in most of other Orthodox Christian countries.
In the East, Christmas is preceded by a 40 day fast beginning on November 15th. This is a time of reflection, self-restraint and inner healing in the sacrament of confession.
During the Soviet time it was not officially celebrated in Ukraine. Instead communist government tried to substitute Christmas with the holiday of New Year. But people did not forget their traditions. After gaining it’s independence in 1991 Ukraine started to celebrate Christmas officially as well.
Usually, on Christmas Eve, observant Orthodox Christians fast till late evening, until the first star appears. When the star is seen, people lay the table ready for the Christmas supper.
There are numerous Christmas traditions here. They vary significantly at the different parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Christmas customs are based not only on Christian traditions, but to a great degree on those of the pre-Christian, pagan culture and religion. The Ukrainian society was basically agrarian at that time and had developed an appropriate pagan culture, elements of which have survived to this day.
Ukrainian Christmas festivities begin on Christmas Eve and end on the Feast of the Epiphany. The Christmas Eve Supper or Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper) brings the family together to partake in special foods and begin the holiday with many customs and traditions, which reach back to antiquity. The rituals of the Christmas Eve are dedicated to God, to the welfare of the family, and to the remembrance of the ancestors.
People usually cook some tasty foods for this evening. There should be at least 12 different foods on the table. Those should mandatory include ‘Kutia’ — the ritual food which is prepared from cooked wheat and special syrup containing diluted honey, grated poppy seeds, raisins and sometimes walnuts.
Children this evening come around their neighbors with torches and sparclers (called here Bengal lights) spreading grains and colored seeds. They wish people good health and abundant harvest for the next year and ask for some donations. Also they perform some Christmas songs called in different parts of Ukraine ‘Koliadky’ or ‘Shchedrivky’ like these:
“Radujsia zemle, radujsia. Syn Bozhyj narodyvsia.” — Joy, Earth, Joy. The Son of God was born.
“Dobryj vechir, Sviaty vechir. Dobrym liudiam na zdorovja.” — Good evening, Holy evening. To good people for good health.
Both koliadky and shchedrivky have pagan elements in them, but many have been Christianized.
The Catholic Christmas is usually celebrated with night service in church from the 24th to 25th of December. Christmas service is especially solemn, touching and beautiful. Local Catholic Church choirs have festive concerts of sacred music.
After people return from night service they have holiday breakfast and most of them go to work because 25th of December is not official holiday in Ukraine!
May you have fun on both Christmas days! And may God bless you and your family!
“Christmas gift suggestions:
To your enemy, forgiveness.
To an opponent, tolerance.
To a friend, your heart.
To a customer, service.
To all, charity.
To every child, a good example.
To yourself, respect.”
Oren Arnold
Our dear customers, Merry Christmas!
We are continuing our bog about holidays with the next important winter list holidays.
To celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December or on the 7th of January depend mostly from religious reviews.
As we have both Catholic communities and Orthodox Christian communities both dates are considered holidays in Ukraine. However, Ukrainians are mostly Orthodox Christians.
Many people wonder why the date of celebrating the day when the Christ was born is different.
Christmas is celebrated on December 25 in all Christian churches including Eastern Rite, Roman and Protestant. Since most Eastern Orthodox churches have not accepted either the Gregorian calendar or the Revised Julian Calendar reforms, December 25 will fall on the civil date of January 7 for the years from 1900 to 2099. It is believed that the nativity was set on December 25th by a Roman bishop around the third century A.D.
Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated January 7 as we have mentioned before, 13 days after other Christians, according to the Gregorian calendar as in most of other Orthodox Christian countries.
In the East, Christmas is preceded by a 40 day fast beginning on November 15th. This is a time of reflection, self-restraint and inner healing in the sacrament of confession.
During the Soviet time it was not officially celebrated in Ukraine. Instead communist government tried to substitute Christmas with the holiday of New Year. But people did not forget their traditions. After gaining it’s independence in 1991 Ukraine started to celebrate Christmas officially as well.
Usually, on Christmas Eve, observant Orthodox Christians fast till late evening, until the first star appears. When the star is seen, people lay the table ready for the Christmas supper.
There are numerous Christmas traditions here. They vary significantly at the different parts of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Christmas customs are based not only on Christian traditions, but to a great degree on those of the pre-Christian, pagan culture and religion. The Ukrainian society was basically agrarian at that time and had developed an appropriate pagan culture, elements of which have survived to this day.
Ukrainian Christmas festivities begin on Christmas Eve and end on the Feast of the Epiphany. The Christmas Eve Supper or Sviata Vecheria (Holy Supper) brings the family together to partake in special foods and begin the holiday with many customs and traditions, which reach back to antiquity. The rituals of the Christmas Eve are dedicated to God, to the welfare of the family, and to the remembrance of the ancestors.
People usually cook some tasty foods for this evening. There should be at least 12 different foods on the table. Those should mandatory include ‘Kutia’ — the ritual food which is prepared from cooked wheat and special syrup containing diluted honey, grated poppy seeds, raisins and sometimes walnuts.
Children this evening come around their neighbors with torches and sparclers (called here Bengal lights) spreading grains and colored seeds. They wish people good health and abundant harvest for the next year and ask for some donations. Also they perform some Christmas songs called in different parts of Ukraine ‘Koliadky’ or ‘Shchedrivky’ like these:
“Radujsia zemle, radujsia. Syn Bozhyj narodyvsia.” — Joy, Earth, Joy. The Son of God was born.
“Dobryj vechir, Sviaty vechir. Dobrym liudiam na zdorovja.” — Good evening, Holy evening. To good people for good health.
Both koliadky and shchedrivky have pagan elements in them, but many have been Christianized.
The Catholic Christmas is usually celebrated with night service in church from the 24th to 25th of December. Christmas service is especially solemn, touching and beautiful. Local Catholic Church choirs have festive concerts of sacred music.
After people return from night service they have holiday breakfast and most of them go to work because 25th of December is not official holiday in Ukraine!
May you have fun on both Christmas days! And may God bless you and your family!
