Following in the grand tradition of Ayn Rand's model citizen; Ebenezer Scrooge, Colby Cosh says 'Bah Humbug' there is no such thing as Ukrainian Christmas except in Western Canada. He obviously missed my blog posting of the other day from the Ukrainian Encyclopedia.
You know you're definitely in the Prairie Provinces when...
...on January 6, you hear a talk-radio caller mention that he lives out of town but that he "came home for Ukrainian Christmas."
Are there any readers who happen to know when and how Christmas is observed in the contemporary Ukraine? I have a sneaking suspicion that they've adapted to the Gregorian date over there, and that "Ukrainian Christmas" has become an indigenous tradition of Western Canada.
Well Colby check this out, three major pagan festivities have seen their revival in the Ukraine, The Feast of Winter Solstice aka Ukrainian Christamas (both Catholic and Orthodox) , Ukrainian New Years (Malanka) and the Feast of St. John otherwise known as Summer Solstice, and in the Ukraine known as Kupalo an ancient pagan fertility ritual. Ukraine celebrates both the Catholic Christmas in December and Orthodox Christmas in January. And the Christmas break for school children extends over this entire period.So no these are not figments of the imagination of Ukrainian Canadians and would be Shumka dancers. Yes Colby there is a Ukrainian Santa Claus and he is known as Saint Nick.
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