Christmas Around the World Series: in Ukraine

On peut dire que Christmas est une « fête retrouvée » pour l’Ukraine, du moins dans les parties orientale et centrale du pays). En effet, à l’époque soviétique, elle ne figurait plus parmi les fêtes officielles du pays. Il y a neuf ans, la coutume de célébrer Noël est redevenue officielle. Fête religieuse par excellence pour l’église orthodoxe, elle tend à devenir de plus en plus familiale.

A Christmas in January

While St. Nicholas Day is celebrated on December 19th by giving gifts to children, January 7th (Gregorian calendar) is more in keeping with the general idea of a Christmas celebration. The family then gathers in the room where a large fir tree and brightly shining candles have been placed. The children then receive other gifts, sweets, and pocket money. For the Christmas meal, a first table of twelve vegetarian dishes is prepared; it is only when the first star appears in the sky (a reference to the star of the Three Wise Men) that one can gorge on meat, pâtés, desserts, and sweets.

A tradition continues : that of the sheaf of wheat (the didukh) brought by the man of the house, to emphasize the importance of the harvest of this cereal in Ukraine. In the cities, a few sheaves of wheat are placed in a vase as a centerpiece.

Water baptism

The festive season ends on January 19 with the "water baptism." Orthodox priests dig a cross-shaped hole in the ice of a river, large enough for the bravest to try to bathe in. It should be noted that this is the coldest time of year in Ukraine.