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Ukraini an Christmas Traditions At this time of the year no one can help but think and ponder on the beautiful religious traditions of the Ukrainian Christmas ob servance. The church celebrations and the traditional Holy Supper at home are inspiring and create an unusually solemn atmosphere. For the time when Christ is born is merry and this sentiment is wonderfully expressed in carols (kolyadky) sung alike in churches and at home. Before the people go to church to Midnight Mass, they honor the day with Christmas dinner which is known in Ukraine as Holy Sup per. The table is especially set for this occasion. Straw is strewn un der the table cloth, a freshly bak ed bread is placed and candelabra glitter on it. Mother and daughters with dig nity and solemnity bring in the twelve special dishes, one after another. Here are — red beet soup (borshch), various kinds of vareniky or pyrohy, fish, holubtsi, mushroom sauce, kootya( wheat, honey and poppy seeds), compote, pampushky, fruit and nuts. The family awaits the first star in the evening sky before taking their places at the table. The head of the household leads the family in prayer, shares phosphora (bread and honey) with every one and extends his blessings and Christmas greetings. This custom is on the whole predominating throughout Uk raine, or rather has been up to the invasion of Ukraine by Rus sian bolsheviks. Still outside of Ukraine, in United States, Can ada, South America, England, France, Belgium and Australia the Ukrainians do observe their own beautiful Christmas tradi tions. And they are praying and hoping that freedom and inde pendence may be soon won by the peoples behind the Iron Curtains, so Ukraine may again freely cele brate her joyous traditional Christmas. Stephanie Wochok Jr. Vice-President. Kolyady and Shchedrivky (From the book of Rev. Humphrey Kowalsky “Ukrainian Folk Songs”) Religious and Ritual Songs known as Kolyady and Shched rivky are from the ancient pre- Christian era—'expressing the ad oration of natural forces, espec ially of the celestial bodies. Sva- roh was the god of heaven and earth. Dazhboh was god of the sun ; Perun was god of the thun der bolt; Stryboh was god of the winds; Zoria, the star goddess, and numerous other gods in whose honor hymns were sung at the appointed time. About the most important were thfc Kolyady in honor of the birth of the sun in the spring, as the life-giver to all. The deification of the sun as the most potent factor in the Universe was the fundamental NEW JUNIOR VICE-PRES. In place of Mrs. Helen M. Douglas elected Junior Vice-Pres- ident at the 9t,h Convention who resigned because of important family matters, Executive Offic ers and Board of Directors of of UNWLA at their meeting Decem ber 17 at their Headquarters in Philadelphia elected for the office of Jr. Vice-President, Mrs. Ste phanie Wochok, former chairman of the Exhibit Committee, and member of Branch 52 in Phila delphia. Welcome Mrs. Wochok! religion. The word Kolyada is de rived from Kolo or Koleso, mean ing a wheel, because the sun ap pears to be a round, shining wheel. These songs were recited about the end of December at the winter solstice when the god-sun begins to prevail over the dark ness. They are generally sung now as Christmas carols, both at home and church, by groups of boys and girls carrying a beauti fully decorated star with a light ed candle inside, going to the windows of every home to all in mates, whereupon many gifts are handed in response therefore: FOR ALL UKRAINIAN JUNIOR LEAGUERS AND THEIR LOVED ONES HOLIDAY GREETINGS AND BEST WISHES FOR A HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL NEW YEAR Mrs. Stephanie Wochok Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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