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OUR LIFE MONTHLY, published by Ukrainian National Womens League of America Vol. XXX. JAN UA RY , 1973 I Remember Christmas It is Christm as Eve (January 6, we followed the Julian calen dar). Dusk is falling and all six of us children, w ith our noses pressed against a half frozen window, are eagerly watching for the appearance of the first star which symbolizes th e S tar of Bethlehem. W ith its appear ance the spirit of Christm as be gins to reign in our house. Preparations for this day have been going on for weeks. Every corner of the house has been scrubbed. The living-dining area is decorated w ith garlands and red paper bells. The Christm as tree — grown on our farm — is trim m ed w ith candy, apples, cranberry clusters and real can dles. The table has a yaer of frag ran t hay spread over the top, and is covered w ith a gleaming white cloth. In the center is a kolatch (a special Christm as bread) in the form of a w reath w ith a tall candle in the center, which is to be lighted at supper time. A t last someone spies the star and this fact is vociferously an nounced to all. Then there is a mad scramble tow ards the door so th a t all could see it at the same tim e. Yes, yes, there it is, shining brightly in the w estern sky. While the excitem ent is still running high, Dad approaches from the barn, where he had ju st completed bedding the live stock for the night. He is car rying a sheaf of w heat under one arm and a bundle of hay un der the other. Pausing in the doorway, he greets us in U krain ian: “K hrystos Razhdayetsia” ! — “Chist is born.” And we an swer in a chorus, “Slavim Yo- ho” ! — “Praise Him .” Dad places the sheaf under the Ikon, in the right-hand corner of the room. A place of honor, be cause th a t sheaf, deedukh, sym bolizes innumerable ancestors whose spirits will be present w ith us tonight. The hay is spread on the floor, to signify th a t Jesus was born in a manger. The enticing arom as from the kitchen w aft them selves all over the house. M other has been cook ing since daybreak, preparing the twelve traditional dishes for Christm as. There had to be twelve, to commemorate the twelve disciples. The supper is ready, and as we w atch m other filling some plates w ith samples of each dish, we feel suddenly very hungry. But hungry though we are, we know th a t this food is not for us, not yet. It was believed th a t C hrist mas was shared w ith all crea tures, especially w ith the domes tic animals, and the ritual of giving them th eir Christm as supper had to be perform ed first. So each one of us grabs a plate No. 1 ful of food, follows Dad to the barn, blesses w ith the sign of the cross-horses, cows, and oth er livestock, and distributes the food to the animals. The ritual is repeated w ith the chickens, pigs and of course, the dog and the cat. Later, breathless from the ex ercise and excitem ent in the fresh air, we gather around the table, and join M other and Dad in the singing of the tradition al carol “Boh Predveechnee” — “God E ternal.” Now Dad be comes very serious, wishing each one of us a very m erry C hrist mas, and expresses the hope th at we may all be together as a fam ily group, a year hence, to cele brate this joyous occasion. We reciprocate and solemnly kiss Dad’s and M other’s hands. Supper begins w ith “kutya” — cooked wheat, cooled and sea soned w ith honey, ground poppy seeds, chopped apples and wal nuts. This is followed by “borshch” — beet soup. Then, a t least two kinds of fish •— fried, baked or jelled — are served (no m eat is eaten on Christm as E v e). Two kinds of “holubtsi” — cabbage rolls — (rice and buck wheat) are followed by creamed dried mushrooms, which we had picked the previous summer. “Pyrohy” — dumplings — w ith a num ber of fillings are served next. Or else, baked rolls w ith a variety of fillings are served as an accompaniment to the dessert of stewed fruit. A fter supper, there is more singing of Christm as carols and we have a chance to show off how well we have memorized all the verses. M other leads in a clear soprano voice, Dad h a r monizes in a deep basso, and we follow as best we can. Tradition demands th a t the children take some Christm as food to their grandparents, or 26 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ — СІЧЕНЬ, 1973 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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