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snow decorating the window of a nearby peroshki cafe, there was no sign of upcoming festivities. Outside it promised to be a disappointing Christmas, but when we stepped inside the house I began to sense that the Christmas spirit may be alive after all. The guests arrived slowly, for like the hostess, their jobs had also demanded full days on Christmas. Christ mas on a weekday would cause the festivities to end early, I thought, and the supper would be modest. I should have known better! Not in Ukraine! Although there seemed to be absolutely no pre-Christmas cele brating, as in America, once Christmas came, it was varennyky (dumplings with fillings), holubtsi (stuffed cabbage), kutya (wheat & honey mixture), and Christ mas caroling non-stop for three weeks. When all the guests had worked themselves out of their bulky coats and wraps, we were invited to sit at the table. The room was lit by the colored lights of the tree and the many red, green and white candles set into the table centerpieces of pine boughs and cones. Bursts of red carnation — a favorite winter flower — decorated the length of the table. A hush fell over the house and only the Christmas Angel candle chimes rang with a soft and steady rhythm. The hostess lifted her glass of homemade honey liqueur. The twelve of us followed her example. “We raise a toast to our brethren who have travelled far to celebrate Christmas in their homeland,” our hos tess began. "To, Orysia who has embraced her heritage as warmly as if she had been born here in Ukraine, and to her father, who despite considerable odds in a for eign land instilled in her the yearning for her native cul ture.” Formal toasts provided a stage for saying things that may otherwise have been left unspoken. Seizing the moment and filled with emotion I said “All the years I was growing up I heard stories about U k ra in e , p ra c tic e d its tra d itio n s , s p o k e th e la n g u a g e an d s a n g its s o n g s , b u t th e real U k ra in e a n d its p e o p le w e re b e y o n d m y re a c h a n d im a g in a tio n . N o w Lviv fe e ls lik e h o m e to m e, th a n k s to p e o p le su c h as y o u w h o h a v e ta k e n in th is s tra n g e r fro m A m e ric a a n d s h o w n h e r tru e U k ra in ia n h o s p ita lity . A s I sit h e re I s e e th a t th e tra d itio n s a re th e s a m e , b u t h e re , in Lviv I h e a r th e e c h o o f a m ille n n iu m o f C h ris tm a s e s past. I th a n k y o u fo r s h a rin g th is n ig h t w ith u s .” F o llo w in g th e to a s ts , w e p ro c e e d e d to h a ve a m a rv e lo u s d in n e r w h ic h c o n ta in e d m a n y fa m ilia r fa v o rite s . A s w e ta s te d e v e ry th in g , a n o th e r U k ra in ia n tra d itio n to o k h o ld a n d w e b e g a n to sin g ca ro ls. “W e h o p e to be b le s s e d b y th e vis it o f a V e rte p to n ig h t, w h ic h w o u ld m a k e it a tru ly m e m o ra b le C h ris t m as fo r o u r v is ito r,” o u r h o ste ss a n n o u n c e d a t o n e p o in t. I h ad b e en h e a rin g re fe re n c e s to V e rte p m o re o fte n as C h ris tm a s a p p ro a c h e d a n d w o n d e re d w h a t it w as . M o s tly m y q u e s tio n s w e re a n s w e re d w ith “w a it a n d s e e .” V e rte p is s im ila r to th e c a ro llin g tra d itio n o f w e s te rn E u ro p e a n d A m e ric a . U k ra in ia n V e rte p w e a v e s th e s to ry o f th e C h ris t C h ild ’s b irth a n d th e evil K in g H e ro d ’s re a c tio n in to th e U k ra in ia n fo lk life. T h e p rin c ip a l p la y e rs in m o s t e v e ry V e rte p are: an a n g e l c a rry in g a la rg e s ta r w h o a n n o u n c e s th e b irth o f C h ris t; th e T h re e K in g s w h o c o m e to w o rs h ip C h ris t; th e J e w is h h e ra ld w h o b rin g s th e n e w s to K in g H e ro d ; D e a th , w h o p lo ts w ith H e ro d to ta k e all th e m a le c h ild re n an d th e n tu rn s on H e ro d , k illin g him as w ell. A g y p s y a n d his g o a t, th o u g h u n re la te d to th e s to ry , a re an in te g ra l p a rt o f it, so th a t s o m e tim e s V e rte p is c a lle d “ k o z a ” (g o a t). T h e g o a t is o ffe re d fo r s a le a n d s in g s “ K o za D e re z a ” s o n g , w a rn in g th a t it w ill b rin g d e a th to its n e w o w n e r. A ll th e w h ile th e g y p s y trie s to s e ll ite m s o f d u b io u s v a lu e , s u c h as fin g e rle s s g lo v e s a n d b u rn e d po ts a n d pan s to th e a u d ie n c e . Фраґмент "Вертепу" — Львів, січень 1987 p. Fragments of Vertep. Lviv, 1987. НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ” , СІЧЕНЬ 1989 21 Г у ц у п з " В е р т е п у ” Л ь в ів , 1 9 8 7 . H u t s u l- V e r t e n . Lviv. 1 98 7 .
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