Senior Citizens Corner

'Twas the Night Before Christmas at Soyuzivka

by Marion Kushnir Burbella

Christmas Eve is...a night to remember for so many beautiful customs and traditions as Ukrainian families prepare for the celebration of the Birth of Christ...the appearance of the first star in the firmament...the lighting of the Nativity candle...the happy faces of God's children of all ages gathered around the festive table for "Sviata Vecheria." Indeed, a holy night.

Year in and year out, early in December, an invitation would be inserted within the pages of The Ukrainian Weekly: "No Place Like Soyuzivka at Christmas Holidays." It was determined that Christmas '77 would be the time to go and see and be a part of the Ukrainian family observing Christmas in the heart of Ukraine-in-America: Soyuzivka.

We left behind the glaring lights, the blaring of jingle bells and the jostling crowds. The quiet of the winding roads in the open countryside enveloped our hearts with perfect tranquillity. Conversation was unnecessary; silence was golden in the wake of the approaching dusk.

In this state of quiet and peace, the mind traveled into the distance and perceived shepherds in the fields, tending their flock, a quiet that was broken by the appearance of a great army of heaven's angels proclaiming in song:

GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST HEAVEN,
AND PEACE TO MEN WHO ENJOY HIS FAVOR.

The journey ended as son John announced: "Soyuzivka, we're here."

Within a matter of a few minutes the writer beheld a heart-warming scene. Walter Lomaga was perched on top of a ladder, giving last minute adjustments to the strings of multi-colored Christmas tree lights he had placed upon the tree set directly in front of the Goddess of Spring in the garden opposite the entrance to the Main House.

A child stood at the foot of the ladder, gazing up at Walter and holding something that looked like a small radio in his hands.

"Hello, little fellow, you've come to Soyuzivka to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas Eve?"

A long pause as his big eyes held me in suspense. Then "Yes."

"What is your name?"

Slowly, with emphasis on each name came the reply, "Gregory...Daniel...Klok."

"That's lovely. How old are you?"

This question necessitated considerable thinking. "Four."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

The reply was prompt, "I have a brother, Mark, but he's little."

"What are you holding in your hands?"

"A Batman-Robin Walkie-Talkie."

Now it was obvious what Gregory had been doing at the foot of the ladder, probably supervising Walter's work?

"Gregory, before we conclude this interview, would you please tell me Mommy's name?"

He thought about it a long time and finally confessed, "I don't know!"

Turning to a tall, young lady, I asked, "Mommy, would you know your name?"

Amid laughter, "Nereida Klok."

How appropriate that a child introduced me to Christmas Eve at Soyuzivka.

As soon as the door to the reception lobby was opened, the aroma of holubtsi baking in the oven wafted sweetly past our nostrils. One couldn't help but "feel" Christmas Eve.

It was a joy to meet again our gracious, charming Marusia Hankewych. It seemed as though it were but a few weeks ago when she was inundated by the 200 senior citizens who had descended upon Soyuzivka on May 30th for Conference III.

Mary Andreyko was assigned to the Joseph Lesawyer UNA Executive suite while the Burbellas and Paula Grant occupied the Stephen Kuropas UNA Executive suite. This would be recorded in gold letters in our diaries.

Gregory's interview had exhausted him and we couldn't ask him to stand guard for the appearance of the first star.

Mary A. and Marion B. undertook the task. At approximately 5:20, both caught sight of the first star! A few minutes later, the second star! Anna Sedorowitz had just placed lighted candles in her window in the room on the second floor. Gazing at the sky to the right. "Oh-h-h-, the full moon!" and Walter Kwas walked out of the moon-beams. Can't change the story because that's exactly how it happened. Precision Hollywood timing.

"Dobryi vechir, pane hospodariu, persha zirka ziavylasia na nebi."

"Dobryi vechir," replied Mr. Kwas and hurried indoors.

All morning and afternoon Mr. Kwas and "the boys" had worked very hard to clear away tons of snow to make room for automobile parking. And now, nattily attired, he would attend to the final preparations in the dining room for the Christmas Eve supper.

There was no one in the reception lobby; all were dressing for supper. A hush descended upon the place. Half an hour later, the silence was broken. Guests were chatting gaily...happiness prevailed everywhere.

Gregory, his "little" brother (two-and-a-half) and one I immediately assumed was grandmother, were descending the stairs.

"You are Gregory's grandmother?"

"Yes, I am Mary Klok of Linden."

"Linden? Would you by any chance be a member of my cousin's parish in Elizabeth?"

"Yes, St. Vladimir. Monsignor Fedorek is your cousin? Of course I recognize you. Didn't you present his parents with roses when they celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary the night of Monsignor Fedorek's Investiture Banquet on January 29? You had been their flower girl?"

"Your memory is fantastic. Right on all points."

"And this handsome gentleman standing beside you, I deduct, is Gregory's daddy? And so it came to pass that I learned a few things about Gregory's daddy.

Daniel John Klok had been an actor for many years. In his professional acting career he had been associated with the Actors Studio in Manhattan, the Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., and the Barter Theater in Abbington, Virginia. Mr. Klok also wrote for Film News Magazine. At the present time he is a realtor with four offices in the Bronx; engaged in the process of buying and selling and holding for investment real estate.

Port Washington, New York is the residence of the Klok family.

"Sviata Vecheria"

Elegantly attired guests had assembled downstairs waiting to be invited into the dining room. Chemniy III stood at the entrance door, quiet and dignified. After all, he reasoned, Christmas Eve is for everybody!

Inside the dining room, waitresses in red blouses were moving from table to table, lighting the green candles. Red napkins accentuated the Christmas decor. After the last candle had been lighted, the electric lights were turned off, Mr. Kwas opened the doors and said, "Dobryi vechir, hosti, vitaiemo!" He escorted the guests to reserved tables, all 130 guests. There were many young people present.

Looking about, we saw Catherine and Troy Hale of Somerville, N.J., and daughter Dorothy Macola; Olha and Michael Bodlak of Livingston, N.J., and Olha and Nicholas Yarymovych of Kerhonkson, four members of the Association of UNA seniors.

At another table we beheld Emil J. Smishkewych and his wife, Maria, their daughter, Oksana, and son-in-law, Dr. Lubomy Kuzmak; daughter, Roksolana, and son-in-law, Dr. Yurij Yaworsky; and daughter, Zenia. Mr. Smishkewych is on the Association of UNA Senior Citizens Board and is currently involved in the planning of the senior citizens complex at Soyuzivka.

Strains of Ukrainian carol music emerged from yet another table. The organ accordionist was none other than Bohdan Hirniak of Clifton, N.J., nephew of Dr. Halyna Noskowska-Hirniak, the Association of UNA Senior Citizens secretary. While Dr. Hirniak was celebrating Christmas in Florida, her family was well represented at Soyuzivka: Bohdan and his wife, Herta, their son, Yurij (Dr. Hirniak' godson), daughter, Tania; daughter, Ulana, and son-in-law, Roman Semeniuk, Clifton, N.J.; also Olha and Peter Semeniuk, their daughter Daria and son Ewhen, all of Maplewood, N.J.

Rev. Father Michael Shewchuk led the guests in the recitation of "Our Father," invoked God's blessings on the assembled guests and then led those present in the singing of "Bohe Predvichnyi Narodyvsia."

Chrystyna Hankewych, Christmas Eve Supper Hostess, directed her staff of waitresses and waiters while General Manager Walter Kwas stopped at every table to exchange holiday pleasantries. The large red menu card, artistically prepared, listed the twelve traditional dishes, both in English and in Ukrainian. Twelve times dishes were placed before the guests and twelve times they were removed. We never saw so many dishes coming and going. No sooner had one plate been removed, another serving appeared. By the time coffee, tea and dessert were served, each one had the same thought, "Don't know how we'll manage."

It wouldn't be Ukrainian Christmas Eve without carolers. They didn't disappoint us this night. Approximately 18 Plast members from Kerhonkson, led by the "zvizda" assembled around the "yalynka" and sang several Christmas carols. They were richly rewarded by the guests for their remembrance.

A word ought to be written about the remaining decor. At one end, a platform had been erected, upon which boughs of evergreen were placed across the entire length of the platform. Silver garlands were intertwined in the branches and Christmas cards received from the many vacationers at Soyuzivka, both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian, were hung from the branches. At the opposite end of the dining room stood a table covered with a kylym and upon the table rested the figures of the Nativity, in Ukrainian ceramic. On the opposite side of the Christmas tree was the traditional American Nativity. A huge kylym covered the walls of the entire area.

Throughout the supper Bohdan Hirniak played Ukrainian Christmas carols. When he stopped playing to partake of the food, Mr. Kwas and Marusia Hankewych saw to it that the record player took over the musical program.

Ihor Vitvitsky of Upper Manhattan, son of the late Stephen Vitvitsky, President of the Ukrainian National Republic-in-exile (1953-1968), his wife, Daria, son, Andrew, daughter-in-law, Tania (Bulba) and 8-year-old granddaughter, Ksenia, celebrated their first Christmas Eve at Soyuzivka with an added attraction. Mr. Vitvitsky had arranged with St. Nicholas to have the family's gifts placed under the huge Christmas tree in the reception hall while they were at Sviata Vecheria.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed Novachka of Boston's Plast was starry-eyed to behold so many packages. The writer joined them as they opened their gifts. There was a doll for Ksenia, a calculator, several books, a Star Wars record and four Ukrainian records which included two records of Ukrainian Christmas carols. The senior Vitvitskys (especially Daria!) were extremely pleased with their large toaster-oven. Among Tania's gifts: Hnizdovsky's woodcuts 1944-1975 from her sister, Joanne Olesnitsky, and a painting, "The Enchanted Flute," the work of the late Ukrainian artist Mykola Butovych, from her father-in-law and mother-in-law. It is impossible to list all the gifts that were left by St. Nicholas. However, mention would be made that they included "UKRAINE 1917-1921: A Study in Revolution," edited by Dr. Taras Hunczak of Rutgers University, and published by the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute in Cambridge, Mass.

Tania and Andrew Vitvitsky are residents of Cambridge. A graduate of Philadelphia College of Arts, Tania is a printmaker in woodcuts, etchings and lithographs. A member of the Boston branch of Soyuz Ukrainok, Tania is Regional Director of the Massachusetts Office for Children, metropolitan Boston.

Andrew Vitvitsky is Vice President of Little & Co., Inc., a commercial and investment real estate company in Boston. He possesses a gift of humor that continued to cheer throughout the evening. We asked if he would like to join the Ukrainian Bob Hope, Stephen Kuropas, at Conference IV coming up in June '78. In his inimical humorous manner, the reply was, "If the price is right."

The closing hours of Christmas Eve were spent with Anna and George Hankewych and all their children in happy conversation and admiring the very, very beautiful Christmas tree in the reception lobby. The decorating had been done earlier in the day by ten young adults.

Guess what happened on the upper floor as we were walking to our rooms? Mrs. Santa Claus was pulling a huge bag of gifts across the hallway, from her room to Gregory's room. Who was Mrs. Santa? Mary Klok! By 7:00 a.m. Christmas day we "heard" that the gifts had been discovered. It was no different than any other home on Christmas morning!

Breakfast on Sunday morning, attendance at Divine Liturgy (Kerhonkson does not celebrate Christmas until January 7th), dinner, farewells, a visit to Prof. Michael and Olympia Waskiw...then back to the Carpathians of northern New Jersey.

Recognition...Plaudits...Thanks

"Words of acknowledgment are herein extended to the silent heroes of thus unforgettable 'Twas the Night Before Christmas at Soyuzivka." To the staff that assisted in the preparation of all the foods, we express our sincerest thanks. To the young people who gave up their own celebrating to serve the guests, we express admiration.

To the two chefs, Andrij Lesiw and Wasyl Tatunchak, our profound thanks, for without them there would have been no "Sviatyi Vechir" at Soyuzivka on December 24, 1977. May God bless them with continued good health as they serve their fellow Ukrainian in such an unselfish manner.

And to you who were unable to attend, there will be another time: December 24, 1978. God-willing, Andrij and Wasyl will be there to repeat their performance once again. Just make a notation on your calendar to call Soyuzivka on December 1st...make your reservations...and then pray for good weather!

KHRYSTOS ROZHDAIETSIA

P.S. Anna Kudlak Kosciw of Glen Spey, N.Y., sends best regards to Maria Chuchman of Toronto.

Yes, Kitty Murphy of Brooklyn...I do remember!

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, December 31, 1977, No. 289, Vol. LXXXIV

| Home Page |