Ukrainian Christmas: the older the better (01/10/93)

Ukrainian Christmas: the older the better

by Orysia Paszczak Tracz

For six years in the early 1970s, as close to January 7 as possible, a series of my articles on Ukrainian Christmas was featured each year in the Winnipeg Free Press. Each article was accompanied by a full-color, full-page illustration with a Ukrainian Christmas theme by Julie Dale. From readers' reactions I know these articles served as a catalyst for a rebirth of interest in our customs and traditions. We were fortunate that Peter Crossley, the editor of New Leisure Magazine (a feature of the Winnipeg Free Press at the time), was interested in Ukrainian subject matter.

The very first article was quite long, and described in depth the pre-Christian rituals and origins of Sviat Vechir. An explanation was included that even though we are Christian now and no longer believe in the pre-Christian reasons for the rituals, we still follow them as tradition. It was explained also, that it is remarkable such extremely old traditions have remained with our people well into this century.

One would think that such an explanation would cover it. But a friend of mine later told me that she was a guest on Christmas Day at a dinner where both parents and grandparents were professional, educated people. Conversation turned to my article, and my friend's hosts expressed horror and embarrassment, because my article "made us sound like pagans!"

What can be done if people miss the point completely? What was ironic was that this same family, on Sviat Vechir, celebrated the evening with the same "pagan" customs that every other Ukrainian family celebrates, would continue to do so for as long as they lived, and would pass on the tradition to their grandchildren. "Pagan" is such an inappropriate word to use in describing traditions that stem from pre-Christian times. It has an extremely negative connotation. While the term "pre-Christian" merely indicates a period of time and is non-judgmental.

For some people, emphasizing the Christian aspect of Christmas is most important. Of course, "keep Christ in Christmas" makes sense. But people all over the world celebrate Christ's birth in their own special ways, based upon their national origins. And what makes these international traditions so fascinating are the specific national qualities of the celebration - most based upon pre-Christian celebrations of the winter solstice.

The holly and the ivy, the Yule log, the Christmas tree. Befana, and the pinata are some of the many remnants of pre-Christian rituals. They do not at all detract from the Christian purpose of the holy day.

Our Ukrainian Christmas celebration has a dual origin in pre-Christian times.

From the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age, approximately 22,000 B.C.) we have the elements of lunar themes (such as the number 12 and crescent shapes of food) and ancestor worship, symbolized in such traditions as the empty place setting at the table, kutia and uzvar, and the non-meat, non-dairy character of the meal, reverence for farm animals, certain koliadky (carols) about family, brushing the seat before sitting down to supper so as not to sit on one of the many souls in the house at the time, etc.

From the Neolithic (New Stone Age, approximately 7,000-6,000 B.C.) we get the agricultural theme of the tradition, such as the kolach, the numerous references to the sun and to grains and farming. The didukh, the special sheaf of wheat and other grains, is a combination of these two themes, because the souls of the ancestors come into the home for the holidays in the stalks of the best grains from the previous harvest.

Koliadky and shchedrivky (New Year's ritual songs) sing about each of the themes, or blend the two. There are philosophical koliadky about creation, those about celestial bodies (and comparing them to the members of the family), about the forces of nature, about mother-earth and agricultural themes (the famous "Shchedryk" is about the swallow returning in the spring), about family, about romantic and wedding themes (the shchedrivky especially), about medieval royal themes of kings, horses and battles (some of which are based on historical events), about very recent - this century - patriotic themes, even humorous ones.

The religious Christian themes form a minute percentage of the enormous quantity of koliadky and shchedrivky. Now it has become acceptable to call the religious ones koliady, and the earlier ones koliadky.

But even among the religious ones, we see either dualism, or the Holy Family in a most human setting. The dualistic theme, combining pre-Christian and Christian, sees the Mother of God and the saints, as well as Jesus Himself, plowing the field, fishing, breaking rocks, or going for water. The Holy Family is compared to celestial bodies - "The first guest is the bright sun, the bright sun, God - Christ Himself; the second guest is a bright star, the bright star, the Blessed Virgin; the third guest is the bright-handsome moon, the bright-handsome moon, St. Peter Paul."

In many Ukrainian carols, Mary and Joseph are diapering Jesus, and are assembling His layette, worried about swaddling clothes and "silk" shirts. There are apocryphal carols about the family life of the Holy Family, about the saints, Herod, the feast of Jordan, the building of churches, etc.

Scholars have indicated that the Ukrainian koliadky about creation are the earliest songs in the world still in existence. Their antiquity is substantiated when compared to creation themes in songs and legends among primitive tribes around the world, from Siberia to Africa to North America.

So where does all of this leave us - at the threshold of the 21st century? Do we drop all these strange foods and things we do at Ukrainian Christmas because they are so "primitive," so "pagan"? Of course not. Personally, I take great pride in the fact that I belong to a nation that can trace its identity through its rituals and folklore - to the earliest beginnings of humanity. There is no logical or practical sense in preparing 12 archaic dishes to serve in a specific manner on that one special night (and the number 12 symbolizes the 12 months, not the 12 apostles - a much later explanation.) There is no logic or practicality to the other rituals either.

But would it be Christmas for us, as Ukrainians, if we ignored our Sviat Vecher and just celebrated by running down on Christmas morning to tear open presents and then sitting down for turkey dinner? Would we even want to try?

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