Museum focuses on Christmas traditions (11/25/01)

Museum focuses on Christmas traditions

NEW YORK - The holiday season heralds exciting events at The Ukrainian Museum. In conjunction with the Christmas holiday, the museum presents learning activities for the young and the young at heart, thus sharing honored traditions of Ukrainian Christmas with members and friends.

A wonderful tradition of Ukrainian Christmas is creating hand-made ornaments for the Christmas tree. The ornaments are made of materials that everyone is familiar with and can be found in every household - beads, walnut shells, colored ribbon and paper, aluminum foil, etc. Beautiful, shimmering and glittering ornaments can be made from these materials, such as spiders, stars, mobiles, cradles and garlands, among others in this fun-filled workshop.

A workshop in creating such ornaments is open to children of all ages, and to all other members of their families. All materials necessary for these projects are provided and are covered by the cost of the fee. The workshop is offered on December 1, 2 and 16 at 2-4 p.m.

Fee for each session: adults, $10; students over 12 and seniors, $8.50; children age 7-12 free; museum members, 15 percent discount.

The Ukrainian Christmas boasts a rich culinary tradition. The museum has focused on one aspect of this delectable tradition, mainly on the baked goods, which have an important role in the holiday rituals. As part of its Ukrainian Folk Traditions and Crafts program, The Ukrainian Museum offers a workshop in the baking of traditional Ukrainian Christmas breads.

During the three-hour session, participants also learn about the many customs, traditions and rituals of the Ukrainian Christmas holiday. However, many workshop participants claim that the best part of this learning experience comes when the breads are baked and the fresh-out-of-the-oven sampling begins. The repertoire includes such all-time favorites as makivnyk (poppyseed bread), medivnyk (honey cake), tsvibak (sponge cake) and many others.

This workshop is open to adults and children over age 16, and is offered on December 1, at 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Fee: adults, $15; students over 16 and seniors, $12.50; museum members, 15 percent discount.

The Ukrainian Museum's Christmas Bazaar presents a marvelous opportunity to purchase one-of-a-kind gifts: unique hand-made Christmas tree ornaments, Christmas cards, Ukrainian carols on tape and disc, jewelry, embroidered textiles, ceramic and wood decorative objects. There are museum exhibition catalogues, art books and works of art by many Ukrainian artists, among them Jacques Hnizdovsky.

For children, there are illustrated story books from Ukraine (in English and Ukrainian languages), stories on tape, teddy bears dressed Hutsul-style, as well as exquisite dolls in Ukrainian folk costumes. The bazaar also features home-baked Christmas breads and pastries, as well as hand-crafted objects - the work of contemporary artists. The bazaar is on December 9 at 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

For information contact The Ukrainian Museum: phone, (212) 228-0110; fax, (212) 228-0110; e-mail: [email protected]; or visit the website www.ukrainianmuseum.org.

The Ukrainian Museum is located at 203 Second Ave., New York, NY 10003.

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