The Ukrainian “koliada” tradition is alive and well. We know that’s true because this is the time of year that various groups visit the homes of their members and supporters with Christmas carols and greetings of the season. “Chy pryimayete vy koliadnykiv? (Will you welcome carolers?), they ask. And, once invited in, they give us the wonderful gift of beautiful and unique Ukrainian “koliadky” (carols). In turn, we thank them with monetary donations for their organizations’ valuable work. For many groups, it should be noted, the koliada is a major fund-raiser.
Some organizations do a koliada by mail, sending those on their lists of members and benefactors best wishes for Christmas and the New Year along with a request for continued support of their worthwhile work. These are significant efforts aimed not only at ensuring their ongoing activity, but also at keeping in touch with their devotees.
Our publisher, the Ukrainian National Association, does something similar via its annual Christmas Card Project. Purchasing a set of lovely Christmas cards (this year’s designs are by Andriy Khomyk) helps support the Ukrainian National Foundation, an affiliated company of the UNA that performs charitable activities on its behalf. Purchasers of the cards are also encouraged to make additional donations toward The Ukrainian Weekly/Svoboda Press Fund, Soyuzivka Heritage Center and/or the general fund of the UNF, which supports educational and cultural programs both here in the United States and in Ukraine.
We’re grateful for the current year’s focus on the UNA’s two newspapers, – Svoboda and The Ukrainian Weekly, published, respectively, since 1893 and 1933 – which are described in the insert that accompanied the Christmas cards as “the premier news sources about events and happenings in Ukraine and Ukrainian communities throughout the world.” (You can check out the Christmas card project on the UNA’s website, unainc.org.) Here, on this page, we humbly ask readers of The Weekly to welcome us as koliadnyky into your homes and to help support our endeavors by contributing to The Ukrainian Weekly Press Fund.
At the same time, we underscore that we most appreciate your support in the form of subscriptions and gift subscriptions. And we ask that you share with others the importance of subscriptions, which sustain our publication. Many, you see, use our newspaper when it fits their particular need (e.g., to promote an event or project), yet do not support The Weekly with their subscriptions. The truth of the matter is this: Without subscriptions we would not exist. Without subscriptions, there would be no newspaper to use when the need arises… It’s clear that many do not understand these basic facts: Subscribers are essential to a newspaper’s health. Therefore, if you value our Ukrainian community, if you value its activities, then you should be a subscriber to our community’s most important newspaper. We hereby invite you to join the ranks of our loyal readers.
And, one more thing: As we begin a New Year, we express thanks to all those who have supported our work here at The Weekly with their subscriptions and donations to our Press Fund during 2018. Many of you, we are aware, have been devoted subscribers for decades, and that’s something we truly appreciate as in 2018 we marked the 85th anniversary of the founding of this newspaper. With your continued patronage and that of new subscribers, The Ukrainian Weekly hopes to continue its mission to inform the world about Ukraine and Ukrainians, as well as its role as a network that keeps us all in touch and engaged in our Ukrainian community life.