Fischbachau: How people from Ukraine celebrate Christmas

Created: 12/25/2022, 10:00 am

By: Christine Merk

A colorfully decorated Christmas tree stands in the Hildegard house.

The children and their families will celebrate Christmas Eve there on December 24th.

In some regions of Ukraine, the celebration is not until January 6th.

© tp

Horst Koller and Gabi Aichler invited people from the Ukraine to Christmas - and asked how the festival is traditionally celebrated in their homeland.

Fischbachau

- Twelve dishes and a place setting for the deceased in the family - this is how the table is laid in the Ukraine on Christmas Eve.

Plates and cutlery are provided for the ancestors so that they too can take part in the meal.

The twelve courts are symbolic of the twelve apostles, explains Horst Koller.

Together with his wife Gabi Aichler, he invited some of the Ukrainian women who were accommodated in Fischbachau – including in Haus Hildegard – and who are cared for by the local helpers’ group, to their home and asked how Christmas is traditionally celebrated in their homeland.

Unlike us, Christmas Eve is celebrated on January 6 according to the Julian calendar of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

Koller and his wife found out that in western Ukraine, where some Greek Catholic believers live, Christmas Eve takes place on December 24th, just like here.

However, due to the influence of our holidays, some Ukrainians will celebrate Christmas twice this year.

Twelve dishes are served - no alcohol

They remain true to the traditions of the food.

Twelve meatless dishes will be served, no alcohol - as in the six-week Lent that precedes Christmas Eve.

"Lent is taken very seriously by many Ukrainians," reports Koller.

During this time, animal foods except honey and alcohol are taboo.

"Kutja plays the main role in the dishes on Christmas Eve," says Koller, "a dessert made from wheat, honey and poppy seeds, for which every family has its own traditional recipe." Other typical dishes are Warenki - dumplings - which are hearty with sauerkraut or Potatoes are filled or sweet with sour cherries.

Borscht, a soup with beetroot, adds a touch of color to the table.

Garlic and nuts on the table serve as a symbol of health and strength.

Another element is “Didukhy”.

For this purpose, wheat sheaves are put together into a bouquet and tied together in the middle.

The lower part of the stalks is fanned out so that the sheaves stand upright.

Tradition: The family meets at the elder's - the wish list goes to Santa Claus

Traditionally, the family meets with the eldest.

A symbol that the godfather is brought supper.

Gifts are not given on Christmas Eve, but on St. Nicholas Day, which in the Ukraine – also unlike here – is on December 19 in the calendar.

The children therefore do not address their Christmas wishes to the Christ child, but write their letter to St. Nicholas.

The tradition with the Christmas tree is completely different.

"It won't be erected in the Ukraine until the end of December and is therefore more of a 'New Year's tree'," explains Koller.

At the turn of the year there are gifts underneath.

"And if you are greeted by a Ukrainian from January 7 with 'Christos narodivsja', which means 'Christ was born'," says Koller, "you can reply 'Slawimo Joho' – 'Praise him'."

Our Advent series

Every day we opened a window on one of our local pages and showed you traditions from the Advent season and other things related to winter and Christmas.

This article ends our Advent series.

We hope you enjoyed it.

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