“Among Ukrainians, wherever they may be, the most beloved of all festivities is Christmas which covers a cycle of important feast days, ending with the Jordan (Epiphany) holidays on January 20. Christmas Eve, centering around family and agricultural modes of life, is very colourful, being the most important part of Christmas.” (From the book “Traditional Ukrainian Cookery by S. Stechishin.)
This book is full of great recipes, along with related histories. One of the early chapters on Soups tells us that in Ukraine a meal would be incomplete without a soup. Rich or poor people made soup that simmered away on the back of the stove for hours. Borsch with many varied recipes depending on availability of ingredients is the national soup of Ukraine. Ukrainians claim that they make the most genuine Borsch in the world. Certainly, the Ukrainian restaurant “Bukovina” at #19 Third Avenue North that we had in Yorkton for a few years in the early 1980s had an excellent menu! On a sight-seeing trip around the Yorkton countryside two of my cousins visiting me from Ontario in the mid-1990s, wanted to sample Borsch. We found a very tasty version in a Canora restaurant. So, the Christmas meal includes this soup, followed by the first dish Kutya — a mix of cooked wheat with honey, ground poppy seed, followed by many more dishes: pickled herrings or mushrooms, fish and various traditional dishes, ending with a dessert of stewed dried fruit, or fruit varenyky, and Christmas pastries and nuts. After the solemn meal, the people sing Christmas carols. Ukrainian Christmas has many religious traditions. After midnight on Christmas Eve, even at dawn, folks attend a Christmas service. Later on in the day, carolers visit homes singing old and modern carols. In the old country, groups in costumes presented a short skit with a festive theme as they went along door to door. In modern times, the Christmas tree has been introduced with the exchange of gifts.
Contact Terri Lefebvre Prince,
Heritage Researcher,
City of Yorkton Archives,
Box 400, 37 Third Avenue North
Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W3
306-786-1722
[email protected]
