Gwen and Orest Warnyca spent Monday preparing a supper for Ukrainian Christmas.
"My parents both came from a family of 14,” said Gwen Warnyca. “We always got together at our grandparents home with all the other aunts, uncles and cousins and at that time that's what we had we had the traditional dishes and we just carried it forward."
Putting on this supper won't be an easy task; they are making a meal for 26 people. For the pair, Ukrainian Christmas is about keeping up a family tradition.
"It's so important, I believe, to maintain your culture, fit into the modern society as best you can,” said Orest Warnyca. “But maintain your culture gives you a little bit more texture, that's the part of the mosaic part of being in Canada. It adds a little flavour to us."
Most orthodox Christians and some Catholics celebrate Christmas on January 7th. On the prairies it’s commonly called Ukrainian Christmas.
Birth of Christ is designated under the Gregorian calendar which is the common calendar for most of us in the work day week, on the 24th, Christmas Eve, and we celebrate by the Julian calendar which is basically Christmas Eve on the 6th and today is Christmas day the 7th," said Orest.
Father Volodymyr Feskiv is a Ukrainian orthodox priest who grew up in Ukraine. He said it doesn’t matter what calendar you follow, just that you celebrate the reason for the day.
"You want to do more stuff for others,” said Father Volodymyr Feskiv, Ukrainian Orthodox Priest.
“When you do stuff for others, you do that for Christ.”
