"Dobryj vechir, Sviaty vechir. Dobrym liudiam na zdorovja.
- Good Evening, Holy Evening to good people for good health."
Having won its Independence from Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine remains steeped in Christmas tradition and delicious food, and today, Christmas is a public holiday. As the women prepare the 12 dish feast, twelve dishes symbolic of the twelve apostles, children decorate the tree and search the sky for the first star. Its appearance signals time to begin the feasting on such delicacy as perogies, or dumplings. Kolach is a braided Christmas bread and Holopchi, yummy stuffed cabbage.
The legend of Pavuchky, or little spider is often credited to Germany and Ukraine, as well as Poland. Nonetheless, legend has it that
A poor but hardworking widow once lived in a small hut with her children. One summer day, a pinecone fell on the earthen floor of the hut and took root. The widow's children cared for the tree, excited at the prospect of having a Christmas tree by winter. The tree grew, but when Christmas Eve arrived, they could not afford to decorate it. The children sadly went to bed and fell asleep. Early the next morning, they woke up and saw the tree covered with cobwebs. When they opened the windows, the first rays of sunlight touched the webs and turned them into gold and silver. The widow and her children were overjoyed. From then on, they never lived in poverty again. (Wikipedia).
As a child, we were not allowed tinsel, as it would get stuck in the vacuum cleaner. However, now that I am a grown up, in the loosest sense of the term, I choose tinsel. I consider it the crowning glory of our tree. Chris's mother tells of how her father used to place tinsel, one at a time on each branch. Our youngest daughter, Kylie, when she was a youngster preferred big handfuls thrown at her little personal tree on her dresser. I am still on the lookout for silver tinsel trees like the ones which were used in our Silver Forest Christmas Play when I was a child. Preference is irrelevant. Tinsel is like joy, even a little catches the light and shines.
A poor but hardworking widow once lived in a small hut with her children. One summer day, a pinecone fell on the earthen floor of the hut and took root. The widow's children cared for the tree, excited at the prospect of having a Christmas tree by winter. The tree grew, but when Christmas Eve arrived, they could not afford to decorate it. The children sadly went to bed and fell asleep. Early the next morning, they woke up and saw the tree covered with cobwebs. When they opened the windows, the first rays of sunlight touched the webs and turned them into gold and silver. The widow and her children were overjoyed. From then on, they never lived in poverty again. (Wikipedia).
As a child, we were not allowed tinsel, as it would get stuck in the vacuum cleaner. However, now that I am a grown up, in the loosest sense of the term, I choose tinsel. I consider it the crowning glory of our tree. Chris's mother tells of how her father used to place tinsel, one at a time on each branch. Our youngest daughter, Kylie, when she was a youngster preferred big handfuls thrown at her little personal tree on her dresser. I am still on the lookout for silver tinsel trees like the ones which were used in our Silver Forest Christmas Play when I was a child. Preference is irrelevant. Tinsel is like joy, even a little catches the light and shines.