Ukrainian Christmas

Kelowna Stands with Ukraine is hosting an Ukrainian Christmas celebration for about 130 displaced Ukrainians who have moved to the Central Okanagan since war ...

It is observed by more than 250 million people worldwide in several countries including some in Eastern Europe, as well as Greece, Ethiopia and Egypt. “There will be some entertainment, some games for kids. She has been fundraising for weeks to raise enough money to put on the Christmas celebration, and Trinity Church has stepped up to cover about half the expenses.

As Ukrainian refugees celebrate Orthodox Christmas on 7 January, the new year brings more uncertainty.

[ While many hope to find work and improve their living conditions, others, such as Valentina, will continue to need protection and humanitarian aid. “The response by the Polish authorities at all levels, as well as civil society, has been remarkable,” says Kevin Allen, UNHCR Representative in Poland. If not for the shelter and the help available there, life for the whole family would be unbearable. “A few days after we left, a rocket fell at the Kramatorsk train station, killing 60 people,” said Valentina. “We can afford food and clothes, so we don’t even use humanitarian aid, because we believe that it will be more useful to others,” says Kateryna. Since Mykhailo found a job in construction, the family has other priorities. The majority are from heavily war-affected areas in the south and east of Ukraine. We took only one suitcase with us.” It was early March in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih. The building they live in used to be an office but has been turned into a shelter for refugees by the Municipal Social Welfare Centre in Krakow. Valentin, 11, is lying on another cot reading a book and Arina, 7, is playing with other children in the hallway.

Christmas, celebrated Jan. 7 according to the Julian calendar used by the Eastern Orthodox Church, brings a mix of joy and sadness once again for Ukrainians ...

and sharing this joy of Christmas will not be the same this year because many families have lost their loved ones, have lost their homes … “But it’s very bitter in the sense that the war continues to rage. It’s an important time of year for many Ukrainians, but Christmas — traditionally celebrated Jan.

In the eastern Orthodox Church, Christmas Day is marked on 7 January, though Tatiana said she had also celebrated on 25 December. She said the festivities were ...

She said she had managed to find a good job and was working to improve her English. She said she was extremely grateful for the support her family and other Ukrainians had been given in Britain and hoped 2023 would bring peace. Although Tatiana and her daughter Veronika moved into a rented home in September she continues to visit the family that initially hosted them, when she came to the UK. She said she planned to mark Christmas Day with her daughter and parents and enjoy a meal together. "My first Christmas Day in the UK was amazing, it was very exciting and lovely. Tatiana said despite the different calendar they had already enjoyed a British Christmas on 25 December with the family who are hosting her parents, who came to the UK in September.

This year will be a very different Orthodox Christmas for Andrian Makhnachov. The Ukrainian young adult moved ...

While Makhanachov will be celebrating Orthodox Christmas in Canada, his father is back in Ukraine. When I talk with some Canadians, they say, ‘I’m half Ukrainian’ or ‘My father is half Ukrainian.’ “This year was an interesting feeling.” But Makhanachov said his father is still going to celebrate Christmas in some capacity and shared he is doing well. While he admitted it was nice to experience his first Canadian Christmas — calling it a “fun Christmas” — he said it still feels different compared to the last one he was able to experience in Ukraine a year ago. “I celebrated Canadian Christmas and bought some Ukrainian products and made a little Ukrainian dinner for Christmas,” he explained.