Christmas still to come for many
Eastern rite churches celebrate on Jan. 7
There’s a collective sigh of relief for many people in the city right about now.
The busyness of the Christmas period and New Year’s celebrations have come to an end and a period of relaxation has set in.
But for many Calgarians, celebrating in the Eastern rite of the Church and as Orthodox Christians, Christmas is just around the corner as they mark this special period by the Julian calendar.
For them, January 6 is Christmas Eve.
“It’s popularly called Ukrainian Christmas by people, but it belongs to more cultures than just the Ukrainians,” says Father Mark Bayrock, pastor at Calgary’s St. Stephen Protomartyr Ukrainian Catholic Church. “Churches, particularly the Eastern churches, that continue to follow the Julian calendar celebrate Christmas on a fixed day of January 7. This is still the case in Ukraine today. However, the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada and the United States for the most part has embraced the Gregorian calendar (December 25) on this one.
“There are some exceptions based on parishes and based on people’s preferences.”
Many of the faithful celebrate both days of Christmas as part of their traditions and rituals.
A highlight of Christmas Eve and the Christmas season for Eastern rite practitioners is the traditional 12-meatless course meal that brings to an end the 40day fast and is often associated with the Holy Supper.
Bayrock says the traditional Christmas Eve supper has 12 meatless dishes, with many fish varieties, and represents the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.
The Catholic Faith Guide by Rev. Anthony Holowaychuk says the spotting of the first star in the eastern sky on Christmas Eve marks the beginning of the rituals and traditions. A sheaf of wheat is positioned in a place of honour under an icon. It’s a symbol of the harvest.
A thin layer of hay is placed on the dining table and covered by a white linen cloth or an embroidered cloth. This is symbolic of the manger where the baby Jesus was born.
The book says that at the centre of the table are three loaves of bread, kolachi, with a candle in the middle, which is symbolic of the Holy Trinity — God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit — and the candle represents Jesus as being the light of the world.
The 12 dishes honour the 12 apostles as they gathered for the Last Supper.
One of those dishes, kutia, consisting of wheat, honey and poppyseed symbolizes the fertility of God’s nature and it is assumed to symbolize prosperity, peace and good health.
Bayrock says the celebration of Theophany for Ukrainian Catholics is another huge event during the Christmas period for the Eastern rite churches. The event, which starts on the liturgical eve of January 5 and is held on January 6, celebrates the baptism of Jesus and is the first public manifestation of the Trinity.