Two Hills, Alberta

Elsie Choban of Two Hills, AB Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church spends Christmas morning at a special church service. Christmas Eve is family time. Elsie and her family prepare a traditional Ukrainian Christmas meal with 12 dishes. Elsie also goes caroling from house to house. She and the other members of the caroling group sing songs such as Бог предвічний/ Boh predvichnii (God is eternal), Нова радість стала/ Nova radist’ stala (A New Joy has come upon us), Небо й земля/ Nebo i zemlia (Heaven and Earth). Each home that the carolers visit offers them food and drink. Towards the end of the evening, the carolers are so full that all they can accept is coffee and, perhaps, a bit of candy.

Another Christmas time tradition is Siiaty – going to the home of grandparents, other relatives, and family friends to wish them prosperity while throwing kernels of wheat. Elsie says that her grandchildren still carry on this tradition. For their “service,” they receive a few coins, some candy, and some baked goods. The gifts given to children now are far different from what Elsie received when she was little. She remembers that, on one occasion, she received potatoes. Even in her daughter’s day the gifts could be quite frugal and, when Elsie’s daughter was a child, she once received a cooked egg as her gift.