Szypenitz, Alberta

St Mary Ukrainian Greek Orthodox Church in Szypenitz, AB has Provody (commemoration of the dead) on the first Sunday after Easter. As Eustine Kereliuk explains, the Provody service starts in the church and, after the liturgy, pamiatky (little booklets with lists of the names of the deceased) are read. Once this is completed, the congregation moves outside to a large cross. A table is set up next to this cross. The priest performs a short service and then reads the pamiatky again. Then all of the graves are blessed with holy water. People bring pomana, which is a bowl containing a paska (Easter bread), fruit, candies, chocolate, and cheese. The pomana is given out in memory of family members who have passed away. People try to give the pomana to a person of same gender as the deceased. If possible, they even try to match the age of the recipient to the age of the deceased person who is being remembered.

Here is a short part of the interview with Eustine Kereliuk: