Thursday, January 28, 2010

Surviving a Ukrainian winter, part I

Just before coming to Ukraine, a current volunteer told me via e-mail that one of the hardest parts of my Peace Corps service would come just days after swearing-in as a volunteer. That time would be the holiday season, but at the time, I didn’t believe her.

Of course, she was right, so to combat my loneliness, I’ve tried to focus on my new environment, and learning what makes this city and country unique. I’ll add more as time goes on, but first, let’s focus on winter Ukrainian holidays:

  • Kremenchuk doesn’t start playing Christmas carols in stores until December 26. So, until the day AFTER American Christmas, it really didn’t feel like Christmas at all. That’s because Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on Jan. 6 and 7, according Eastern Orthodox traditions. I was fortunate to spend Ukrainian Christmas with the family of a student, and here’s what I learned:
  • January 6 marks the last day of a 40-day fast that is supposed to include only unleavened foods (that’s the translated word, but I think we could equate this to a strict Catholic Lent). On that day, Ukrainians do not eat anything until sundown and are supposed to spend the evening in church.
    • Also, on this day, children traditionally go from house to house (apartment) in a trick-or-treat fashion and ask for candy, but instead of wearing scary costumes, they don traditional Kossak garb. You can see a picture of two “trick or treaters,” who knocked on the door of fellow volunteer Jacob while I was visiting. They were excited to meet Americans and also took Jacob for being soft-hearted. They returned the next day in costume and asked for more candy.(Aren't these kids just cute a button??)
  • January 7 is Ukrainian Christmas, but there are no Santa Claus or gift exchanges on this day. Instead, this is strictly a religious holiday. The family will gather and have a huge feast.
    • When I asked (in Ukrainian, by the way) the student’s mother to tell me about Ukrainian Christmas traditions, she said that her family could not celebrate this religious holiday during Communist times. Only after the country declared its independence in 1991 did some, but sadly not all, Christmas traditions come back into Ukrainian households. Some, she said, were lost forever. Many Ukrainians do not celebrate this holiday. Here, New Years’ is the more important holiday.

  • Here is a picture of the fabulous spread of food the mother prepared for us. From the bottom of the picture to the top -- The pitcher is filled with compote, which is a stewed fruit drink that tastes like delicious and natural Kool-Aid. The decanter contains homemade wine made by the grandfather who lives in a nearby village. There are several salads on the table but the one of note is the pinkish-colored one. That one is called a shuba, which literally translates as “fur coat.” The name actually means “herring under a fur coat” because the salty fish on the salad’s bottom layer is covered by layers of beets, mayonnaise and other tasty (or not so tasty) delights. It is a traditional layered Ukrainian salad that is very interesting and a dish that everyone should try once. To the left of the shuba is homemade varenky. It is amazing and I will pass along this recipe for those of you at home. Finally, at the very top of the photo is the main course – goose. I've never had goose like this, but it was delicious! Check out my Picasa photo page for more detailed pictures of the foods served at my Ukrainian Christmas dinner.
Like many things in Ukraine, drinking was a part of the meal. The mother’s boyfriend joined us for dinner and we did many cheers (he took shots of cognac and I sipped the homemade wine). He knew a handful of English words, including “drink!”

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