Ukrainian Christmas

For those who don't know, Andy's family is Ukrainian. Yes, I know, our last name doesn't sound Ukrainian. That's because it's an Anglicized version that was adopted when his grandfather immigrated to Canada. I thought it was time we celebrated our kids' heritage by observing Ukrainian Christmas on January 7th. Plus, it justified still having the Christmas tree up.

We didn't observe it in the most traditional manner, which includes a twelve-course meatless meal, one course for each of the twelve apostles. Twelve courses?! I'm lucky to have the meat, potatoes & vegetables all ready at the same time! We did our own version of the meal - cabbage rolls, perogies, & kubasa. We also included wheat bread, because traditionally the Ukrainian people bring into the house a shaft of wheat, or didukh, to symbolize prosperity for the next year.

The birth of Jesus is central to the Ukrainian celebration, so I set up a little nativity scene as our centerpiece, and surrounded it with our Ukrainian "matroshka" or nesting dolls. Ukrainians will often place straw under the table to remember Jesus' birth. We used hay and put a small amount in the nativity scene. In some parts of the Ukraine people decorate eggs for Christmas, just as they do for Easter, so I included a painted wooden Ukrainian egg as well.

Calvin was disappointed to discover that he wasn't receiving any more gifts, and yes, he still had to go to school, but we still had a lovely dinner with a bit of meaning to it. Perhaps next year I'll start preparing a little earlier and include more traditions and traditional food - but there still won't be twelve courses!

Christmas

Wow, I really have no excuse for not blogging for so long - just laziness! I could catch you up on various bloggable events that happened since last summer, but I'll just start with the recent (Christmas) and continue from there.

We travelled to SNOWY B.C. for Christmas! We visited Victoria (our favourite city) for a couple of days before Christmas, then travelled to Ucluelet for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. We have a favourite little 3-bedroom house we like to rent there. I knew there wouldn't be any decorations there, so I brought along a few. That's a fake fireplace tacked on the wall, and check out our cute little tree, which I bought in Victoria. It has one little decoration on it, also purchased in Victoria. We hung our stockings on the coat rack with care, knowing that Saint Nicholas would soon be there. We enjoyed lovely pastries from a favourtie Dutch bakery in Victoria, and I even cooked a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. We played games, walked on the beach and on the cliffs above the beach, and enjoyed family time together. I feel kind of ... snobby, saying, "Yeah, we just hung out on the beach Christmas Day." Never mind that there was snow on the beach....

We visited with Andy's family on Boxing Day & the 27th, and with my family on the 28th & 29th. The kids both stayed in Abbotsford with their friends for New Year's, while Andy & I travelled to Salmon Arm to welcome 2009 with Shawn & Joanne. In between all of that, I got to spend a little time with my favourite 4-year-old in Abbotsford and her family. Thanks for taking us in, Langs & Depners!

One of my New Year's resolutions is to do a better job of blogging, so here's to getting a good start to 2009!

Updates

We've been computerless for a couple of weeks, but now have a great new FAST computer! I will take time later to post some photos of our last month of summer, but for now, I thought I'd update you on my newspaper article.

It was published last Saturday, with a few edits to the opening paragraphs. Click here to see it online.

Follow Up to My Blog on Cultural Heritage

Not last blog but the blog before, I wrote about my lack of a cultural heritage - but my wealth of a spiritual heritage! I submitted the article to the Edmonton Journal, and I just received word that they are going to publish it! It will be in the religion section, which comes out on Saturdays, and I'm not sure if it's this week or not. When they publish it, I'll post a link to the online version, if possible.

Just thought I'd let you know!

Summer Vacation

Due to my work schedule and Janelle's (she's working at Extra Foods), we didn't get a "real" family vacation this summer, but we did take a three-day weekend and make the most of it.

We went to Drumheller, where we visited the dinosaur museum, a reptile refuge, and the world's largest dinosaur - which we climbed to the top of so we could stand in it's mouth.

On our way back to our motel (which was in Three Hills) we stopped to enjoy the view and Calvin found some gophers to feed. We also took a VERY tiny ferry across the Red Deer river.

The next day we went to one of our favourite places that we've visited most summers for several years - Guzoo Animal Farm. The big attraction for us is the opportunity to interact with animals one wouldn't normally be able to pet. This year we held a baby skunk, gave a lion cub a tummy rub, and petted a wolf cub. We also held more "traditional" animals, such as newborn kittens, guinea pigs, and bunnies, plus petted animals in the petting zoo part - alpacas, llamas, cows, donkeys, sheep, goats, pigs, a chicken, dogs....I think that was all. If you know anything about our family, you know we all love animals!

We left Guzoo and headed for Calgary, where we splurged on a nicer hotel with an indoor waterpark, which is where we spent the evening. Our motel in Three Hills had a waterslide too, but nothing like the one in Calgary! Sorry, no pictures - I was having too much fun!

The following morning the kids and I went to the U.S. Consulate so I could register them as American citizens born abroad. There are now officially 3 dual citizens in our family! After that, we went to Calaway Park, Calgary's big amusement park. Again, no pictures because I wanted to ride the rides, not lug my camera around!

Although it was a short trip, it was a great time together as a family!

At the Royal Tyrell Museum.

Calvin with Brittany the Burmese python at the reptile refuge.

World's largest dinosaur in Drumheller.

Gopher feedin' and riding a little ferry.

Skunk, lion cub, and wolf cub.

For those of you on Facebook, there's more pictures on my profile.

Cultural Heritage

I apologize for not blogging more regularly! My two excuses are: 1) we haven't done anything bloggable; and 2) we forgot to take pictures even if we did. Having said that, I did do something bloggable today, and no, I didn't take pictures. But I did have something I wanted to share with my world after my experience today. Hence, I am blogging. It's a bit different than my usual blog.

Today I went to Heritage Festival. The various ethnic groups represented in Edmonton erect tents in a local park and offer for sale samples of their food and crafts, while their assorted musical and dance groups perform. It a huge festival with over 50 different cultures participating, and I absolutely love it. Today's experience is what prompted this VERY LENGTHY blog! So read on....

I've lived in a culture where dark skin was common and white skin was the minority. That created a subculture of whiteness. If I met another pale face, skin colour alone was reason enough to smile and say hello. Their reply may have been in Swedish or German or with an Australian twang, but our lack of pigmentation was enough to create a cultural bond.

Currently I live in a different country than the one in which I was born and raised. There are a whole lot of other people groups that can claim the same. There are many that were born and raised in Canada but still identify with the country in which their parents or grandparents were raised. I saw them at Heritage Festival today. I should be able to do the same - join up with all the other transplanted Americans and celebrate our heritage. But what exactly would that be? We can hoot and holler about our country's birthday three days later than the Canadians, and we can eat turkey six weeks after them. Other than that, what's really different?

When it's necessary - at a world exposition, for example - both Canada and the U.S. can come up with the perfunctionary "cultural" pavillion. We dutifully exhibit our aboriginal culture, complete with native food and dances and art. And after that? Well, we start showcasing the cultures our ancestors brought with them from somewhere else.

I watched the Iranians spontaneously break into dance outside their booth today - took a break from cooking and selling stuff just to party together. There was no choreographed dance, yet they all knew the moves. The Congolese people did the same thing, grooving together and singing along in unison with words no one else would understand. These peoples have culture, a shared heritage of song and dance that only they truly know and understand, unique to them and their country of origin. We don't have that. I don't have that.

I miss that unity. I miss at least being bonded for a moment or two through sharing a skin colour. Today I explored the traditions of my Swedish grandmother, the origins of my Irish maiden name, the location of the Ukrainian village of my husband's ancestors. And there was a certain satisfaction in being of not just one cultural heritage, but of those and several others. Yet I didn't identify with any of them. No shared language, no common dance, no familiar music.

So with what culture do I identify? As I am wandering through the Heritage Festival or the world exposition, what sounds, what sights, what words would draw me in, would excite me, would cause me to join in the festivities with strangers just because we are of like mind? And then it came to me. I do have a cultural heritage with which I strongly identify. A culture of thousands of years of traditions deeply loved and treasured by those who share in it, but often no more than a passing curiosity to those on the "outside". A culture of values, of music, of history, even a dance of sorts. What am I? I am a Christian. An evangelical Christian. A Pentecostal Christian.

If I heard the latest Hillsongs United chorus, I would be drawn to the "pavilion". If they played "The Old Rugged Cross," I would sing along. When the people stood to their feet, raised their hands high, and closed their eyes, I would join in - no choreography needed. With these people, even though they are strangers, I belong. I get it. I get who they are and what they're about, where they've been and where they're going. I am one with them.

My Christian culture is deeply satisfying to me. There is no other cultural heritage that so profoundly defines me as a person. Ultimately, there is no other culture that even matters to me. In the end, this is the only culture that will remain, the only culture that will bind together forever those of us who are identified by it. In this reverse culture we are joined by a common future more than a common past, an expectation of a homeland we haven't yet reached rather than a land we have left behind.

Maybe it’s not such a sad thing after all, not having an identifiable cultural heritage. Where I’ve been doesn’t matter as much as where I’m going anyway. So for now, I enthusiastically embrace my Christian culture, and when I get to our homeland, I’m joining with my people to sing and dance and talk and laugh and eat – forever.

My Own Room

I grew up sharing a room with my sister. I moved from home to a college dorm where I shared a room, and from there I got married...and shared a room. I've wanted my own room for many years now! Don't get me wrong - I don't want to sleep in a different room from my hubby...I just want a space to put my stuff the way I want to put it...a place to hang out. Well, after renovating the basement and moving Janelle's room downstairs, I claimed Janelle's former upstairs room as my own. It is mostly my stamping room, where I've organized all my craft supplies for making cards.

I also decided to display our Build-a-Bear collection. Some of them are mine; most are Janelle's and Calvin's.