Ukrainian community celebrate Christmas in Carlow

THE Seven Oaks Hotel was enlivened by kids in Christmas dress, dancing to pop songs on Monday afternoon, for the Midlands Ukrainian Association’s festive event.

Around 130 people gathered from across the midlands and south-east for the event, which is reminiscent of the shows put on by kindergartens and schools at this time of year in Ukraine.

Attendees explained that due to the atheist policies of the Soviet Union, New Year’s Eve is celebrated more than Christmas. Instead of a Christmas tree, they would have a New Year’s tree, a symbol of hope for the coming year.

But Ukrainian families have adapted again to a new way of doing things in Ireland. Genia Zuieva moved to Ireland three years ago with her two sons and soon started celebrating Christmas on 25 December: “In the past few years, we didn’t celebrate New Year, we started celebrating Christmas. We celebrated Christmas on 7 January (as per the Orthodox Christian tradition), but now we do it in December.” One of her sons, Tymur, was dressed in a festive superman costume complete with spidery face paint. He with the other children would get to meet Santa Claus that afternoon and take home a gift.

Genia’s husband remains in Ukraine, fighting against the Russian invasion. “It’s very difficult for [my sons] that we are here without him. In previous years he came to Ireland but this year he can’t.” Despite this, Genia said she still feels the Christmas atmosphere: “Because you dress up everything, shops and streets, it makes a Christmas mood”, she said.

Students Dimitri (18) and Kyrylo (20), have both been in Ireland for two and a half years and have found ways to merge Irish and Ukrainian festive events.

Dimitri said he celebrated Christmas Eve last year in Enniscorthy with his grandmother and an Irish family and friends. “I with my grandmother was making traditional Ukrainian dumplings. Insider were different nuts, a coin. If you get a nut, you will be clever and coin you will be rich”, he said. These dumplings, varenyky, are eaten with meat, soup potatoes and different salads.

They said that the winter weather in Ireland is much milder in comparison to their home: “In Ukraine in winter, it can be minus 20 degrees sometimes, and there’s a lot of snow.” Tetiana Malika Skakun, the organiser of the event, invited Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Member of the European Parliament for South Ireland, to celebrate the festive season with the Ukrainian community.

“This is what Christmas is all about. It’s about our families being together and love and care and respect”, the MEP told the crowd gathered.

“I want to say as an MEP representing Ireland, I understand your pain, loss, suffering and your communities back home. We respect and support your president, government and leadership. I will play my part to make sure we continue that support. We will defend Ukraine with all the EU countries.”