I’m still surprised by how many people don’t know that December 25th is not Christmas in Ukraine! When I tell them that we celebrate on January 7th the usual response I get is, “Oh, so two weeks later?!” Then I say, “No, we celebrate 50 weeks earlier than the West!”
That’s right yesterday we celebrated Christmas 2013!
The reason for this is a difference in calendars. The Orthodox Church still follows the older Julian calendar while most of the rest of the world uses the Gregorian calendar. I won’t bore you with all the details, just follow the links if you want to know more.
My three Christmas girls
The snow started falling on Christmas Eve as we headed over to Christina’s parents for a family dinner and dessert!
A few treats from Babushka for Christmas Eve
The desserts were good but most important was the warm fellowship! One thing I love about celebrating Christmas in Ukraine is that no one gives gifts. I takes a lot of the stress out of the holiday and allows us to focus on Jesus.
On the way home Christmas Eve
It wouldn’t be Christmas without warm furry hats!
Mishael singing with the children’s choir
The highlight of our Christmas celebration was our church’s Christmas day service. Mishael sang with the children’s choir. Can you see him in the shepherd’s outfit? Our adult and youth choirs also participated and we heard two great sermons.
We even had a few sheep in the stable at our church
Before the kids went to bed last night we gathered them all in the living-room for a little family time. The Christmas tree was still up and outside you could see the snow coming down. We talked over a few plans for our family this year then sang a couple of Christmas carols. We ended by singing “Happy birthday” to Jesus. Then we all grabbed hands and prayed.
Sometimes it’s nice to celebrate Christmas without all the Christmas ado!
Yes, we had a good Christmas even though no one gave or received any gifts! We remembered Jesus and celebrated the birth of our Savior!
Now the challenge for this year will be to celebrate Jesus every day!
Question: What can we do to help us celebrate Jesus every day?
