Despite the war, the Ukrainian community in Limburg is also trying to celebrate Christmas is a positive way. This year, the Ukrainian orthodox church marks Christmas on 25 December instead of 7 January. ‘We want to distance ourselves from Russian orthodox traditions and build our own independent Ukrainian church,’ Nadia Derewianka of the Ukrainian church in Genk explains.
Flemish Ukrainians celebrate a Christmas ‘completely free of Russian influences’
Colin Clapson
Published:
This year too, end-of-year celebrations for the Ukrainian community in Limburg are overshadowed by the war in Ukraine. The conflict started in 2014 but escalated in February 2022 triggering a large refugee exodus to Western Europe. Despite the war, in Genk too, efforts are being made this year to celebrate the festive season in an atmosphere of warmth and togetherness.
‘We gather in our church for a celebration of mass with all the people who had to flee because of the war,’ Nadia Derewianka of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Genk told VRT. ‘We asked everyone to bring something. According to tradition, we then serve 12 dishes, a reference to Jesus and his 12 apostles. The dishes are all shared so that grandmothers, mothers and all their children feel a connection with their husbands who are now at the front.’
Saying goodbye to traditions
The war has had a great impact on the lives of Ukrainians at home, but also abroad. ‘We have abandoned the Gregorian calendar. Now we follow the Julian calendar,’ explains Derewianka. ‘We no longer want to follow directions from Moscow and choose to be an independent Ukrainian church.’
That is why today the Ukrainian church celebrates Christmas together with the Roman Catholic church. ‘They also follow the Julian calendar. As Ukrainians, we are ready to join the European Union. That’s why we are celebrating Christmas together on the same day.’
It’s not an obvious task, as it also means saying goodbye to long-running Ukrainian Christmas traditions. ‘We used to celebrate Svijat Vechir - Holy Night - on the night of 6 January. On January 7, we held our Christmas party. But we need to distance ourselves from Russian influences and so we celebrate Christmas on 25 December.’