Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated on the 7th January. The Orthodox Church is their main church, as in many other countries. These countries use the old 'Julian' calendar for their church festivals. The Julian calendar, proposed by Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on 1 January 45 BC, by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and Greek astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandria. The calendar was the predominant calendar in the Roman world and most of Europe for more than 1,600 years. The star represents the birth of Jesus and the journey of the Wise Men to find Jesus. This indicates that Christmas can start! Ukrainian Christmas Day also kicks off a 12-day period of caroling and more celebrations, ending with the Epiphany liturgy on Jan. 19. The Ephiphany, here, refers to the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi, and the manifestation of His Divinity. Both the Orthodox and Western Christmas celebrations are meant to mark the birth of Jesus. The Very Reverend Archpriest Taras Makowsky, dean of Saskatoon’s Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, says the two traditions have much in common, but also differ somewhat in their approach. 1.The Date: Orthodox Christmas Eve is Jan. 6, with Christmas Day following on Jan. 7. The difference in date is down to the Orthodox Church continuing to use the Julian calendar, which predates the Gregorian calendar used in the West. “It’s not to say that either date is 100 per cent correct, it’s just this is the church calendar we follow. And it’s still important for the Orthodox world to still show respect for the Dec. 25 celebration that the rest of the world celebrates,” Makowsky says. 2. The Food: In the Western tradition, the big Christmas Day meal typically features turkey or ham. Makowsky says the Orthodox feast on Christmas Eve is usually meatless. But don’t mistake a lack of meat for a lack of food — the supper has 12 courses, as it’s meant to break a traditional fasting period of 40 days leading up to the big night. These courses include kutya; pickled Herring; beet salad; bean salad with garlic; marinated mushrooms; vinaigrette salad; cabbage rolls stuffed with buckwheat and mushrooms; borscht; deep fried white fish; oven-roasted cabbage; perogies with potatoes; perogies with sauerkraut and a special dessert called uzvar. “The Western world calls it Advent and we call it the Fast of Phillip,” Makowsky says. 3. The Duration The 40-day Fast of Phillip lasts a little longer than the roughly 28 days of Advent leading up to Christmas. Makowsky says Ukrainian Christmas Day also kicks off a 12-day period of caroling and more celebrations, ending with the Epiphany liturgy on Jan. 19. Ukrainian New Year’s — Malanka — falls in between, on Jan. 13. 4. The Gifts Gift-giving in the Orthodox tradition usually happens on Saint Nicholas Day or the Feast of Saint Nicholas, which falls on Dec. 6. 5. The Music Between Christmas and Epiphany, the tradition is for children to go caroling. “That’s the fun part of the Christmas celebrations. The kids look forward to it, because of course they get a box of juice or chocolates — something like that.” One of the more well-known Ukrainian carols is Shchedryk, a traditional New Year’s song that was adapted into the English Carol of the Bells. Shchedryk shchedryk, shchedrivochka Pryletila lastivochka Stala sobi shchebetaty Hospodarya vyklykaty "Vyydy, vyydy, hospodaryu Podyvysya na kosharu Tam ovechky pokotylys’ A yahnychky narodylys’ V tebe tovar ves’ khoroshyy Budesh’ maty mirku hroshey V tebe tovar ves’ khoroshyy Budesh’ maty mirku hroshey Khoch ne hroshey, to polova V tebe zhinka chornobrova" Shchedryk shchedryk, shchedrivochka Pryletila lastivochka Translated it means: A little swallow flew (into the household) And started to twitter To summon the master "Come out, come out, O master (of the household) Look at the sheep pen There the ewes are nestling And the lambkin have been born Your goods (livestock) are great You will have a lot of money, (by selling them) Your goods (livestock) are great You will have a lot of money, (by selling them) If not money, then chaff: (from all the grain you will harvest) You have a dark-eyebrowed (beautiful) wife" Shchedryk, shchedryk, a shchedrivka A little swallow flew