Merry Christmas! January 7, 2008

No, I’m not crazy. Today is Christmas!

My father and his parents before him were Russian Orthodox. I have long forgotten the traditions that my relatives celebrated at this time of year until just moments ago. I recall only that my mother would prepare several dishes the day before so that they could be eaten Christmas eve.

I remember some of the foods. There were fruits and nuts as well as some kind of baked fish and a cream soup and pirohi(todays pirogies). But my most favorite was Lekvar!

It may not seem that a lenten sweet dough filled with a dried prune spread would be the favorite of a child, but I must admit, I liked it.  It sort of resembled a jelly or cinnamon roll, just filled with prunes.

Another was Pagach. This is a basic double crust bread dough pizza with just mashed potatoes and onions and the second crust goes on top. My mother added regular sliced cheese in later years. Similar to an Italian calzone, but no meat or sauce. We liked Pagach enough that my mother would make it throughout the year. It was very filling and portable, so you could grab it and go back outside to work on the farm.

I also remember the extravagant decorations and the old delicate ornaments hanging from the tree.  As a Child, I was thrilled that our family celebrated both the traditional American Christmas as well as that of the Russian Orthodox Church Christmas. I didn’t understand the symbolism or the reasoning back then. I was interested in PRESENTS!
Unfortunately, my fathers extended family didn’t get along to well after grandma passed and as the years have gone by, more and more of my relatives have also died as well as my parents, taking all of the old time traditions with them. I have long since given up on finding out more about my heritage because of that fact.

How time changes our lives. If you have family that is aging, please don’t lose your heritage. Cameras are cheap. Sit with grandma and grandpa and let the camera go as they reminisce and tell you stories of their childhood. Get genealogy information before its too late!

So if there is anyone reading this with ancestors from around Poland, Russia, Austria, Hungary, or the long forgotten and no longer existent country of ‘Galatia’, cheer up, its Christmas!

Merry Christmas!