Chrystos rodyvsya, Christ is born! Today is Ukrainian (Orthodox) Christmas according to the old Julian calendar. This year My Rare One and I are celebrating by attending a performance of Edmonton's own
Ukrainian Shumka Dancers. "Shumka" means "whirlwind" in Ukrainian and you can see why that's a fitting name in this short retrospective of Shumka's 50+ year history --
The event we're going to see is
Clara's Dream -- a Ukrainian folk ballet based on Tchaikovsky's
Nutcracker. It's an international co-production which also involves the Virsky Ukrainian State Folk Ensemble and dancers from the Kyiv Ballet. Should be good!
A perogy or two may also be consumed.
I think that type of dancing is very exciting to watch. Hope you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly, that looks really fun.
ReplyDeleteSo... is Ukrainian Christmas celebrating the birth of Ukrainian Jesus?
It is also Serbian christmas too. Happy holidays.
ReplyDeletei am polish and we always celebrated this when i was young. we got tangerines and apples in our shoes. not as fun as xmas but it was still a celebration. i am a sucker for any chance to party! and i or 2 perogies might be eaten. who can stop at so few? i live in the land of perogies! our baseball team has perogie mascots!
ReplyDeletehow exciting!! I LOVE perogies!!!
ReplyDeletemerry xmas!
ReplyDeletewhile in edmonton, i went to see them several times... incredible!
What a blast! Have fun. I used to go see Nutcracker as a child.
ReplyDelete~christmas blessings to you and yours...looks like it will be quite a show~
ReplyDeletecool dancing
ReplyDeleteLooks fun! I had to look up what a perogy was...Yummmm!
ReplyDeleteHow Fun! :0) Exciting and exhilarating! A wonderful way to start 2013.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely treat and the dancing looks amazing. We have friends who are Greek and we will be going to their house this evening for Christmas. I love it. Last night we had Twelfth night celebration....now on with the Carnival on Feb. 12. Always something to look forward to. Oma Linda
ReplyDeleteHave fun....you two.
ReplyDeleteJo
Oh that does sound like fun and a great way to get out of the doldrums. Enjoy and be sure to tell us all about it. It has been years since I had a perogy. I love them.
ReplyDeleteMary
I'm glad you marked this Debra. My Polish and my Serbian friends celebrate this day.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, you can do as you please with the pics of HRH. I hope I did her Royal Magnificence justice!
I'd love to see this! Have fun :)
ReplyDeleteVery cool! I love in the video that they show the old footage and then the new footage.
ReplyDeleteThis is fun! I love that kind of dancing. I'd go just for the perogies :)
ReplyDeleteMy aunt is Ukrainian and can that woman cook! Perogies, roasted meats, borscht, pyrizhky, cabbage rolls, sausages. Oh, my! I have no idea how she stays so thin. She also embroiders the shirts, paints exquisite eggs and does ceramics.
ReplyDeleteI think... it will be a perogie night at my house too!!! Yumm. My husband calls this 'little Christmas' he is French Canadian. I don't think the French Canadian's ate perogies, though.
ReplyDeleteevery Westfest we have Ukrainian dancers..well not every one, but they show up every now and then.ha
ReplyDeleteHave fun - it looks wonderful! Enjoy those perogies!!
ReplyDeleteI always say the same thing to my Mother when we see the Shumka dancers...."I could have been a DANCER! I could have been a SHUMKA dancer. I would have jumped higher than anyone else ever did...but my Mother didn't love me enough to put me in Ukrainian dance classes".
ReplyDeleteHere response is that there weren't any classes near where we lived.
Then I go on some rant about how much I love the red boots.
I should celebrate this day. That way Christmas would come twice a year! No wait! What am I thinking...Christmas makes me miserable!
ReplyDeletePerogies and Ukrainian Christmas. Pure joy! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Ukrainian Christmas! We shall have perogies to celebrate!
ReplyDeleteThank you, I am Ukrainian ;o) My mom makes the best perogies ;o) I use to Ukrainian dance and so did my brothers! They did all the jumps and kicks, everything. So much fun ;o) I hope you are having a great time at the ballet ;o)
ReplyDeleteI forgot to tell you, my teacher, from the 1980's, use to dance for this ballet ;o)
ReplyDeleteChristmas in Ukraine? Cool! I am still on my post-Christmas blues.
ReplyDeleteHappy Ukrainian Christmas to you too!
ReplyDelete:)
Nike O.
www.eighthundredsqft.com
You are so up on all of the holidays! I love pierogis. I don't even need a holiday to eat them :)
ReplyDeleteMy hubby's ex was from the Ukraine... unfortunately made me hate an entire nation ;-)
ReplyDeleteEven the poster looks like a blast. I bet you'll have fun, fun, fun!
ReplyDeleteI always learn something here. Fun stuff! There is a Greek festival in Corpus Christi and I have not been in years. Maybe 2013 is the time to return and enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post! I love Christmas so anything to extend it is wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI really love it
ReplyDeleteDo we receive a Ukrainian egg , or is that Easter? And did someone say perogy??? I could live on those suckers! In the fall, I went to a Polish festival here, and the little old Polish ladies made the best homemade ones, I ever did have!
ReplyDeleteI hope the play was fun - it sounds amazing! Wishing we had more of a Ukrainian community here (or any, that I could find.) A friend of mine, before she passed, used to make Kutya for Ukrainian Christmas. I always think of her at this time of year.
ReplyDeleteI went to a school run by Ukranian nuns, but I don't recall if we closed the school for the holiday or if only the nuns took off.
ReplyDeleteHello! Happy to find some Orthodox related post in your blog :)) And the ballet..mm...it must have been gorgeous! would like to see that mix of classical and traditional :)
ReplyDeleteYour new follower,
Anna:)