Hatters gather to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas
By MO CRANKER on January 17, 2020.
Submitted photo Karen Anne Cherwonogrodzky shows off the food spread this past Sunday at St. Patrick's Church during Ukrainian Christmas.mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@MHNmocranker
Around 100 Hatters gathered this past Sunday to celebrate Ukrainian Christmas.
The celebration was hosted in the basement of St. Patrick’s Church.
“I think the main reason we do this as a big celebration is because it’s fun,” said John Cherwonogrodzky, who helps organize the night with his wife, Karen Anne. “For us, this is what makes Canada so great.
“While other countries have ethnic groups fighting each other, in Canada we celebrate multiculturalism. It’s a great opportunity for us to get together and to learn about different culture.”
Cherwonogrodzky says about half the people who attended the event had no Ukrainian background, which wasn’t a problem for anyone involved.
“It’s great to see people having a good time while learning about other cultures,” he said. “I think a nice part about this event is that it is like travelling for people, but they don’t need to leave home.
“It’s a nice look into a great tradition right here in Medicine Hat.”
The night starts with Cherwonogrodzky meeting everyone at the door to bless them with honey. Everyone is encouraged to bring their own food.
“There’s a lot of staples,” he said. “Perogies and cabbage rolls are two really popular ones – there’s a lot.
“I was really impressed with how much research people were willing to do before cooking their meals.
“The food was one of the highlights of the event.”
Cherwonogrodzky gave a 35-minute talk on a trip to Ukraine he went on recently, which he says went over well with the audience.
“I think people really enjoyed that segment,” he said. “I had a number of people approach me afterwards to talk about my trip.”
Cherwonogrodzky says a number of people help out with the event, but added a special thank you to wife Karen Anne for taking a large amount of work on.
“We know it’s a lot of work and we’re thankful for everyone’s efforts,” he said.
