| December 2000 |
Volume 4 Issue 2 |
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Christmas Concert Videos 1. English
Intermediate Choir with Mrs. Shaw singing Ready, Set, Christmas Ukrainian Christmas Ukrainian Christmas is celebrated Jan. 6 and 7. Svyata Vechera or the Holy Supper held tonight is the most important part of Ukrainian Christmas celebrations. Ukrainian Christmas, which follows the Julian calendar as opposed to the Gregorian calendar, involves many meaningful dishes and customs. The meal has 12 meatless dishes symbolic of the 12 apostles and hay is scattered over the Christmas table in memory of the manger. As well, the table is covered with the very best tablecloth, adorned with Ukrainian embroidery. If a member of the family has died within the year, a place is set for the person. The first star in the sky announces the time to start the meal -usually identified by the youngest family member, who looks out the window. As well, children traditionally receive gifts on St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 19 or 24. Usually, Jan. 6 is celebrated as a family dinner and no gift-giving takes place. Malanka, the Ukrainian version of New Year's Eve, is celebrated Jan. 13. The Feast of Jordan is celebrated Jan. 19 and 20 and brings the Christmas cycle to a close. Depending on their church, some Ukrainians also hold their traditional meatless 12-dish meal on Dec. 24. A typical Ukrainian Christmas table features a braided bread called kalach, in the center of the table as a symbol of prosperity. The following 12 meatless dishes round out a typical Ukrainian Christmas feast. Variations in side dishes and fish preparation methods may occur from table to table, according to family customs and traditions, but observance of Ukrainian Christmas always includes 12 meatless dishes. 1. Kutia - a preparation of polished wheat with honey and ground poppy seeds. In the Old Country, the head of the family would take the first spoonful of kutia and throw it up on the ceiling. If it got stuck, it would mean a prosperous year and good yields for grain farmers. 2. Pickled herring. Desserts will include varenycky (perogies) with prunes or a compote of dried fruit. Pastries will be medivnyk (honey cake), makivnyk (poppy seed cake) and krysticki (deep-fried pastry sprinkled with icing sugar) and other Christmas pastries. Recipe for Borscht 3 carrots, chopped Simmer all vegetables in water with salt and peppercorns for 30 minutes. Strain the stock and discard the vegetables. Wash and bake the beets in the oven for 30 minutes at 3500 F 180C Cool beets slightly, peel, grate and add to the vegetable stock. Simmer for about 5 minutes,, then add the lemon juice. Season with sugar, pepper and garlic to taste. 5 peppercorns 8 medium-sized beets 1 tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice 1 teaspoon (5 mL) sugar Pinch of pepper 1 small garlic clove, crushed. Recipe for Kutia 1 1/2 cups (375 mL pearled wheat Bring wheat to boil in 3 cups (750 mL salted water and then simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add water as needed if wheat becomes too thick. Combine poppy seeds and honey. Add to cooked wheat. If desired, add chopped walnuts to mixture or decorate top of kutia with pecans right before serving.
Saint Nicholas was a boy who grew up in Asia Minor in the fourth century. He became a bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor. Legends tell of his kindness, his love for children and of his miracles. Saint Nicholas is said to buried in a tomb in an ancient church that still stands in Demre, which used to be Myra. A famous legend tells how Nicholas gave gifts secretly. In the same town as Nicholas, lived a very poor man. He had three young daughters and very little money with which to feed and clothe them. He didn’t have money to give each daughter a dowry that was needed for a marriage. He decided to sell his daughters into slavery. Nicholas had inherited a large amount of money. He heard about the man’s problems and decided to throw gold coins down the chimney of the poor family’s house late one night. According to legend the coins fell into a stocking that was left to dry by the fireplace. The money provided the man’s oldest daughter with a dowry and food and clothing for his other daughters. Each year, on the night of December the fifth, the eve of his feast day, Nicholas was believed to travel over the land. He road across the sky on a white or pale, grey horse. Saint Nicholas brought gifts and sweets to every child who had been good. The gifts were left secretly in the children’s shoes and later in their stockings.
One the 10 of December we sang with the Philharmonic choir in a concert everyone enjoyed. We had to practice for many weeks to get our songs perfect. We went to practice with the Philharmonic choir on the 5th and the 9th. We sang a song called Cantad and a song called Sing Choirs of the world. Those were the songs we sang with them. We also had our own songs that we sang. It sounded good. All the people that came to watch us had to pay $16.00 to watch. We preformed at a church that was called Bethel Mennonite Church. The Philharmonic choir is a group of people who have very good voices. I am sure everyone enjoyed it.
On December 12th room 111 went to the Legislative Building. We walked in and saw two life-size bison statues. Our tour guide’s name was Colette. She was very nice. She was very informative, friendly and helpful. She showed us that there were 13 steps in each set of stairs. There are also 13 bulbs in each set of lights. Also there were 13 soldiers in a picture. 13 was considered unlucky by the ancient Greek architects. They thought that if you repeated the number 13 over and over that, when bad luck comes it will see that the bad luck number is already there. We also learned that all through the walls there were fossils of things from thousand of years ago. We also learned that the stone that the walls were made of were over 1 million years old! Then we entered the Legislative Assembly where laws were made. When the Mace was carried in we all had to stand. Then we heard some of the debate. I thought there would be more name calling but all I heard of name calling was them saying “shame” “shame”. I wanted to hear our representative from our area, Gord Macintosh, talk but we it was time to finish the tour. We saw the room where royal people had sat and talked. We also saw the room where Canadians that died in the war were remembered. My opinion is that the Legislative Building is a great place to visit! Carpathia Credit Union Visit On December 14 the Junior Achiever’s went for a tour to Carpathia Credit Union. They saw the back of the ATM machine and how it works. They got to see very important people working. They saw a very old computer where you have to slide around a paper under the computer and watch the information on the large screen. They got candy canes and a fat cat piggy bank. They also got to see the vault and the board room.
On November 15th, 16th, and 17th, our school had a book fair. Thanks to the Junior Achievers and Ms. Weightman for setting up the books and for all of the hard work. Many book draws were held during the book fair. We want to congratulate Erica Day of Room 111. Erica was the was the winner of the Family Event Door Prize of $25.00 in books. Mrs. Duffy received $25.00 in books for her class. A book draw was held on November 15th. There was one winner from each class who was awarded one free paperback book from the book fair. Congratulations to all of the winners!
On December 21, 2000 the students from Mrs. Kalenchuk’s native enrichment program preformed the native Christmas carol called the Huron Carol. There were nine students that dressed in costumes. There were 3 hunters, 3 chiefs, 2 angels and a mother with a child. There were about 45 students participating in the carol. As the students sang the carol, the chiefs and hunters reenacted the birth of Jesus. Two of the chiefs carried fox pelts and one of the chiefs carried a beaver pelt. The costumes were made of animal skins and their headpieces were made of feathers. The hunters carried bows and wore traditional clothes. The baby Jesus was wrapped in rabbit skin. The creche was made of young elm trees covered with sheets of birch bark. This carol dates back to 1926, when a Jesuit Missionary by the name of Jean de Brebeuf translated the carol into the Huron language. The Huron Christmas Carol deserves to be remembered because it touches something in all of us. The grades 1 and 2 performed the Drummer Boy in Cree. They were instructed by Mrs. Beckman. The students in the primary and intermediate enjoyed being part of the Christmas performance at Ralph Brown School. |
Philharmonic Choir
Legislative Building Visit
Book Fair
The Huron Carol