It’s funny how it takes growing up to realize and appreciate what a gift your family traditions were as a kid. My grandmother – the only living grandparent I had – passed away when I was 22. She wasn’t there at my wedding, and never got to meet my 3 kids. I’m sure they would have gotten a real kick out of her. Just typing that makes me a little teary realizing how long it’s been since I saw her.
The holidays bring back memories of celebrations held at her house in small town Roblin, Manitoba or at my family home growing up in Yorkton here in Saskatchewan. Being of both Ukrainian and Romanian heritage, I’m doubly-blessed when it comes to good food and age-old traditions. One tradition, one constant, during the holidays is a special Ukrainian bread called kolach that sits on the table.
Ukrainian Christmas bread or kolach is a slightly sweet yeast bread that is braided and shaped into an oblong loaf or three round braids stacked one on top of the other. In the latter case, a candle is placed in the middle and is an essential part of the Christmas Eve supper (Sviata Vechera). The bread isn’t eaten until Christmas Day because it contains eggs and Orthodox Christians fast for Advent, including Christmas Eve. Kolach is a symbol of good luck, eternity, prosperity, and is also featured at memorial services for deceased family members or loved ones
My mom has always made kolach (or colac, the Romanian name for it) for Christmas. The photo above was taken 2 years ago at Christmas. My son (6 at the time) did his part to help decorate the bread with birds. Typically birds are used to decorate korovai (Ukrainian wedding bread) but my mom always makes them (and they always look like birds…mine looked like pretzels when I tried it!)
I cherish this picture. Why? I don’t have a photo like this with my Grandma Mabel and I ache for that keepsake. Not that I would have been in the kitchen anyway. No, I was that child who had no idea of the fortune in front of me – of my Romanian grandmother and mother in the kitchen together baking up a storm for our family celebrations. Like I said, it’s only as an adult that we truly appreciate the traditions we have.
I’m thankful to my mom for continuing the traditions handed down from her mother. It’s time for me to learn to make kolach (or paska, for Easter!) so I too can give my kids these memories.
My Oma used to bring that bread home from the German bakery when I was a kid. We never saved it for special holidays and I never knew the significance until now. Thank you for sharing your traditions.
Ah.. I’m all teary eyed reading that!
What a great post 🙂 Thanks for sharing and the reminder to make traditions for our kids. Its what they will remember when they are our age. It just sorta hit me as I was reading your post, that I still have ALL FOUR of my grandparents (on my mom & dad’s side). Isn’t that crazy? And each of those grand-parents have 3 great grand-children. Pretty cool.
Thanks Tara! And yes, having the grandparents in your life is a very blessed thing. I only had my grandma Mabel (being an oops baby when my parents had already raised 3!) and didn’t realize the gift I had until I was a grown adult myself, and by then it was too late.
Oh yum! Every Christmas morning we do a Ukranian breakfast. Full of cream, eggs, more cream, ukranian sausage, more cream and perogies!
Cream is a Ukrainian food staple! Oh, made me think of another delicacy for Christmas – wheat pudding (kutya or koliva, depending on which country you are from!)
What a sweet post 🙂 I am lucky/grateful to still have all four of my grandparents (in pretty decent health too!), but I do not get to see them as often as I like. I hope to change that!
I had immigrant parents and any time we got to see our grandparents at all we were thrilled beyond belief.