2 weeks Ago By Olena Abramova, special to The Citizen
Everyone loves to celebrate a special holiday or life event here in Auburn or in Ukraine. There are some slight differences between the two countries. In my country, we only celebrate birthdays on the birth day or after, because life is very short and uncertain and you never know if you might live to see the next year.
Even to congratulate someone beforehand is bad luck. You can call your friend on the birthday or afterwards. Here in the U.
S., it seems birthdays are celebrated whenever it is convenient for the family. Ukrainians like to give flowers for special days, but only in a bouquet with an uneven number of flowers.
If a woman has a big celebration like 60 years old, everyone gives three, five or 61 flowers. Never 60. However, for a funeral, one gives flowers in even numbers.
Superstition. Ukraine doesn’t have the tradition of having a baby shower before the child is born. Again, this could be bad luck.
I attended a baby shower recently. It was a very open and happy day. The gender of the child was revealed, but that would not happen in Ukraine.
There, people are more hesitant to tell about being pregnant or celebrating before the birth itself. Instead, after the baby is born, someone rushes off to buy all the necessary items. It is believed that one must wait until after the birth to make sure everything has gone well.
Before a child is baptized, the parents do not show the child off. Afterwards, then there is a big, happy baby shower with friends and family. Olena Abramova This leads me to July 4, Halloween and Thanksgiving.
These are not at all Ukrainian holidays! July 4 is a great tradition, because it unites everyone who came to America before or now, just like me or other recent immigrants. My big American family — almost 30 of us — went to Emerson Park for the symphony concert and the beautiful fireworks. I saw many other Ukrainian people enjoying the evening as well.
My nephew was married in Cyprus that day, and I sent him a video of our July 4 observation. A very patriotic holiday. Halloween is something I do not understand.
For me, it is all about decorations and costumes, but what is the point? It is cute and the kids at school certainly get excited about it. In Ukraine, we just don’t have Halloween, but in more recent years, it has started to catch on with decorations only in restaurants and other public places. There is no trick-or-treating.
I have been asked how we celebrate Thanksgiving in Ukraine. We don’t, as it is purely an American holiday. I had only been in Auburn for a few months when Thanksgiving dinner was served.
I like all the food, especially turkey with stuffing, squash, mashed potatoes, cranberry jelly and apple pie, but pumpkin pie not so much. I do think all the trimmings are my favorite American food. I had read about Native Americans and Pilgrims gathering together to share a meal.
My entire family gathered at one home. What a group! I was worried that I didn’t know everyone’s name, but they all knew me. Now two years later, I know so many family members and people in the community.
In my next column, I hope to share some Ukrainian traditions for Christmas and a special recipe. AUBURN — In July, Maryna Svorin was working in a building in the city of Vinnytsia, Ukraine, when it was struck by a bomb. Olena Abramova is a citizen of Ukraine who fled the war there and now lives in Auburn.
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