Many Ukrainian Canadians here in southern Manitoba will celebrate Christmas Wednesday and Thursday. Christmas Day falls on January 7th according to the Julian calendar which has traditionally been followed by people of Ukrainian descent.

Dianne Lazaruk says her family still observes Ukrainian Christmas. They will get together tonight for the traditional meal of 12 meatless dishes where they are not allowed to use butter or cream. Lazaruk explains there is a special reason why the meal is kept simple.

"It's tied in with the pre-Christmas season, the Lenten period. During the Lent leading up to Christmas you abstain from meat and dairy products with Christmas Eve being your Holy meal, where you really finish off your Lenten period."

She adds on Christmas Day, they follow up with a more regular meal that includes meat and dairy products. Lazaruk says the Ukrainian Christmas tradition remains strong.

"Rurally, it has stayed strong among the Ukrainian people. I think, in the cities, some have switched to following the Gregorian calendar just because of work and maybe intermarriage and convenience."

But Lazaruk says, for her family and many others, they get the best of both worlds when it comes to Christmas.

"I always say we start celebrating on the (December) 24th and get the commercial side out of it and then we come on the 6th (of January) and we celebrate right until Epiphany on the 18th which is more our spiritual Christmas."