Koleda
Slavic winter solstice
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On the longest & darkest night of the year, when the world is cold, and the sun shows itself just for a few hours, we all need something to raise our spirits.
On January 8, we will follow in their footsteps and celebrate Koleda, a Slavic winter solstice.
Slavic winter solstice
Koleda
On the longest & darkest night of the year, when the world is cold, and the sun shows itself just for a few hours, we all need something to raise our spirits. In many cultures, this transitional time between the waning sun and the waxing sun is seen as magical.
Slavic countries aren’t an exception. Even before the advent of Christianity, our ancestors celebrated a holiday filled with rituals to welcome back the sun, banish evil, bring abundance & honor our forefathers & foremothers.
On January 8, we followed in their footsteps and celebrated Koleda, a Winter solstice festival. We reveled, feasted, dressed up as animals and magical creatures, sang carols, danced, told fortunes, and much more. The warmth of our hearts and our community’s strength helped us pass the longest nights of the year!
Join us on January 8, 2023, in the Latvian Community Center to honor the new sun. The festival will bring together unique Slavic traditions from Ukraine, Belarus & Russia.
You will experience the following:
- Entertainment by Skomorokhs & mummers;
- Welcoming into a home ceremony with Olena Bilyk (Ukraine);
- Traditional foods by Nadia Huliychuk: kutya, pirozhki & uzvar;
- Variety of traditional craft vendors;
- Traditional crafts workshops: making Koleda stars, block printing, Angel Christmas tree ornaments & animal masks;
- Songs, carols & dancing from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia;
- And a musical performance by Siarhei Douhushau, a renowned Belarusian folk artist.
The night will end with dancing around the bonfire.
We thank our sponsors for their support
