Preface
The story was written for the Parkdale United Church writing group before Christmas 2023. Before posting it to the PUC Winter Messenger, I would like to take the opportunity to make brief PERSONAL remarks about the past and present political situation in the place (Western Ukraine), where this unforgettable Christmas story took place, as well as some of the ideas that may have provoked the brutal war in Ukraine, of which there is no visible end.
This connected with Eastern and Western Ukraine histories differences.
The history of Eastern Ukraine, beginning with Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1651), is connected with Tsarist and then Soviet Russia.
The history of Western Ukraine, initially as a part of the Soviet Union, is associated with the struggle and suppression by the Soviet government of the insurgent movement of OUN - Ukrainian nationalists (Banderites) in 1941-1956 with a huge number of victims on both sides. The idea of the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) is the creation of a Ukrainian Independent State through revolutionary means. The UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) and the Galicia Division, which fought on Hitler's side for some time, are also associated with the ideas of the OUN.
Since 1960, both parts of Ukraine have lived peacefully. The colorful story of 1973 tells of peaceful life, the hospitality of local residents, and the interest of Eastern Ukraine in Western Ukrainian culture and customs.
After the Orange Revolution of 2004 (Yushchenko), the ideas of nationalists have received support from the West against Russia. Russia, using this as a reason, invaded Ukraine in February 2022. The West, by supporting Ukraine, actually initiated a war with Russia on the territory of Ukraine. So, the territory nearby to mount Hoverla does not encourage peaceful relaxation.
But, we were so happy then, in 1973.
Christmas was not officially celebrated in Eastern Soviet Ukraine, but many families, even those who never went to the church, observed traditional customs, however just formally. In Western Ukraine Christmas was celebrated as magnificently as in Canada, but according to Orthodox traditions. In there happened our unforgettable Christmas story.
Christmas 1973
Geographical center of Europe, the Carpathian Mountains. On the end of December 1972 my 10-year-old son Sasha and I went there for downhill ski. This organized tour* started in town Rakhiv. We celebrated New, 1973 year, visited a lot of historical places, many castles. There were many different entertainments, but climbing Hoverla, the highest mountain of the Carpathian Mountains, timed to coincide with Christmas, entered the treasury of unforgettable memories.
On the morning of January 6, the bus took us to the place where we were supposed to put skis on. On the first day, we went to a hut (a kind of shelter) at the foot of Goverla, from which we were separated by 12 km of descent.
|
||
|
The weather was not suitable for this kind of hike: wet snow. However, this and the rather gentle slope made the upcoming descent easier. We were newbie then. The skis and the weather were bad. But still, by 8 pm we were there, ready for Christmas Eve.No electricity, no running water, no heating. But: a wooden floor; a wooden sleeping platform with sleeping bags for all of us; a long wooden table and stove with cooking utensils. Also: a Christmas tree; decorations all over the hut; bags with costumes, food, drinks, paper plates and cups. There were 5 locals in our group, including 2 instructors, and they knew the Christmas traditions. Very soon we were dressed in dry clothes. The young people, including 10-year-old Sasha, chopped wood, stoked the stove and melted snow in a large vat. The women prepared the traditional 12 Lenten dishes, set the table and dressed up. We read a lot about Christmas Eve from the great Ukrainian-Russian writer Gogol. But even now I can’t believe that unforgettable night was real. Especially the songs with a guitar in the soft Ukrainian language and the dance of two couples dressed in traditional costumes with trousers, felt boots, ribbons, wreaths and aprons...
It was difficult to wake up, but: Christmas !!!
We got out of the sleeping bags. The weather was fabulous, the sun was shining, the snow was shimmering and Hoverla was right before us in all its glory!
We are already at an altitude of 1828, the height of Hoverla is 2061 m. We climb the steep rocky slope to the top of Hoverla. Wow! Feeling of the summit, intoxicating freedom, the world from a bird's eye view...We rest, enjoy, take pictures and begin the descent. We do part of it in an alternative way (on our butts). After a two-hour skiing trip - dinner at the Berkut restaurant on the Yablonetsky Pass. However, this is already another, also vivid story.
Notes:
*organized tour - The Soviet Union was like a huge closed box with oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, deserts, etc. We could travel all over this territory. Compared to Canadians, we were extremely poor, but we didn't feel it because everyone around us was the same and had similar preferences. Tourism was very popular and supported by the government. When planning our vacation, we ordered a tour from the “Tourist Routes” guide, and the Trade Union paid for it with a 70% discount.