The Ukrainian Homestead of Mahoning Township was the place to be for the traditional Christmas Eve Dinner.

The Ukrainian Christmas was celebrated on Sunday. Jan. 7.

“We do this after everybody’s holidays,” said Paula Holoviak, a member of the central executive committee that runs the Ukrainian Homestead. “We celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7, and we are still within the Christmas season. Yesterday (Saturday) was our New Year’s Day, which is the feast of St. Basil the Great on the old calendar. The Feast of Epiphany comes up this Thursday. We usually try to do this dinner within that window.”

Holoviak estimated there were 70 people at the dinner.

“Because of COVID, we didn’t do this for the past two years,” she said. “And since we didn’t get snowed out, as sometimes can happen, we have a good turnout.”

The menu started with Kutia, made with boiled wheat, honey, poppy seeds, nuts and fruit. Also included was borscht (soup), Holubtsi (cabbage rolls), pierogies, and sweets like Christmas cookies and candies.

Holoviak and some of the local members of the Ukrainian Catholic Church performed at a Festival of Carols at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia, the Archeparchy of Philadelphia. A video of the performance was being shown during the dinner.