Walter Kish

Christmas and New Year’s holidays are upon us, and for most of us, it is an opportunity to set aside our usual daily routines and to focus for at least a little while, on friends, family, relationships and the more spiritual aspects of our busy lives.

In the crush of modern life, we sometimes forget that we are very social animals, and have a deep, innate need for the companionship and emotional support of others of our kind, typically provided by our immediate family and circle of friends. On a broader basis, we also derive great psychological comfort from the sense of belonging or being part of an identifiable group, tribe, clan or community. These can have a geographical basis, or a more virtual character, drawing on such criteria as ethnicity, religion, occupation or special interest.

I can recall the special importance that my immigrant father attached to others that had come to Canada from the same "selo" or village back in Ukraine. They were "krayany" or "silchany", and being one denoted a special relationship almost equivalent to being a blood relative. They shared common origins and history, and that fact created a special bond that provided them with a certain strength and comfort that enabled them to deal with the challenges of being strangers in a strange land.

We need the security, both physical and psychological, of being part of a larger community. This larger community provides the strength and confidence that enables individuals to create social, economic and political environments within which they can live safely. It fosters co-operation and serves as a catalyst to drive progress and productivity. It also provides the critical mass to enable the development of culture and the arts.

Society and civilization have progressed from the rudimentary family or clan structures of our cave-man ancestors to the sophistication and complexity of the modern nation-state. Interestingly enough it is these very two ends of the historical evolutionary ladder that still provide the fundamental way in which we usually identify ourselves. I am Walter Kish (family) and I am Ukrainian (nationality).

The fact that I am Ukrainian ties me to a rich heritage of art, culture, history, literature, traditions and values. It provides my life with a context. It gives me comfort and pride in realizing that I am the end product of a long line of talented and heroic individuals that made history and created a bountiful legacy of thought, ideas, creative works and deeds.

During Christmas holidays, I become particularly conscious of and grateful for being Ukrainian. Although we celebrate both the North American and traditional Ukrainian versions of Christmas on December 25 and January 7 respectively, to me, it is Ukrainian Christmas that is more real and meaningful. December 25 and the weeks leading up to it are a fatiguing blur of stress, overindulgence, commercialization and hype.

By contrast, January 6 and 7 are a more peaceful time, revolving around a much anticipated and appreciated re-union of close family and friends. There is the traditional Christmas Eve dinner that is both a cultural as well as culinary feast. The gifts that characterize this particular holiday, are not the kind that come wrapped in expensive wrapping paper and bows, but the gifts of companionship, remembrances, love and a sharing of time and friendship. There is laughter, stories, and carolling. There is joy and peace and goodwill towards all men. There is a truer appreciation of what I am sure Christmas was intended to be, rather than the excess of materialism, artificial sentimentalism and over-indulgence that it has become.

I hope that as you all celebrate Christmas this year, there will be room for a little "kutia" and a "kolyada" or two. And as you reflect on the joy of the holiday season, I would ask that you remember the countless generations of Ukrainians that have done the same for the past one thousand years. In doing so, I hope that you will feel as I do, that it is a great and wonderful thing to be Ukrainian.

From myself and all the wonderful people that put this paper together, have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!