Three feasts

Today’s Advent carol comes from Ukraine, where it actually…Well, wait; let me back up.

In Ukraine, the Christmas season begins on Christmas Day, which—depending on whether you use the Julian or Gregorian calendar, is celebrated on either 25 December or 7 January. (This is a thing, because the Russian Orthodox church, of which Ukrainian orthodoxy is a branch, considers the Gregorian calendar heretical, used by Roman Catholics and Protestants.) It (the season) also celebrates the Feast of Saint Basil (1/14 January)—old New Year—and Theophany/Epiphany (6/19 January)—the Baptism of Jesus.

The carol “Dobryi vechir tobi” gets all three holidays into the mix. The title translates to “Good evening to you”, and it’s traditionally sung by carolers going from house to house.

The lyrics roughly translate to greeting the master of the house (“hospitable master”) and exhorting all to rejoice at the birth of Christ. Then the host is enjoined to set a table and serve bread made from spring wheat because there are three feast days coming. The chorus is all about rejoicing.

The group singing “Dobryi vechir tobi” is Pikkardiyska Tertsiya, which literally means “Picardy Third”, the musical feature of yesterday’s “Coventry Carol”. They’re a Ukrainian acapella group that’s celebrating 30 years of performing. They focus on Ukrainian music, including folk songs and liturgical pieces. Their song “Plyve Kacha” was played at the funeral of Ukrainian fighters killed in the February 2014 revolution against the Putin puppet Viktor Yanukovych, which culminated in another Russian invasion.

May all who celebrate these holidays be greeted with generous hospitality wherever they travel, be it far or near, and may it be free from fear.