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Ukrainians in Bristol celebrate Orthodox Christmas

BBC People sitting around a big dinner tableBBC
Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Christmas Eve on 6 January

Ukrainians living in the UK are beginning to celebrate Orthodox Christmas.

The community marks Christmas Eve on 6 January and a group of refugees gathered at St James Church Hall in Bristol for 12 traditional dishes.

The meal brought the community together as many have friends and relatives in their war-torn homeland.

Organiser Vera Stadon said a Ukrainian Christmas was "very much a family affair".

Vera Stadon
Vera Stadon has organised aid collections for people living in Ukraine

Ms Stadon has been in Bristol since before the war and has been helping Ukrainian refugees settle in the city.

"We just couldn't let people celebrate by themselves, so we decided to make our small Ukrainian family here share a meal together," she said.

The meal has 12 dishes to represent the 12 disciples of Jesus.

Ukrainian Christmas spread
A traditional Ukrainian Christmas meal consists of fish and vegetables

Dishes include a sweet dish called kytia, made from wheat flour, which is the staple crop of Ukraine and represents their heritage and prosperity.

The crop also featured as a centrepiece of the dinner table, signifying a tree which represents their ancestors.

Table with Ukrainian Christmas food
The Christmas tree made from wheat represents the hope that Ukraine will prosper again

Yanna, who used to work as a barrister in Kyiv, said being around other Ukrainians would upset her when she first came over to England.

But she now appreciates being together with her community at Christmas.

"For me, it's very important. I feel like I'm at home now," she said.

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