Ukrainian refugees in Dereham celebrate Orthodox Christmas in UK

Ukrainian refugees who fled war in their homeland have celebrated their first Christmas in the UK at a party with their host families.

In the eastern Orthodox Church, Christmas Day is marked on 7 January, in accordance with the Julian calendar.

About 180 guests attended the council-run gathering in Dereham, Norfolk, on Saturday.

Breckland Council said it showed the authority would "be there to support them for as long as they need us".

The party included about 70 Ukrainian children who all received presents and food was laid on.

Marie, 43, who worked as a barrister before feeling her country, said: "It's a very special day, it's very important to us because our traditions, they connect us with our motherland, with our nation.

"It is inspiring and we feel very comfortable."

Fellow Ukrainian, Kristina, 37, said she thought that this year it was "probably the most important celebration".

"I'd never thought before that I could spend my time with my family somewhere else from Ukraine," she said, "because usually it's a family celebration, a family holiday and we need to be at home, we need to cook together, we need to have a dinner together.

"This year everything changed and we didn't expect that it could be possible to go somewhere else.

"But it's important to keep calm, to keep warm in our soul and to spend some time with Ukrainians here. It's a very good opportunity."

Conservative council leader Sam Chapman said it was a "really important event".

"It's a really good time for them to come together," he said.

"The network they've created in such a short space of time has been vital for their, support, their wellbeing, and their welfare and today is a bit of a marker in that journey for them.

"[It also shows] that we haven't forgotten about them, we're continuing to support them and actually we will always be there to support them for as long as they need us.

"Christmas is a really important time, particularly for young children to try to get some normality, so that's why we're here."

While the Russian Orthodox Church - the largest of the Eastern Orthodox Churches - celebrates Christmas Day on 7 January, some Ukrainians already celebrate on 25 December. Both days are public holidays in the country.

Some refugees are now considering only celebrating in December due to the religion's links to Russia.

"We need to separate from Russian culture, Russian traditions," Kristina added, "it's our aim for today."

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