On Easter Sunday we hosted a traditional Ukrainian Easter lunch for the 8 Ukrainian families we helped the most, a few Irish friends and German friends in residence. About 40 people in total.
We had an Easter egg hunt for the kids, ate ourselves silly, walked up to the top of the land for the views over Clew Bay, and then we had dessert. I made my first ever studenetz and it was delicious, and over the span of the week, I systematically produced a menu that included Ukrainian vegetable salad, potato salad, tsvikla, horseradish sauce, lamb, and ham as well as a walnut mocha torte. Alex made paska, pashtet, baked four loaves of bread and rolls. Our friends brought cakes, a duck, casseroles, and other goodies. We were afraid we wouldn't have enough food in traditional Ukrainian fashion! Everyone went home with doggie bags.
They are my new family. I have adopted all these amazing Ukrainians. There was joy in the world today and it displaced the sorrow felt every other day. I was too busy to take any decent photos.
What a journey this has been for me in Ireland with the Ukrainians. Easter Sunday, they were marvelling at Alex's paska, the traditional Easter bread. They had heard about the traditional one being sweet and plain but decorated with symbols.
In modern Ukraine, they have moved away from the traditional ways and adopted new ways of decorating their paska with icing and coloured sprinkles. They also branched away from sweet and some do savoury, and variously flavoured. The Christians still bless it in their Easter baskets on Easter Saturday.
Most had never seen a real pysanka. They were astounded that I had real eggs painted in intricate detail in my basket.
The Crimean tatars were celebrating the beginning of Ramadan but they joined in the camaraderie. It was lovely having them with us.
It's fascinating to everyone that my Ukrainian, being more than 70 years out of Ukraine when my parents fled, is more authentic than theirs. They say I have an American accent in Ukrainian, but I use all the old Ukrainian words not the Russian ones that infiltrated the language. They love reading my Ukrainian history books because they are learning all the history that was suppressed under soviet rule. The wonder of it all.
I never could have imagined this journey.
