Hundreds gather in Winnipeg's North End for Ukrainian Christmas

The sound of carolling filled Ukrainian Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral in Winnipeg's North End on Wednesday morning as hundreds sat in rows of pews, celebrating Ukrainian Christmas.

"The carols that we sing, each one tells a story. It's a theological presentation. Really in-depth words about creation, about peace, about the solidarity, about love," said Rev. Michael Buyachok.

Traditions such as carolling are important to Winnipeg's Ukrainian community, especially amid the Ukraine crisis, as Tom Dudych noted at Wednesday morning's service.

"Especially with everything that's going on in Ukraine today, it's important to keep our heritage and Ukrainian beliefs alive," Dudych said, adding that the community relies on its youthful members to carry on cultural customs. 

"The young people need to keep it up."

Ukrainian Christmas began on Jan. 6, and a holy meal of 12 dishes is typically served to mark the commencement of the holiday. 

According to Buyachok, nearly 1,000 people were at the cathedral on Tuesday night and between 500 and 600 came out on Wednesday morning.

The celebrations will continue until Ukrainian New Year on Jan. 14.