Above: Mary and her newborn babe / collection Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Wilmington, DE
Delaware’s Orthodox community, while small, is diverse, comprising primarily Greek, Ukrainian, and Russian Orthodox denominations. Each of these groups has its own unique history, traditions, and path of cultural adaptation in the state.
The bulk of the Greek population in Delaware was originally of Spartan origin, reflecting a specific regional heritage within the broader Greek community.
Greek Orthodox Christmas traditions in Delaware have evolved since the early 20th century, reflecting both adherence to religious customs and gradual adaptation to American culture. A 1932 Evening Journal clipping provides insight into the holiday meal: “Stuffed cabbage is popular with the Greeks on Christmas, although they do not usually serve a very large Christmas dinner, as they fast for 20 days before the holiday.”
While this article highlights the practice of fasting before Christmas, Greek Christmas culinary traditions are actually both restrained and indulgent. Christmas Day often features a more elaborate meal than Christmas Eve. Roasted lamb is a classic main dish, symbolizing Christ as the Lamb of God. The fast being over, dairy products and meat are once again enjoyed. The holiday season also features the preparation of traditional sweets like kourabiedes (butter cookies) and melomakarona (honey-soaked cookies).
“After five weeks of fasting,” noted a 1962 News Journal piece on the Ukrainian yuletide, “the Christmas dinner in Orthodox households is a feast that makes the western Christmas meal seem like a snack.” The Ukrainian Orthodox Christmas Eve supper, or ‘Sviata Vecheria,’ features 12 dishes symbolizing the apostles, with no animal fats or dairy, and begins at dusk with a candle blessed in church. The meal goes from the bitter to the sweet, starting off with pickled fish such as herring and including baked fish, dumplings, vegetables, and homemade breads. It winds up with kutya, a wheat cooked and cooled and combined with ground poppy seeds, walnuts, honey, and sugar.
Another unique Ukrainian tradition is the performance of “Natalka Poltavka,” a play that tells the story of a Ukrainian girl named Natalka from the city of Poltava. This play, often performed during the Christmas season, represents a cherished piece of Ukrainian cultural heritage (The Evening Journal, 1917).
Russian Orthodox Christmas traditions in Delaware have their own distinctive features, with the concept of “Svyatki” or Holy Evening being central to their celebration. A 1951 News Journal article explains:
“On that day no food is eaten until the first star appears in the sky. This is the last day of a 40-day Lent in the Russian Orthodox Church. Christmas Eve supper consists of traditional kutya, a boiled rice dish or boiled wheat grains, with poppy seeds, nuts, and honey. Also served is uzvar, made of boiled dried fruits.” Uzvar, a sweet drink, is a distinctive feature of Russian Christmas traditions. It’s often served as a complement to kutya.
Russian and Ukrainian Orthodox Christians share similar Christmas Eve customs, such as setting an extra place at the table—Russians for deceased family members, Ukrainians for absent or unexpected guests. Both spread hay under the tablecloth to symbolize the manger, while Ukrainians add the unique tradition of tossing kutya at the ceiling for good luck and a bountiful harvest.
Christmas Day in Orthodox traditions is a time of joyous celebration, marking the end of the Nativity fast and the birth of Christ.
Like other Orthodox communities, Ukrainian Orthodox Christians in Delaware have had to balance maintaining their traditions with adapting to American culture. This is evident in the evolution of language use in their services. Very Rev. Joseph M. Kreta of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Church observed in an article by Eileen C. Spraker in The Morning News on January 11, 1969: “More and more, though, the divine liturgies are being said in English,” said Father Kreta after the Christmas service on Tuesday, which had been conducted in both English and Ukrainian. “We have to admit that using only the Ukrainian deprived the second generation of something of the continuity,” he noted, explaining why he began alternating between Ukrainian and English.
Geopolitical tensions during the Cold War complicated the continued acceptance of the Russian Orthodox community in Delaware. Although Russia tolerated Orthodox worshippers, it did not encourage them. Reflecting this pressure, the Russian Orthodox Church in Wilmington renamed itself St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church by 1973, possibly to distance itself from Soviet associations.
“Among the efforts of the local Greek community to preserve its ancient culture,” reported Jim Parks in the previously cited News Journal article, “is the establishment of a school for youngsters aged seven to 12 which meets each Saturday at Holy Trinity. Here the children are taught the Greek language in its modern conversational idioms, history, and culture. Father Ganiaris estimates that about half his young parishioners who could attend do so. There also is interest among Greek families in returning for a visit to their ancestral homeland. Next summer when the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, the American Greek organization, holds its annual convention in Athens, Father Ganiaris expects there will be a comparatively large delegation of Delawareans attending.”
The Orthodox Christmas celebration is deeply rooted in liturgical practices. Each community—Greek, Ukrainian, and Russian—has its own specific services and rituals observed during the Christmas season. These practices form the spiritual core of the holiday celebrations and have evolved over time.
Christmas Eve services are central to Orthodox celebrations and initially demanded significant dedication from worshippers. For instance, in 1915, Greek Orthodox Christians in Delaware had to travel to Philadelphia for Christmas services. The News Journal reported that these services began at 10 pm and lasted for four hours, requiring serious commitment from worshippers who had to make the journey and attend services late into the night.
For the Ukrainian Orthodox community, Christmas Eve is also marked by special services. Eileen C. Spraker, writing in a 1966 article for The Morning News, describes Ukrainian families attending ‘compline’ and ‘matins’ after their Christmas Eve supper. For readers unfamiliar with these terms, compline is the final church service of the day in many Christian traditions, while matins is a morning or early daytime service, often held before dawn on major feast days like Christmas.
In the Russian Orthodox tradition, Christmas Eve services are particularly lengthy. In 1951, the Very Rev. Basil J. Anziferoff of St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church described their Christmas observance: “The three-day observance, according to the Julian calendar, will begin at midnight tomorrow with Christmas Eve services throughout the night.”
Christmas Day services are the culmination of the Orthodox Christmas celebration. These services are typically longer and more elaborate than regular Sunday services, reflecting the importance of the feast.
As the Orthodox communities in Delaware grew and established their own churches, the liturgical practices became more accessible and aligned with more conventional hours. This shift is clearly evident by the 1970s. The News Journal reported in 1973 on the established practice at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Wilmington: “At Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, the Rev. Stamatios Ganiaris said a pageant by Sunday School students will follow the 10 a.m. Divine Liturgy tomorrow. The main Christmas service will be Christmas Day with matins at 10, divine liturgy at 11” (The News Journal, 1973).
This schedule, with services held during daytime hours and including activities like a Sunday School pageant, represents a major change from the earlier years. It reflects not only the growth of the community but also its adaptation to local norms, making the celebration of Orthodox Christmas more available to families and integrating it more smoothly into the broader community’s rhythms.
In the Russian Orthodox tradition, Father Hiermonk Roman of St. Michael’s Russian Orthodox Church vividly describes the Christmas Day service in a 1967 article from The News Journal:
“On Christmas day, the Divine Liturgy is extra joyful as the usual hymns are replaced by those of the feast and the church is filled with fragrant incense and lighted by hundreds of candles.”
Father Roman further emphasizes the centrality of the church in Russian Orthodox Christmas celebrations: “During the Christmas observance, carols are sung and gifts exchanged, but the center of the season’s observance is the church. The Orthodox Christmas traditions are completely void of Santa Clauses or red-nosed reindeer.”
In the Ukrainian Orthodox tradition, the day after Christmas is marked by the synaxis of the Holy Virgin, which honors Mary’s role in Christ’s birth. The days following are marked by several major liturgies, each with its own meaning and relevance. The liturgy of St. Basil the Great, one of the most important in Orthodox tradition, is celebrated on January 1st and emphasizes theological teachings.
The theme “God Is With Us” resonates through Ukrainian services for the two weeks following Christmas, culminating in the Epiphany on January 19th. In the Western tradition, Epiphany primarily commemorates the visit of the Magi, while in the Eastern Orthodox Church, it focuses on Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River. The synaxis of St. John the Baptist, celebrated the day after Epiphany, honors John’s role in Christ’s baptism.
Gift-giving customs among Orthodox Christians in Delaware show an interesting blend of traditional practices and adaptation to American customs. In 1965, Rev. Stamatios Ganiaris of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church shared his observations on gift-giving customs with Jim Parks of The News Journal: “While many Greek families have adopted the American custom of exchanging gifts on December 25th, some still maintain the tradition of giving gifts on January 1st, the Feast of St. Basil.”
In Ukrainian and Russian Orthodox traditions, gift-giving is often associated with St. Nicholas Day (December 19 in the Julian calendar, which corresponds to December 6 in the Gregorian calendar) rather than Christmas itself. However, as with the Greek Orthodox community, many families have adopted the American custom of exchanging gifts on Christmas Day.
When comparing articles from the early 1900s to those from the 1950s onward, one can observe a notable shift in the depth and detail of newspaper coverage of Orthodox Christmas traditions. This evolution in reporting reflects not just changing journalistic practices, but also the changing attitudes of the Orthodox communities themselves.
In the early 20th century, when many Orthodox immigrants were first-generation Americans, newspaper articles tended to be brief and focused on basic facts, such as the date of Orthodox Christmas. This could be interpreted as a reflection of the immigrant communities’ desire to assimilate and not draw attention to their “foreign” customs.
By the 1950s and beyond, newspaper articles about Orthodox Christmas became much more detailed, offering rich descriptions of traditions, foods, and religious practices. This shift coincides with the rise of third-generation Orthodox worshippers in Wilmington. These individuals, born and raised in America but with strong ties to their heritage, seem more comfortable embracing and showcasing their cultural traditions.
This generational shift suggests a changing relationship with cultural identity. While first-generation immigrants may have prioritized fitting in, their grandchildren, secure in their American identity, felt free to explore and celebrate their ethnic and religious heritage. This “comfortable embracing of the old ways” by later generations reflects a broader trend in American society toward celebrating cultural diversity and maintaining ethnic traditions alongside American identity.
The continued observance and evolution of Orthodox Christmas traditions in Delaware will undoubtedly contribute to the state’s cultural vibrancy, offering both a link to ancient practices and a reflection of the ever-changing nature of American society.
