[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Christmas Customs of Volhynians

[GVLESS at aol.com]

My husband's mother always had goose for Christmas and stuffed with a  
delicious fruit and bread dressing that he recalls tasted so good.  His  sisters 
tried for years after his parents died to try to resurrect the recipe  for such a 
dressing but could not bring up the right taste or texture to  whatever they 
put together.  I would assume this was something my husband's  mother's 
remembers her parents doing when living in Heimtal, Volhynia.   When we visited the 
area in 1993 we noted geese were always prominent in the  village as well as 
many kinds of fruit trees.  So will have to assume this  was important to what 
the family of long ago may have had at the holiday  time.  But do not know for 
sure of course since our ancestors no longer are  with us.  Does anyone 
really know just what type of food was served in  those ancestral years?  
 
Did our Volhynian ancestors even had a decorated tree of any  sort?  My 
husband says it was his responsibility as a youth when living on  a farm in 
Nebraska to scout the pasture area for just the right kind of tree  that looked like 
an evergreen so he could cut it down at holiday time and bring  it home for 
decorating with mostly homemade ornaments.  But what they were  I no longer have 
any idea.  Were some that reminded the family of their  former home in 
Volhynia, or not?  Were any food items made in those years  taken from their time 
they lived in Russia Poland?  I guess I am looking  for insight to those very 
early years in the family history, not particularly  what they may have 
eventually done when in America.  I am sure some of the  traditions were carry-overs 
and some were developed as they absorbed their new  life here.  My husband said 
he remembered well when a small child singing  with his brothers and sisters 
Silent Night in German at the Christmas program in  their Lutheran church in 
Nebraska.  Because of his strong German  heritage I chose as a special number 
at his Memorial Service in 2003 Silent  Night being sung in German.  It was a 
special treat to hear once again that  song in the old language of our 
forefathers.  Of course, no one there at  the time knew the language any more but I 
was determined to help the newer  generations have some idea of the German 
language of long ago.
 
My husband's mother always made as a special treat for us when we came to  
visit whether at holiday time or not of her recipe of "coffeekuchen".  It  was 
one thing she could still do even in her older years for us.  I have  German 
background thru my Volga Deutsch grandparents as well as thru my  grandparents 
that came over from Germany itself.  But they were gone before  I could really 
appreciate my heritage or know much about it.  So am anxious  to hear what 
others are willing to share on this list serv what they recall from  their family 
traditions - and of course, if any show a direct connection to the  Volhynian 
and Polish homelands.  Thank you for doing so as writing the  family history 
does need more than just statistical data.
 
Sincerely,
Virginia Less



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