Orthodox Christian churches celebrate Christmas, Theophany this weekend

On a blustery, snowy Saturday afternoon at Twin Lakes Park east of Greensburg, a little over a dozen people huddled in a semicircle, singing hymns and watching intently for the Rev. David Hyatt to give his signal.

After leading the group in prayer and calling for blessings, Hyatt made his move — pushing a large cross made of ice off the edge of the pier and into the Upper Lake.

The lakeside Blessing of the Waters ceremony, in which ice crosses are dropped into the water, is an annual event for St. Michael’s Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church. It commemorates the Theophany, or the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.

The celebration of the Feast of Theophany dates far back in Orthodox history, Hyatt said.

“It’s a very ancient feast,” he said. “It’s been celebrated by the church since way back.”

It’s a longtime tradition at St. Michael’s, too — one that often is held in cold, snowy weather. Church members gathered around to help prepare smaller ice crosses that some of those attending could toss in to bless the lake.

“It’s really kind of ideal when it’s like this — when it’s nice and it’s cold and it’s frozen,” said church member Connie Volchko. She appreciates the church getting to gather for the winter season.

“There were years in the past that we had to get the chainsaw out and cut a hole in the ice!” said member Gust Flizanes.

While the South Greensburg-area church was busy with its outdoor event for Theophany, other Orthodox Christian churches in the region were getting ready for a different holiday — Orthodox Christmas, which falls Jan. 7.

Because some Orthodox church jurisdictions follow the “old calendar,” or Julian Calendar, which honors Christmas in January, and some the “new calendar,” which slates it for Dec. 25, Orthodox churchgoers of all sorts were busy this weekend — but for varying reasons.

“Historically, the Orthodox Church is a family of churches,” said the Rev. William Evansky, chancellor of the Orthodox Church in America’s Pittsburgh diocese. His jurisdiction celebrates on Dec. 25, but he knows many other churches that celebrate Jan. 7.

“It really comes down to a lot of heritage. Some congregations, some jurisdictions feel strongly that they want to keep that ethnic remembrance,” Evansky said. “We’re all celebrating the birth of Christ.”

Celebrating the holiday

The Rev. Dave Urban of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in Allison Park said Orthodox Christians prepare for Christmas 40 days ahead of time with a Nativity fast. The week before Christmas is known as the “pre-festive” period.

This year, the church’s Christmas Eve services Saturday, were held earlier in the day to make it easier for members to get to the church. The congregation was previously on the North Side of Pittsburgh but moved to Allison Park last year.

Urban noted some people who celebrate Jan. 7 refer to it as “church Christmas” or “sacred Christmas” and to Dec. 25 as “secular Christmas” or “media Christmas.”

“With Jan. 7, it’s an opportunity to focus on the services,” he said. “To not focus on what St. Nicholas is bringing me for Christmas, but, ‘Hey, let’s go to church, and let’s celebrate the Nativity of our Lord.’ ”

Urban noted that his diocese of the American Carpatho- Russian Orthodox Church has some churches that celebrate on the 25th, and some on the 7th.

“Our Pittsburgh deanery is all old-calendar,” he said.

The Rev. Michael Zak of St. Nicholas Orthodox Church in Homestead says the majority of his church’s 250 members attend church for Orthodox Christmas.

“I believe that we’re more focused on coming to church and celebrating the feast in your church of worship, rather than merely centering your attention on what the family’s doing come Christmas morning,” he said. “It’s always been the focus on your church attendance—going to church and worshipping there in church itself.”

Traditions persist

Many Orthodox Christians maintain particular traditions for Christmas Eve on Jan. 6, including a special meatless evening dinner that features particular ingredients and dishes.

“A little more authentic Carpatho- Russian tradition is to have twelve dishes,” said Urban. “In my family, we actually host Christmas Eve supper at my house. We’re going to have the sour (mushroom) soup, a couple kinds of fish, the pierogi, halušky, and we always make a couple kinds of steamed vegetables, dried fruit, and then you sometimes will have some mixed nuts on the table.”

A tradition of dipping raw garlic in honey at the Christmas Eve dinner highlights the “bittersweetness of life,” he said.

“Growing up, I can remember singing in the Homestead St. Nicholas church choir, and if I was standing in front of a certain guy, I could tell he’d been eating a lot of garlic at the dinner!” Urban joked.

Other variations on the Christmas Eve supper include more specific traditions at the table. The Rev. Robert Teklinski of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in East Pittsburgh says he and his family lay straw and white cloth on the table to represent the baby Jesus.

An extra place setting is sometimes left at the table — some families consider it to represent Christ in the form of a stranger invited to dinner, and others say it represents all people who have recently died in the family, Teklinski explained.

“There’s different traditions for different families,” he said. “Dinner is served in courses. There’s prayer with everything that’s put on the table.”

Teklinski’s family also opens their gifts on Jan. 7. He’s expecting a good turnout at church for Christmas this year.

“It’ll probably be a pretty good crowd for Christmas,” he said. “Attendance is up on Sundays, so I’m happy with that. … We’re getting a really faithful crowd here. Covid hurt a lot of churches, and so we’re working on getting people back in, but we’re doing OK.”

Church leaders from Holy Virgin Ukranian Orthodox Church in Arnold, St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church in New Kensington and St George Orthodox Church in New Kensington did not return calls to participate in this story.