MONTREAL - Christmas may be over for most Montrealers, but not for those following the Julian calendar.
On Thursday evening the city's Ukrainian community celebrated Christmas Eve with a traditional meal and midnight ceremony.
Ukrainians gathered at St. Sophie's parish in Rosemont for the largest mass of the year.
"It's an important family reunion, where we have a chance to meet to enjoy those precious moments," said Ukrainian Christmas Host Eugene Czolij.
Many Ukrainian Christians give and receive presents on December 24 and 25, but according to Father Volodymyr Kouchnir, January 6 is the day to celebrate customs and traditions "that help us uplift our mind, our body and spirit."
One tradition is to remember those no longer present, by leaving an empty plate next to some wheat.
It's believed spirits will gather at the empty place setting for the holiday.
"Ukrainians are very traditional and the nation is very agricultural as well, so anything doing with wheat is very special," said Czolij.
Dinner starts with a dish made from poppy seeds, walnuts and honey called koutya, and continues with 12 meatless courses that must include perogies -- called vareneke in Ukrainian -- and ends with a sweet bread called kolatch, which represents Jesus Christ's place at the table.
Meanwhile, hundreds of Greek Montrealers attended services Thursday morning at a church on St Roch in Park Extension to commemorate the baptism of Christ and the manifestation of god into man.
The service included the blessing of the waters and the handing out of holy water to parishioners.
