‘It felt like a Christmas miracle’: how a Ukrainian family found friendship – and festive traditions to share – in the UK
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After moving to the UK, mum of two Kateryna Kunytska tells Rosie Mullender about the Christmas customs she cherishes – and the new friends she has made to share them with. This Christmas, Kateryna Kunytska plans to celebrate with a unique mixture of Ukrainian and British traditions – and raise a glass to give thanks for the friendships she has forged since moving to the UK.
![[Kateryna Kunytska kneeling by the Christmas tree, with gifts]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a85a6164cefb68ff7c216823c770b335c4e09a79/0_0_1500_2500/master/1500.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“In Ukraine, we always make 12 dishes for Christmas Eve, including kutya, which is a wheat berry pudding. Back home, the children would take it to their grandparents’ and godparents’ homes to share,” she says. But now, they share it with the close friends who have welcomed them here. “We also sing Carol of the Bells, which is based on a Ukrainian song, so we can all sing it in our own language. It’s wonderful that we’re not only keeping our traditions alive in our family, but sharing them with others too.”.
![[Spooning honey into a dessert ]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9e4e1d3a6e367bdfc3fe0a0fef8b09a2acada5df/0_0_1500_2500/master/1500.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Kunytska, 40, and her two children moved to the town of Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, shortly after Ukraine was invaded in 2022. Far from her family – including her husband Oleksander, who stayed in Kyiv as a military volunteer – she began the daunting process of building a new life, far from home.
![[Kateryna Kunytska hugging her children with quote: “We sang some of our carols, while my friend served us a traditional English Christmas dinner”]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9a23c88de33c5f2e8475f42a862784b493c41b88/0_0_4508_2716/master/4508.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“On my kids’ first day at school, I was feeling quite lost and didn’t know anyone,” says Kunytska. “But then Kelly, one of the other mums, saw me looking nervous and came over to chat, which changed everything. She introduced me to other parents at the school gates, including Rhianna, who has become a really close friend.”.
![[Trimming traditional Ukrainian fabrics]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9d077160fb6ca5b9f8e3b7cb434ecbebcd07c924/0_0_3206_2098/master/3206.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
