***Due to the limited number of available plac es for this program\, please cancel your reservation if you are no longer able to attend. \;
\n \;For Ukrainians\, the harves
t season was the most important and fruitful part of the year. Starting in
the harvest season when crops were collected\, straw and hay were dried a
nd stored for use in the winter season. Straw symbolized fertility\, growt
h and health. The pavuk (spider) itself is considered a symbol of the univ
erse. On Christmas Eve\, the spider was hung on the central beam of the ho
use. Sometimes a candle was placed under the spider and when heated the sp
ider began to turn around reflecting shadows on the walls. People believed
that these were the shadows of the souls of past
ancestors who came
for the holidays.
During this ninety-minute workshop\, participants w
ill make their own mobile &ldquo\;spider&rdquo\; ornaments out of paper st
raws to hang in their homes during the holiday season.
Presenter: The Ukrainian History and Education Center&rsquo\;s mission is to connect generations by telling the stories of Ukraine and Ukrainian Americans thro ugh its museum and archives. The UHEC has fulfilled this mission through r otating exhibitions\, public access to archives\, educational and cultural programming\, and online resources that increase the appreciation of Ukra inian history and culture among non-Ukrainians and help Ukrainian American s better understand their roots. \;Located in central New Jersey along the New York-Philadelphia corridor\, the UHEC has one of the premier US-b ased collections of artifacts and documents relating to Ukrainian history\ , culture\, and the Ukrainian-American immigrant experience. \;The UHE C museum permanent collection \;consists of over 15\,000 objects of fo lk art\, fine art\, and objects related to Ukrainian culture\, history\, a nd religious beliefs and practices. The UHEC archives \;holds hundreds of collections documenting the cultural\, religious\, and political histo ry of Ukraine and Ukrainians in the United States. It also has one of the largest collections of \;Ukrainian recorded sound and radio programmin g \;in the world\, including over 1\,500 cassette and open reel tapes\ , over 2\,200 78 rpm shellac discs\, and over 2\,000 vinyl records. The UH EC also operates the \;Nashi Predky/Our Ancestors Ukrainian genealogy outreach program\, which presents workshops\, conferences\, and online web inars that introduce family historians not only to genealogy research meth odology\, but also to the complex history and culture of Ukraine and the s urrounding region.
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