Christmas comes this weekend for Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics living around the world.

And in Vancouver, the organizers of the family-friendly annual Russian Christmas event have extended an invitation to people of all faiths to drop by the Russian Community Centre (2114 West 4th Avenue) on Sunday (January 8) to learn more about their cultural traditions.

"We'll introduce our food, our carols, our singing, and many local performers," Andrew Ahachinsky recently told the Georgia Straight over coffee in Vancouver.

Christmas is celebrated on Saturday (January 7) under the Gregorian calendar.

The event on the following day will begin with entertainment for kids from 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m., which will include an appearance by Father Frost, who's often joined by a snow maiden who goes by the name of Snegurochka. That's because there is no Santa Claus in Russia.

That will be followed with a Christmas concert, different dances, and discussions about various traditions.

Ahachinsky said that in Russia, Christmas is far more spiritual and less commercial than in the West. For instance, it's not uncommon for Russians to fast before Christmas and many people refuse to eat meat in the period leading up to the holiday and then have fish on Christmas Eve.

"Then on Christmas Day, they can have a full-on meal," he stated. "A typical Christmas dinner would consist of 12 different dishes pertaining to the 12 apostles that Jesus Christ had."

After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, Father Frost and all other vestiges of Russian Christmas were hidden for decades, only to re-emerge with vigour following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"Things have changed drastically," Ahachinsky said. "During the Soviet Union, it was quite discouraged. Churches were closed. People who lived in the smaller towns and villages, especially, would do things underground, with closed doors, under candlelight."

When asked if there was any key message he would like to get across to readers of the Georgia Straight, Ahachinsky replied: "In B.C., the Russian community is very open, very friendly. We like everyone and we want to be friends with every community. We welcome people to come and learn a little bit about Russia in a good, nonpolitical way."

He added that his goal this year is for the Russian community to become more integrated in Vancouver's arts and cultural scene.

"We would like to be more involved in citywide events," Ahachinsky stated. "We want to participate in the Canada Day parade, which is coming later. And we want to participate in the culture days."

Ahachinsky is of Russian ancestry, but he was born and raised in Ukraine before his family moved to Canada in 1996.