New Year’s Eve carries memories of childhood, family and tradition, from Father Frost and school concerts to Old New Year rituals rooted in the Julian calendar. Against the backdrop of war in Ukraine, the season has also become a measure of endurance and a renewed wish for peace.

From a folk proverb to the korovai wedding loaf, this feature traces wheat and bread as symbols of prosperity, hospitality and identity in Ukraine, honouring bakers, inclusive workplaces and family traditions that keep the craft alive.

A column linked Canadian Thanksgiving with Ukraine’s Obzhynky, stressed gratitude for farmers and nature, recalled Holodomor remembrance in Canada, and closed with a family harvest and wishes for prosperity.