There’s a church at the edge of the tundra on the north side of Bethel. And inside, there is a wooden star.
With large points of red and gold, it waits beneath a Christmas tree at the evening Nativity service.
Many such stars rest inside Russian Orthodox churches across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. They are often ornately painted or adorned with tinsel and fixed to a rod, allowing them to be spun like a miniature carousel with the force of a hand. And they’re an integral part of the coming celebrations.
At St. Sophia Orthodox Church in Bethel, this service on Monday marks the beginning of Slaviq, a January anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ according to the Julian calendar.
The choir presses together in the balcony above the wooden room, deep red candle-lit altars below them. They shower hymns in three languages — English, Yugtun and Slavonic — down on a standing congregation.
It is a two-hour service of communion and Christmas blessings, and is nearly all sung. A priest swings a thurible of incense. It jingles like sleigh bells.
On Tuesday, the starring procession will begin. The red and gold star of St. Sophia will leave the church and travel throughout Bethel, accompanied by the church community. It is a symbol of the Eastern Star, the one the Kings of the East followed in the sky to the birthplace of Christ. At each home, the choir will sing while the star whirls on its axis. Afterwards, food and gifts will be shared. The same will happen in Russian Orthodox communities throughout the region.
Parishioners of St. Sophia bring armfuls of home cooked food into the Yukon-Kuskokwim Elders’ Home. There, gathered around the home’s Christmas tree, a boy holds the decorated star. It spins and spins from a belt at his hip, with bells on each point and an image of Jesus at its center.
The choir again spills into song.
When the singing is through, a holiday frenzy of candy, socks and cookware will erupt, with treats given out by the handful to any and all in attendance by members of St. Sophia Orthodox Church.
This week, the Russian Orthodox community will continue Slaviq festivities, extending the season of Christmas in the Y-K Delta by following the spinning star from door to door.
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