Singers in kuspuks and head scarfs chanted Christmas hymns in English, Yup'ik, Russian and Church Slavonic. Next to them, three young men spinned sparkling, pinwheel-shaped stars on wooden poles, each with an Orthodox icon of a Nativity scene in the center.
The tradition called starring, or Slaviq, is a part of Russian Orthodox Christmas, celebrated across Alaska on Jan. 7. The Alaska Native Medical Center brought the holiday to the Yagheli Shesh Qenq'a Anchorage Native Primary Care Center for the patients who couldn't gather with their families or in church.
"They need to feel like the culture and the traditions are still including them," attendee Anastasia Oleksa said. "They're perhaps stuck in the hospital after failing surgery or trouble, illness, you know. And it brings new life to this new year."
One of the speakers at the event, Archbishop Alexei of the Diocese of Sitka and Alaska in the Orthodox Church of America, spoke about the history behind the tradition. He said starring, or Slaviq, involves a group following a person carrying a pole with a star and an icon. They go from house to house, and sometimes village to village. When they stop, they sing hymns, facing the spinning star.
"This wonderful, beautiful tradition that has been in Alaska for over 100 years," he said. "The stars, they're spinning because that represents the very cycle of life that spins and spins."
Alexi said that Slaviq originated in the Carpathian Mountains, an area on the border between Russia, Poland, Slovakia and Romania.
"The communities felt that they were being pulled to this side and to that side," he said. "They wanted something to help strengthen them as a community, to bring them together."
As the St. Innocent Russian Orthodox Cathedral choir sang at the front of the room, Oleksa harmonized every song from the crowd. Oleksa grew up in Anchorage but has roots in Kwethluk. Her brother was one of the spinners, and her father was an Orthodox priest. She said that in the region her family is from, Slaviq unites people.
"It's a really big part of the year, where the community gets together and neighboring villages come starring in neighboring villages and see each other's family," she said.
Okalena Patricia Lekanoff-Gregory, from Unalaska, grew up singing hymns in Aleut and Russian. She said h family always gathered around Slaviq to decorate stars for the celebration, and now she makes them herself.
"I just made this miniature one!" she said, showing a picture. "My mom always wanted to be colorful."
Gregory said she wants to pass down the tradition to the next generation.
"It's our history. It's been going, coming over from Ukraine, from Russia, and and still being sung today," she said. "To me, it's powerful."
The best part of the night for Gregory is having a big feast, sometimes until two in the morning. She also said she loves it when the songs make people move. She remembers one song from her childhood, called Nam Radelsa, that shifted between fast and slow tempo.
"You could see the people kind of dance or move to it," she said. "You're not supposed to dance in church, right? But this song, they always did. All the elders, you can see them tapping their feet, and their head bop. I miss that."
After the performance, the group crossed the street from the primary care center and continued the procession at the patient housing. Gregory said she was also happy to attend Slaviq at the hospital.
"It is comforting, " she said. "It's part of church or praying, so it makes you heal faster."
Copyright 2026 KNBA
