CHRISTMAS EVE, PO NAŠOMU

CHRISTMAS EVE, PO NAŠOMU

T’was the night before Roždestvo

And all through the house

The Rusnaks all gathered

To eat sauerkraut.

The kolach was nestled

All snug in its dish

While babalky were cooking

And so was some fish.

Women in their babushkas

And men in their caps

Had all settled down

With food in their laps.

When out on the lawn

There arose such a clatter

We all left our meal

To see what was the matter.

Away to the window

Cetka flew like a flash

Screaming "Lock all the doors

And hide all the cash."

And what to our wondering eyes

Should appear

But a pagač-shaped sleigh

And reindeer.

With a little old Rusnak

So lively and quick

We knew in a moment

It was Big Južik.

More rapid than ružanci

His reindeer all came

As he shouted, "On Stefan,"

And each reindeer's name.

"On Stefan, on Petro

On Janko and Georgij

On Vasil, on Andrej

On Pavel and Dimitrij."

Then out to the smokehouse

The reindeer all flew

With a sleigh full of kolbas  

And Big Južik, too. 

Down the smoke vent he came

 With a leap and a bound 

Dancing a csardas

And twirling around.

He did a short polka

Then went to his work

And gave us pirohi

Then turned with a jerk.

We gave him kapusta

And Zedo's old clothes

Then we sang D’ivnaja Novina

And up the smoke vent he rose.

But we heard him exclaim

As we took off our coats.

"Veselyj Svjat to all

And to all dobru noc!"