As 'banned' commented on a map of the Austro-Hungarian Empire I used to illustrate a post a couple of weeks ago "They've missed out Trans Carpathian Ruthenia. They always do that".
It's hardly surprising. This tiny Statelet has a population that speaks four different languages, descended from fourteen distinct ethnic groups including Bogomil, Lemko, Slovak, Hutsul, Romani and Rusyn. It's spent so much of its history being owned by someone else that the canny Carpathian-Ruthenians have given up completely on the idea of independence, only seeking a certain degree of internal autonomy from whichever State at the time happens to be ruling them. At times they've even tried to hedge their bets, as in the 1920s, when they fought equally for both the Communist and anti-Communist armies around them.
The capital is Ushorad, or Uzhhorod, Uzhgorod, Unhvar, Ongvar or Ingver. They've never really decided. They don't get much mail, being connected only by rail to the nearest noteworthy place, Chop. The city has an airport of international size, but with only one terminal and flights to just two destinations, Kiev and Budapest. But more importantly, they have two cathedrals, orthodox and Catholic, and a religious identity utterly ambivalent between the two. Thus the people of this town of Trans Carpathian Ruthenia will all celebrate Christmas twice this year, once on 25th December and once on 7th January. And such is the delicate diplomacy of maintaining such a fissured cultural identity, they all seem happy to celebrate both, whatever their personal faith.
The snow is lying in Uzhhorad now, deep and crisp and even. Aunt Olga and Aunt Natasha are making their way across for first Christmas with gifts of knitted foot-cloths, whilst Aunt Irina and Aunt Julietta are still knitting their nose-scarves for second Christmas. All is quiet at Uzhhorad International Airport, the last flight having left last week, but gliding down the approach path can be heard the sound of faint bells and the glow of a ruby-nose light .....
Have a fastastic Christmas all.