Where the Christmas Season Still Burns Bright in January
You step off the bus on Wellington Street and the cold hits like a wall — but so does the light. Thousands of bulbs strung through the trees along the Rideau Canal, the glow spilling off the Parliament Buildings, and the smell of woodsmoke and roasting chestnuts drifting up from the ByWard Market. It is the first week of January, the city is deep in its winter rhythm, and for Ottawa's Orthodox communities — Greek, Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Coptic, Ethiopian — Christmas has not yet arrived. You are here for the feast on January 7, and the city is ready for you.
Walk the ByWard Market on Christmas Eve
The ByWard Market is Ottawa's oldest and most reliable public space, and on the evening of January 6 it fills with families doing their last shopping before the feast. You will find stalls selling dried fruits, nuts, honey, and cured meats — the staples of a traditional Orthodox Christmas table. The outdoor vendors stay open late through the holiday season, and the heated indoor sections of the market keep you warm while you browse. Pick up a bag of roasted chestnuts from a street cart, and let the steam off your coffee fog your glasses as you walk the cobblestones.
- Browse the produce and specialty food stalls in the ByWard Market building — open daily through the holiday period.
- Warm up with a hot drink at one of the cafés along York Street or William Street.
- Look for the market's Christmas lights, which stay up through early January.
Attend a Christmas Liturgy
Ottawa has a number of Orthodox parishes that hold services on January 6 and 7. The Greek Orthodox Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Serbian Orthodox Church all maintain communities in the city, and visitors are generally welcome to attend the public portions of the liturgy. The services are long, often beginning late on Christmas Eve and running past midnight, and the churches fill early. Arrive at least half an hour before the start if you want a seat. The singing is unaccompanied, the incense is thick, and the candles held by the congregation make the whole interior flicker. Check with individual parishes for exact service times, as they vary year to year.
- Greek Orthodox parishes in Ottawa typically hold a Christmas Eve liturgy on the evening of January 6 and a Christmas Day liturgy on the morning of January 7.
- Russian and Serbian Orthodox churches follow the same Julian calendar dates.
- Dress warmly — many of these churches are old buildings and the floors are stone.
Find the Feast: Where to Eat on January 7
Orthodox Christmas food is hearty and specific: roast pork or lamb, smoked meats, cabbage rolls, pierogi, beans, and honey-sweetened pastries. In Ottawa, you can find these dishes at the city's Eastern European delis and restaurants, many of which are concentrated along Bank Street in the Glebe and in the neighbourhoods around Somerset Street West. The ByWard Market also has vendors selling prepared foods through the holiday. If you are invited to a family table, accept — the meal is the centre of the celebration, and it usually starts after the Christmas Day liturgy and runs well into the afternoon.
- Look for cabbage rolls, pierogi, and smoked sausage at Eastern European delis on Bank Street and Somerset Street West.
- Bakeries in the ByWard Market sell poppyseed rolls, nut rolls, and honey cakes through the holiday season.
- Many restaurants in the ByWard Market and the Glebe are open on January 7 — call ahead, as hours vary.
Skate the Rideau Canal and Watch the City Light Up
January is deep winter in Ottawa, and the Rideau Canal Skateway — the world's largest naturally frozen skating rink — is typically open by early January, weather permitting. You can rent skates at several points along the canal and glide for kilometres under the bridges and past the downtown skyline. Hot chocolate and beaver tails are sold at stands along the way. After dark, the lights along the canal and through the ByWard Market make the whole area feel like a snow globe. If the canal is not yet open, the outdoor rinks at Lansdowne Park and City Hall are reliable alternatives.
- The Rideau Canal Skateway usually opens in early January, depending on ice conditions.
- Skate rentals are available at kiosks along the canal near the National Arts Centre and Fifth Avenue.
- Beaver tails — fried dough with sweet toppings — are a classic canal-side snack.
Plan Around the Cold and the Calendar
Ottawa in early January is genuinely cold — expect temperatures well below freezing, and dress in layers, with a hat, gloves, and boots that can handle ice and snow. The city is walkable in the downtown core, and the transit system connects the ByWard Market, the Glebe, and the canal. If you are coming for Orthodox Christmas, book accommodation early — the holiday season overlaps with winter tourism, and hotels in the ByWard Market and near Parliament Hill fill up. Check parish websites and the ByWard Market's schedule closer to the date for specific service times and market hours, then build your days around the liturgy, the feast, and the long, bright cold.