Ukrainian Christmas

From Stand With Ukraine’s Facebook:

Curious 👀how Ukrainians celebrate Christmas 🎄? Here is the story 🙂 after the victory ✌️ every Ukrainian will be happy to welcome 🙏 tourists to explore our traditions and share festivities!

According to the old tradition, the Holy Supper on Christmas Eve gathers the whole family at the table. And what is important is that you cannot be late for the table.

On this day, our great-grandfathers did not eat anything until the very evening. And only with the first star ⭐️ in the sky, which, according to biblical legends, brings good news about the birth of the savior - Jesus Christ, did they begin the festive meal.

In Ukraine, age-old traditions have been preserved until now, one of which is twelve lean Christmas Eve dishes. Usually these are wheat kutya, uzvar, borscht, boiled peas, cabbage, fish, dumplings, potatoes, mushrooms, cabbage rolls, donuts. There are some regional differences, but in general they follow about this menu. It is interesting that each dish has its own special meaning.

Kutya is the most important dish, the meal begins with it. Boiled wheat with honey and poppy seeds is an act of sacrifice to God, because wheat with honey is a sacred part of the Holy Supper. The poppy is a symbol of martyrdom, innocent blood shed. Honey is a symbol of purity, God's word. And kutya symbolizes union with God and the world of the dead. Therefore, it is left overnight for the souls of the departed, not removed from the table.

The pea is a symbol of God's spring, which is always reborn in man after decline, a symbol of the unity of the race.

Cabbage - cabbage acts as a symbol of simplicity and at the same time strength, unity around one solid foundation - Christ the God.

Borscht is a symbol of the triumph of goodness. As a housewife prepares lean borscht from various simple plants that the earth gives her, so a Christian polishes his will from simple daily small healthy practices that he gleaned from the family home or a good Christian society. Christmas borscht is leavened with previously prepared kvass from beets, so it has a dark red color. It also symbolizes the blood of Bethlehem children, destroyed by order of Herod.

Golubtsi - the very name of this dish indicates its symbolism. A dove is a symbol of God's love, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, a symbol of beauty and strength received from the Creator.

Fish - in early Christianity, fish was accepted as a symbol of Christ by many Church Fathers. The sign of the fish was the first monogram of Christ. The Greek abbreviation ICHTIOS - the name of Jesus is read as "fish". It was the fishermen brothers who became the first disciples of Jesus, who told them that they would be "fishers of men." Believers, disciples of Christ, like Him himself, were likened to fish that are safe only in the "water of teaching". Three intertwined fish or three fish with one head symbolize the Trinity.

Dumplings symbolize abundance.

Mushrooms are the two natures of Jesus Christ: divine (cap) and earthly (leg).

Garlic - cleansing from sins. It also symbolizes health. It is placed on the four corners of the table, and then consumed so that the teeth do not hurt.

Pies (cakes) are a symbol of health and happiness, which a person can get in constant communication with the newborn Jesus.

Uzvar (uzvar, water) represents the life that God gives to every person. Holy water is a symbol of cleansing the body and soul.

Pampushkas are saints in heaven who believed in Jesus and received eternal life. There are millions of them, and every person, in particular a Christian, is called to that sweet, fulfilling, eternal life. The word "holiday" comes from "holy", and hence pampukh is a symbol of the holiday, the joy that God has given to people.

^ Half of the Ukrainian Orthodox Christians and all Catholic Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on December 25th. The other half of the Ukrainian Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7th. ^