Christmas by tradition: OCU explains what dish should be eaten first on Christmas Eve
24 December 2024 10:42
Tonight, Ukrainians will celebrate Christmas Eve, which is known as Christmas Eve in the church tradition. Kutia is a traditional first course that begins a festive dinner on Christmas Eve. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the press service of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) on Facebook.
Christmas Eve begins with a service in churches, where the clergy wear white clothes, symbolizing the Divine Light and spiritual purity. After the liturgy, Ukrainian families gather around a festive table.
According to the ability of each family, Ukrainians
- prepare a 12-course dinner
- invite relatives to the festive table
- bring a “dinner” to their parents
The OCU noted that among the dishes of the festive dinner there must be kutia, or kolivo.
“This is boiled wheat with honey and poppy seeds, which is usually consumed first. Wheat, as a grain, comes to life every year, so it is a symbol of eternity, honey is a symbol of the eternal happiness of the saints in the Kingdom of God, and poppy seeds are a symbol of the family,” the Ukrainians were reminded.
A Christian family sits down to dinner on this day:
- after the end of the service
- after the first star appears in the sky (which reminds people of the Star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of the Son of God to the world).
“Carols begin to sound, glorifying the coming of our Savior into the world and wishing people good and peace. Unfortunately, during the war, Russia took away from us this opportunity for a safe, warm family celebration, honoring the ancient Christmas traditions. But we know and believe that life always conquers death, light conquers darkness, and truth conquers lies. Therefore, with God’s help, Ukraine will definitely defeat the Russian evil empire. For Christ was born and defeated evil,” the OCU noted.
On the eve of the Christmas and New Year celebrations , the police reminded Ukrainians of an important ban that is in force during martial law – the use of pyrotechnics. Violators face a fine or imprisonment.
