Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated on December 25 according to the new calendar of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The evening before the holiday in Ukrainian tradition is called Christmas Eve. It is on this evening that families gather around the festive table to meet the night of the birth of Jesus Christ in prayer and harmony.
Since ancient times, there has been a tradition in Ukraine to prepare 12 Lenten dishes on Christmas Eve. This number symbolizes the twelve apostles, and the Christmas table itself personifies prosperity, family unity, and gratitude to God for the past year. Even in difficult times, Ukrainians try to preserve this tradition, at least partially.
The most important dish of Christmas Eve is kutya. It is traditionally made from wheat with the addition of honey and poppy seeds. Wheat symbolizes purity, righteousness and eternal life, honey - the sweetness of God's word, and poppy seeds - the suffering of Christ. According to custom, kutya should be tasted by everyone at the table, and after dinner it is not cleaned up until the morning, leaving it for the souls of deceased relatives, who, according to popular beliefs, come to visit that night.
A must-have drink on the Christmas table is uzvar. It is made from dried fruits and honey. Uzvar symbolizes a new beginning, purification, well-being and fertility, as well as happiness and prosperity in the home.
Another traditional dish is borscht. In the Christmas context, it is prepared during Lent. According to folk symbolism, the red color of borscht reminds of the blood and suffering of the Bethlehem babies, and the dish itself is considered a symbol of spiritual strength and salvation.
In addition to kuti, uzvar, and borscht, nine other dishes are traditionally served on Christmas Eve. Among them are bread as a symbol of life and God's blessing, fish, which represents the Christian faith, peas and beans as a sign of unity and rebirth, garlic for protection from evil, cabbage rolls, varenyky, fragrant donuts, and porridge. Each of these dishes has its own symbolic meaning and is associated with the ideas of purity of faith, hope, love, and eternal life.
At the same time, priests and ethnographers emphasize that the main thing on Christmas Eve is not the number of dishes, but the spiritual content of the holiday. If it is not possible to prepare all 12 treats, a few basic ones are enough. It is important to cook with good thoughts, in peace with loved ones, and to begin the festive dinner with a joint prayer.
