Dishes for Orthodox Christmas on January 7. Treats for Christmas: the most delicious recipes

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Despite the cold and bad weather, winter gives us the expectation of wonderful holidays and long vacations, permeated with the warmth of loved ones. Celebrating Christmas is the most significant and magical date. According to a long-standing tradition, Christmas begins to be celebrated on January 6, Christmas Eve, with a Lenten feast of 12 dishes. The next day, January 7th, meat treats are added.

Christmas story

The history of Christmas as a holiday dates back to the first centuries of Christianity and is celebrated in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ by the Virgin Mary. The Son of God was born in a cave for driving cattle, on the route of the Virgin Mary and her husband Joseph to Bethlehem, where the population census was carried out. Along with the birth of Jesus, a wonderful star lit up in the sky - since then this event has been celebrated immediately after the first star appears in the evening sky.

The celebration of Christmas with its bright biblical story attracts even people who are far from faith and religion, but are united by identical moral values. Christmas is an occasion to strengthen family ties, to feel support and unbreakable ties with family and friends. It is customary to fast for forty days before Christmas. And on Christmas Eve, January 6, which precedes Christmas and is the final day of the Nativity Fast, do not eat anything. With the first star, the table is served with juice, or a special treat made from wheat, rice, nuts and honey.

Christmas Eve Traditions

It is believed that on the night of Christmas, before the first star on Christmas Eve on January 6, the confrontation between good and evil is most clearly expressed. Some people celebrate Christmas Eve with loved ones and attend church services. And there are those who gather at the Sabbath with evil spirits and create disorder. It is important to maintain a good mood on this magical day and the following night, to protect yourself from bad thoughts and actions.

Konstantin Trutovsky “Carols in Little Russia”, 1864

In addition to carols with mummers, special Christmas performances - nativity scenes - were popular in Rus'. The nativity scene was a box of a special design for a portable puppet theater. Various biblical scenes were played out using thematically decorated dolls. Who knows, maybe you are destined to revive this interesting tradition? Try it and bring joy to your children and loved ones!

What to serve on the Christmas table

Orthodox and Catholic Christmas

Catholics around the world celebrate Christmas on December 25, or more precisely, on the night of the 24th to the 25th, after the appearance of the first star; Orthodox - on the night of January 6-7. In both cases, Christmas is a holiday that includes church services, a lavish family feast, and the exchange of gifts.

Carl Larsson (Sweden), "Christmas Eve", 1904-1905

Norman Rockwell, American artist, "Santa Claus", 1921

Followers of the Catholic faith have a number of features of the Christmas menu, including:

Traditional goose or turkey stuffed with apples with a delicious golden crust is the main dish of a European feast.

Cute gifts for children, which are brought by the kind Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) and placed in socks hanging over the fireplace. On the eve of Christmas, symbolic gifts in the form of small souvenirs are given with best wishes to absolutely everyone - acquaintances, colleagues, neighbors and just passers-by.

Rich and not so rich decoration of the rooms in the house and the courtyard area - glowing lanterns and stars at the entrance, on nearby trees, wreaths of spruce paws on the doors, garlands of branches, pine cones and berries, bells, etc.

Alexander Buchkuri, “Christmas Market”, 1906

Signs for Christmas

As on any other church holiday, on Christmas It is not customary to do sewing and knitting, sweeping and washing, doing housework. There are a lot of signs on this score that foreshadow losses and troubles. It is also not recommended to hunt and kill animals.

To attract wealth to your home at Christmas It is customary to show generosity and hospitable hospitality. There should be no resentment or sadness, all guests, random and welcome, should be gifted and fed, no one should be offended or left dissatisfied. Even yourself: be sure to give yourself what you have long wanted.

From the evening of Christmas Eve and three days of Christmas it's customary to carol- Children usually do this. At least three of them go to carols, playing the roles of a star, a bell ringer and a bell bearer. The first carries a star - the main symbol of Christmas and sings carols and songs of congratulations. The second - the bell ringer - sings along and rings the bell. And the third - the strongest - collects all the gifts, sweets and coins into a prepared bag. Receiving such a congratulation from mummered carolers is the best omen. But there is no point in guessing on this day.

In table decoration There may be hay (straw) and thick candles that can burn throughout the significant night. The fire of the hearth has always had a certain sacred meaning - to attract wealth on Christmas Eve, a specially prepared log soaked in honey was burned on it. Straw, as a reminder of the birthplace of Christ, is also an integral attribute of the holiday; it is usually placed under the table and tablecloth.

All water from any source is considered on this holy day endowed with special life-giving properties. You can collect it in prepared vessels for drinking and washing - health and beauty will accompany you all year.

It is considered a good sign to go out and look at the sky waiting for the first star. This promises new prospects and growth. But you can’t eat or drink until the first star. As well as cutting pies specially prepared for this occasion.

There are many signs regarding the weather on Christmas Eve. The best of them are snowfall and generous frost on the branches, as a promise of profit, abundance and a good harvest in the coming year.

What to wear for Christmas

It is very inappropriate to dress in black “mourning” clothes or wear old, worn out, casual clothes during the Christmas celebration. Even in the old days, when the dress was carefully worn for decades, on Christmas Eve they tried to put on everything new and elegant. Now that there is no acute shortage of purchasing a new wardrobe, it is not difficult to adhere to this tradition.

When choosing, you should be prudent and tactful. Still, for many, this holiday remains the holiest and brightest, so revealing and extravagant outfits, bright makeup, lush hairstyles, and flashy jewelry will be inappropriate. Especially if you plan to visit the temple. Those who gravitate toward folk motifs in their clothing can wear an elegant blouse embroidered at the collar; for lovers of modern clothing, a stylish dress will be the best option.

Want to make the evening memorable? Prepare colorful satin ribbons for your guests and tie miniature bells to the ends. In the old days, during the holiday, such ribbons were tied under the collars of men and woven into braids, tied around the heads of women and girls.

Christmas presents

You can congratulate relatives, loved ones, friends who are far away or colleagues with themed positive cards and small memorable souvenirs in the form of angels, magic glass balls, beautifully decorated candles, photo albums and frames.

Strictly speaking, Christmas is a holiday for those closest and dearest. And gifts for Christmas should be chosen taking into account interests, be truly dear to the heart and useful.

Adults can be given rare books and expensive wines, jewelry and household appliances, warm clothes in the form of cozy sweaters or sets of scarves, hats and gloves.

Teenagers will be delighted with various devices and gadgets, and preschoolers will be delighted with toys and creativity kits. Don’t neglect the beautiful shiny packaging - sign it and put it under the Christmas tree - unpacking such a gift will be pleasant and exciting not only for a child, but also for an adult! Give joy to your loved ones!

If you carefully study the history of the holiday from a culinary point of view, it turns out that housewives prepared two tables: a fast one for Christmas Eve and a rich one for Christmas morning.

On Christmas night from January 6 to 7, a festive Divine Liturgy is celebrated. On the day of Christmas itself, believers break their fast (they eat fast food, not fast food). The twelve days after Christmas are called holy days, or Christmastide. This is probably why, according to legend, there should be 12 dishes on the Christmas table. Some of them started on the morning of January 7 from Christmas Eve - this is kutia and vzvar. The remaining, modest dishes were waiting in the wings.

Christmas Eve: first star

The holiday begins on the evening of January 6 - Christmas Eve begins. According to church rules and folk tradition, on this day they do not eat until the first star appears in the sky - in memory of the Star of Bethlehem, which showed the Magi the way to the place of the Nativity of Christ.

They also say that Christmas is not celebrated alone - it is a family holiday. It was customary to gather either with the parents, or with the whole large family at the eldest in the family. Before the first star, the housewife had to prepare several obligatory Lenten Christmas dishes. The main items on this menu were kutia, or sochivo, and vzvar (uzvar).

Sochivo, or Kutya

An indispensable dish, without which neither Christmas nor Easter were celebrated in pre-revolutionary Russia. Christmas Eve - from Sochiva, or kuteynik - from Kutya, was the name of the day before Christmas. And he spent the whole time waiting for the miracle of birth. It was believed that the richer and tastier the juice, the more productive the next year.

The products from which kutia was prepared were endowed with special meaning: grain was considered a symbol of resurrection to life, honey - a symbol of health and a prosperous (sweet) life, and poppy promised prosperity in the family.

Pre-revolutionary everyday life writer A.A. Corinthian wrote: “In the evening, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, the Russian people, who invariably adhere to the old pious customs, do not break their fast: according to the Church Rules, they are allowed to eat only juice at this time. Breaking the fast is in the morning, after early mass; and until the morning they still stand in Filippovka Rus' , running from November 15 (28) until the merry joyful Christmastide."

However, wheat was not always the basis of kutya. In the southern regions of Russia, rice was more often cooked. However, nuts, honey and dried fruits remained a constant part of the recipe.

Traditional recipe sochiva

wheat grains - one glass,
poppy seed - 100 g,
peeled walnuts, hazelnuts, cashews - 100 g,
honey - 3 tbsp,
dried fruits.

Crush the grains in a wooden mortar, adding a little warm water so that the wheat shell comes off. Then the kernel must be separated from the husk by sifting and washing. Cook crumbly lean porridge in water, adding 2-3 glasses of water to the cereal.

Grind the poppy seeds until you get milk of the poppy seeds, add honey to it, mix and add to the wheat porridge. At the very end, add crushed nuts and dried fruits steamed with boiling water.

Rice juice

rice - 1 glass,
raisins - 50 g,
prunes - 50 g,
dried apricots - 50 g,
almonds or walnuts - 50 g,
honey - three tbsp.

Rinse the rice, add cold water and bring to a boil. Drain in a colander and rinse again with cold water. Then pour in 1.5 cups of cold water and cook until tender without removing the lid. Steam dried fruits in hot water (15–20 minutes).

Chop prunes and dried apricots. Crush the almonds. If all the water has not boiled away, it should be drained and the rice should be cooled. Add dried fruits, honey and nuts to the rice.

Vzvar

The second mandatory dish of the Christmas table. They prepared a broth from dried fruits, but instead of sugar they added honey. The most popular was apple broth with the addition of dried or soaked cranberries, lingonberries or raspberries.

In the south of Russia, smoked pear was always added to the drink. Mint, oregano, currant leaf, thyme and other aromatic herbs are often added. There is no need to boil the broth: just pour boiling water over the fruit and leave to infuse. A thermos is perfect for these purposes. It is often diluted with broth and eaten in the form of a liquid sweet porridge.

Lenten pancakes

Christmas Eve evening would not be complete without Lenten dishes. But if kutia and vzvar were obligatory, then pancakes, vinaigrette, cabbage rolls, fish pies, vegetable stews or porridges remained welcome guests on the last day of Lent. Pancakes were a common item on this menu. They perfectly complemented boiled fish or caviar, jam or honey. They just made them without milk and butter. For example, with potato broth or mineral water.

The vinaigrette

Lenten vinaigrette or with herring was served very often on Christmas Eve. The recipe is simple, but the dish turns out tasty and inexpensive, which made it possible to cook it in poor families. And in the homes of the wealthy, sturgeon or whitefish could be added to the Christmas vinaigrette.

Christmas: Abundant Breaking of the Fast

When the night passes and after the service the family returns to the house, the long-awaited holiday of Christmas begins. Lent is left behind, and meat dishes, milk and butter pies, fatty fish and luxurious desserts appear on the table.

It was believed that baked goose (or other poultry) and pork dishes should be an indispensable attribute of the Christmas meal. Of course, in the pre-Christmas days, millions of geese, ducks, turkeys and chickens were brought to the country's markets.

“Christmas in Moscow was felt for a long time - with a cheerful, business bustle. We just started to start fasting in Filippovka, on November 14, for the Christmas fast, and at the freight stations, especially in Rogozhskaya, geese cackled day and night - “geese trains”, to Germany: before It was, before the glacier cars, a living cargo. You won’t believe it - hundreds of trains! A goose walked through Moscow - from Kozlov, Tambov, Kursk, Saratov, Samara... I don’t remember the Poltava region, Poland, Lithuania, Volyn: from there the routes are different. And the duck , and chicken, and turkey, and grouse... capercaillie and hazel grouse, bacon-brisket, and... - whatever the soul requires for Christmas,” wrote Ivan Shmelev.

Christmas goose with sauerkraut

small goose,
cabbage - 800 g,
bulbs - 4 pcs.,
cumin - 0.5 tbsp,
salt,
oil.

If the carcass is frozen, let the goose lie in the refrigerator for a day. Then wash the goose, rub the outside and inside with salt and caraway seeds. If possible, you can boil the whole goose in red wine, about 40 minutes. The wine will soften the bird.

Stew sauerkraut with butter and onion in a saucepan, covered. Stuff the goose with this cabbage and fry on a baking sheet, pouring a little broth on it and pouring it over the goose. Then the goose fat will melt - you will pour it on it.

Pig on the table

Pork was an equally traditional product on the Christmas table. According to legend, when Jesus was born, all the animals joyfully greeted the divine baby in the manger - except the pig. She grunted annoyingly and prevented the baby from sleeping. That is why, as punishment, the pig became an indispensable dish on the Christmas table.

Even during Lent, they began to transport whole convoys of pork to the capitals, to central fairs - there were huge carcasses, barrels of corned beef, and suckling pigs. “It’s bad, it’s bad, but two or three pork carcasses are needed, and black pigs to fry with porridge, about three dozen, and white ones for aspic, molosnichki, two dozen, so that there will be enough for the beginning,” wrote Ivan Shmelev in “The Lord’s Summer.”

Many dishes were prepared from pork, but in every wealthy home the table was decorated with suckling pig with porridge or cold pig with horseradish.

Cold pig with horseradish

The recipe from Ekaterina Avdeeva’s book “The Handbook of a Russian Experienced Housewife” is simple: boil the whole pig in salt water with fragrant herbs - thyme, dill - and onions. Then cut into pieces and top with horseradish and sour cream. Serve cold.

Pork belly stuffed with cabbage and apples

In the old days, porridge was served with pork legs, but you can also make buckwheat porridge with pork belly with cabbage and apples. It will turn out very juicy.

pork belly - 800 g,
cabbage - 400 g,
apples - 5 pcs.,
butter - 1 tbsp,
onion - 1 pc.,
salt and pepper.

Chop fresh cabbage, add salt and squeeze. Add finely chopped sour apples and butter to the cabbage and mix. Wash the pork belly, chop the bones in several places, and cut a large hole between the bones and meat with a knife.

Place the prepared minced meat there, sew it up, place it in a frying pan or baking sheet, sprinkle with finely chopped onion, add 3 tablespoons of water and fry in an oven preheated to 200 °C until cooked. Serve with crumbly buckwheat porridge.

Jellied pig and rooster

Wash the knuckle and legs of the pig well and cut into pieces. Place in a saucepan, add cold water until it covers the meat by a few centimeters, boil and skim off the foam. After an hour, add the rooster carcass.

Cook the jellied meat over very low heat for 6–8 hours until the water boils to half its volume. 20 minutes before the end of cooking, add bay leaf, peppercorns and salt to taste to the broth. Remove the meat from the broth, separate from the bones and cut into pieces. Strain the broth. Sprinkle chopped garlic on the bottom of the dish, lay out the meat, pour in the broth, carefully mix with a spoon and refrigerate until set.

Rye pie with fish

For the test:

rye flour - 1 cup,
wheat flour - 1 cup,
milk - 1 glass,
dry yeast - 1 tsp,
sugar - 2 tsp,
salt - 1 tsp,
vegetable oil - 1 tbsp. l.

For filling:

pike perch fillet - 500 g,
peeled mussels - 200 g,
onion - 1 pc.,
carrots – 1 pc.,
pickled cucumber brine - 500 ml,
vegetable oil - 2 tbsp.,
dill - 1 bunch,
salt and white pepper to taste.

Knead the dough, for which 1 tsp. dry yeast pour 5 tsp. warm water, let stand for swelling for 10–15 minutes. Sift wheat and rye flour, pour in vegetable oil, milk at room temperature, add sugar and salt, add yeast, knead.

Leave the dough to rise in a warm place. The dough should rise twice and be kneaded twice. We divide it into 2 parts.

For the filling, boil mussels and fish in cucumber brine and drain in a colander. Peel and finely chop the onions and carrots. Fry vegetables with fish and mussels in a frying pan. Let's add salt and pepper. Turn off and add chopped dill. Form a pie in a baking tray, spread the top with egg yolk and bake for 50 minutes at 170°C.

Ginger Pie

butter - 100 g + another piece for greasing,
dark unrefined cane sugar - 100 g,
flour with baking powder - 175 g,
ground ginger - 4 tsp,
light molasses - 175 g,
ginger wine - 3 tbsp.,
eggs of any size, can be broken - 2 pcs.,
finely grated fresh ginger the size of a hazelnut,
finely chopped canned ginger - 150 g,
powdered sugar - 75 g,
ginger root for decoration - 1 pc.

Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease a 23cm baking dish. Beat the butter and sugar with a pinch of salt until the mixture is fluffy. Sift together the flour and ground ginger.

Pour in light molasses (for convenience, use a pre-greased spoon and a silicone kitchen spatula), 1 tbsp. wine and mix everything. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then gradually add the flour.

Mix everything with fresh and canned ginger. Spoon the resulting mixture into a baking dish. Smooth the surface and bake for about 50-60 minutes until the dough sticks to the surface of a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake. Leave the cake to cool in the pan. Once the cake has cooled completely, make the glaze by combining the caster sugar and remaining ginger wine and drizzle over the top of the cake. Cut the ginger root into thin pieces and decorate the pie.

Custard soufflé in Russian

any berries - 500 g,
water - ½ cup,
sugar - 2 cups,
egg whites - 5 pcs.

Make a puree from the berries, add water and cook. Add sugar (about the same amount as puree). Beat the whites into a stiff foam. Add to puree. Place the puree into baking dishes and place in an oven preheated to 170 degrees for 30 minutes.

Christmas food is divided into two feasts: a fast table on January 6 on Christmas Eve - Christmas Eve, or Holy Eve, and a generous treat on January 7 on Christmas evening. We will tell you what to cook for Christmas - what to serve on the Lenten table on January 6th. What meat dishes to serve on January 7th for Christmas.

The evening before Christmas is the last meal. On the day before Christmas, they did not eat anything until the evening - until the first star appeared in the sky. At this time, as follows from the Bible, Jesus Christ was born.

After the appearance of the star, at dusk, before darkness fell, they began a festive meal of 12 dishes, according to the number of apostles who participated in the Last Supper. All food must be lean - in view of the ongoing Nativity Fast.

The next day, January 7, the Nativity Fast ends and the celebration of the Nativity of Christ begins. It's time to break the fast - meat dishes are included in the Christmas menu.

What to eat on January 6, Christmas Eve (Svyatvecher) - the eve of the Nativity of Christ

1. Kutya

On Christmas Eve, the meal begins with kutya - porridge cooked from whole grains - a symbol of the resurrection, and the sweet honey with which it is poured means heavenly bliss.

2. Uzvar

Uzvar is traditionally served with kutya at Christmas.

Kutya (kutya) and uzvar are the main dishes. With the remaining 10 dishes, improvise according to the principle “what you have is what you are happy with.” The main thing is to adhere to the tradition that dishes on Christmas Eve are Lenten.

3. Salads

Carrot and beet salad

Beets, carrots, walnuts are the ingredients of this healthy and tasty salad.

Red cabbage salad

In addition to red cabbage, the salad contains apple, green onions and nuts.

4. Peppers stuffed with vegetables

Rice, meaty peppers, carrots, greens, onions, tomatoes.

5. Dumplings

Dumplings can be served with any filling - potatoes, mushrooms, berries. The dough is traditionally prepared without eggs or milk.

6. Vegetable stew

Use any vegetables in the stew - for example, cook potatoes with mushrooms and onions.

7. Lenten borscht with mushrooms

Borscht with cabbage, tomato, oyster mushrooms.

8. Lazy cabbage rolls without meat

According to this recipe, cabbage rolls are prepared from cabbage, rice and carrots.

9. Fish cutlets

It is advisable to include fish dishes in the Christmas menu.

10. Pickles

Prepared vegetables and sauerkraut are a traditional addition to the Christmas table.

11. Lenten pies and donuts

Pies and pies can be filled with mushrooms, potatoes, and cabbage. An important rule: such baked goods should not contain eggs or dairy products.

Pie with stewed cabbage

The cake is formed into individual pies.

12. Fruits baked with honey and nuts

Baked apples and pears are a healthy and tasty dish.

You can also serve it as a dessert, roll with jam, etc.

What do you eat for Christmas on January 7th?

The next day, January 7, they begin to celebrate the Nativity of Christ. On this day, meat dishes are served with Lenten Christmas dishes, since the Nativity Fast is over.

It is advisable to serve meat from representatives of three elements on the Christmas table: earth, air and water (that is, mammals, birds, fish).

At the end of the meal, two types of sweets are served: juicy, from berries and fruits, and dry - sweets, cookies.

1. Chicken stuffed with rice

Use chicken or chicken, rice, raisins.

2. Chicken with apples in the oven

The question of what to cook for Christmas has been relevant for many, many, many years. Every year on Christmas Eve, every Orthodox family sets the family Christmas table, which, according to tradition, should include 12 Lenten dishes,

Christmas is the brightest and most magical holiday. Christmas Eve - the night from January 6 to 7 is called Christmas Eve. Until the evening of Christmas Eve, Orthodox Christians adhere to strict fasting and break their fast only after the first star appears in the sky.

Before Christmas, it is customary to set the table twice: on January 6 - on Christmas Eve, the table must be fast, and on January 7 - on Christmas itself, here you can already prepare dishes from eggs, milk and meat. Many adhere to traditions and prepare 12 Lenten dishes for Christmas. The number 12 symbolizes the number of apostles; there were exactly 12 of them. Some people believe that 12 Lenten dishes at Christmas symbolize the number of days of Christmastide - there are also twelve of them.

There is very little time left until the Holy Evening and now it is important to know what to cook for Christmas 2017, what tasty and healthy treats to treat your family and invited guests. Many mysterious and beautiful rituals and traditions are associated with Christmas night, which are still honored and observed in many families - for example, children go and tell and sing carols at Christmas.

So what should you cook for Christmas? What dishes to serve on the table for Christmas? What does a classic Christmas menu look like?

According to tradition, it is mandatory to prepare kutya or kutya. This is a tasty and healthy porridge made from wheat (there are recipes for making kutia from rice or millet), with which the Christmas feast begins.

What to cook for Christmas - Recipes for 12 dishes for Christmas

1. Kutya

Ingredients: wheat grits – 1 cup, walnuts – 1 cup, dried apricots – 10 pcs; half a glass of raisins and poppy seeds; honey.

We wash the cereal and leave it in cold water for 4 hours. After this, boil the cereal in an aluminum or stainless steel bowl over low heat, adding 2 cups of water. When the porridge is ready, set it aside and let it cool. At this time, pour poppy seeds, raisins and dried apricots in different dishes with boiling water. When the water gets cold, drain it, grind the poppy seeds, cut the dried apricots into small pieces. We also cut the walnuts into small pieces. Mix the porridge with all ingredients, add honey to taste.

2. Uzvar (compote)

Uzvar – dried fruit compote. The traditional Christmas drink uzvar is brewed from a mixture of dried apples and pears, cherries and plums. Infused uzvar has a rich, pleasant taste, so cook it in advance - in the morning. This drink is also very healthy; in winter you can prepare uzvar not only for Christmas, Generous Evening and Epiphany, but also just like that, as an alternative to compotes (canned or frozen berries) and tea.

3. Lenten solyanka

The first dish for Christmas (on Christmas Eve) - How to cook Lenten solyanka?

Lenten hodgepodge with mushrooms is perfect for main course. For it you will need mushrooms (in winter, of course, the choice is small, so use fresh champignons, you can also use dry ones), a small head of cabbage, one carrot, two onions, two or three pickles, a small potato, salt, herbs, oil and pepper. So, put the water on the fire, while the water boils, fry the mushrooms and onions. Chop cabbage, carrots, potatoes and pickles. Place raw vegetables into boiling water one by one, let it boil, then mushrooms, let it boil, and before removing the hodgepodge from the heat, add garlic, herbs and vegetable oil. The first dish is ready.

4. Dumplings

Traditional dish for Christmas - Pampushki

Dumplings are served on the table instead of bread, but bread must also be on the table. Pampushki are cute round buns made from unleavened yeast dough, and it’s good to prepare a dish like...

5. Vinaigrette

For an appetizer, prepare a vinaigrette. For it we need boiled beets, carrots, potatoes, pickled cucumber, a can of canned peas, herbs and salt. We cut the vegetables into small cubes, finely chop the greens, then combine all the ingredients, add salt and season with oil. The vinaigrette is ready! During strict fasting, you need to eat lean dishes without oil, so if the vinaigrette is not seasoned with oil, it can be served on strict days.

6. Potatoes in foil in the oven

Christmas dishes recipes - Potatoes in foil in the oven

Ingredients: medium-sized potatoes (2 for each person), garlic - 4 cloves, herbs, vegetable oil, salt, spices, foil.

We wash the potatoes thoroughly, removing all particles of soil. Let dry and then grease with oil on all sides. We cut off part of the foil so that the piece matches the size of the tuber. Coarse salt and garlic are placed in the center of the sheet, and potatoes are sprinkled with salt on top. Packing. After the bundles are ready, it is necessary to make several holes in each of them with a toothpick. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, place the packages on a baking sheet, bake them for about fifty minutes. We check readiness. When there are no complaints, remove the foil, put the potatoes on a dish and sprinkle them with finely chopped herbs.

7. Stuffed cabbage rolls with mushrooms

Dishes for Christmas - Stuffed cabbage rolls with mushrooms recipe

Ingredients: champignon mushrooms, white cabbage, rice, onions, carrots, tomato paste, salt, pepper.

Chop the mushrooms and fry in oil. Add finely chopped onion to them and fry everything together. Three carrots, which go into the frying pan with the mushrooms and onions. At this time, boil the rice, which will then mix with the cooled contents of the pan. This is the filling for cabbage rolls. Stuff the boiled cabbage leaves. After this, lightly fry to fix the shape of the cabbage rolls. Place them in a saucepan. Prepare a mixture of water and tomato paste (for 1.5 cups of liquid - 3 tablespoons of paste), pour in the cabbage rolls. Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes.

8. Dumplings with potatoes

Dumplings on the Christmas table - What to cook for Christmas

Be sure to place dumplings with potatoes on the Lenten table. To do this, prepare the dough as for dumplings, only without eggs. The filling is mashed potatoes with fried onions. Then we make dumplings, boil and serve with vegetable oil.

9. Dumplings with cherries

Dumplings for Christmas - Sweet dishes for Christmas

Dumplings with cherries. A wonderful sweet dish that can be eaten as dessert!

Although you can make dumplings with other fillings: potatoes, cabbage, beans and even poppy seeds.

10. Baked fish with vegetables

Baked fish with vegetables is a great option for a delicious Lenten Christmas dinner.

Ingredients: Fish (fillet) 2 pcs.; Red tomatoes 1 pc.; Bell pepper 2 pcs.; Onions 2 pcs.; Garlic 2 cloves;

Clean vegetables and fish and prepare for further work. Cut the vegetables as desired and place on a baking sheet. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil and bake them in a preheated oven. Vegetables should be baked until done. Occasionally remove the baking sheet and stir them gently.

Rub the fillets with fish spices (or salt and pepper) and red paprika. When the vegetables are ready, place the fillet on top and pour over the juice from the vegetables. Place in the oven for 3-5 minutes. Then turn over and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

11. Blanks

Christmas dishes - Preparations for the Christmas table - Salads for Christmas

You can open a jar of vegetable salad from summer stocks - for example, pepper salad, eggplant salad, or prepare a sauerkraut salad. Two or three menu items vary each year.

12. Dessert

Dessert on the Christmas table - Sweet dishes for Christmas 2017

For dessert, we will prepare fruit jelly according to the principle of vegetable aspic. We cut the fruits, put them in glasses and fill them with a sweet gelatin solution.

The second dessert on the Lenten table can be baked apples with honey, nuts and dried fruits.

Try to prepare a proper Christmas dinner, because 12 dishes are not just food, but a wonderful folk and family tradition, and it just seems like a long time to make them. It's actually not difficult to get everything done.

What not to cook for Christmas - What dishes should not be on the Christmas table

There are many signs and customs associated with Christmas - they were given special attention. It was believed that as Christmas goes, so will the year.

The Nativity of Christ occupies an important place in the lives of many people; it is a holiday of love, warmth, faith, goodness and happiness.

January 7 is the best time to visit and receive guests. It is important that you should communicate better at Christmas only with those people who can bring happiness to you - happy families, or those families who are expecting an addition, or a new family member has already been born. As a rule, edible gifts are given at Christmas. Be sure to bring kutya, sweets, jam and pickles. You can also give a toy if it is a child, or some kind of winter accessory.

Nowadays, of course, you can get by with a phone call, the main thing is to let the people you care about know that you remember them and wish them the best. Be sure to congratulate all your friends and loved ones on this holiday; Christmas greetings filled with joy and warmth will help people become brighter, happier and forget about everyday problems and worries.

At Christmas it is customary to light more candles, lights, a fireplace - if you have one. Candles bring warmth and wealth into your home. If you have pets, then at Christmas you need to feed them abundantly - then the whole year will be satisfying and successful financially.

One special candle must be lit for deceased relatives - then they will help you attract good luck and prosperity in the coming year.

Christmas is a great time for shopping, big and small. Buying something good for Christmas is a great omen and a sign that the purchase will serve you faithfully.

From Christmas until Epiphany, throughout all the days of Christmastide, certain prohibitions apply, which are determined by centuries-old ideas about the holiday as a stop of time, a certain temporary pause, during which one cannot engage in productive labor and everything that is associated with birth, beginning, development. Therefore, a significant part of the prohibitions concerns crafts related to spinning, sewing, knitting, weaving, braiding, that is, everything related to thread (rope). The thread is a symbol of life and destiny.

On Christmas, you can't do any cleaning or housekeeping chores. This day is created for peace and joy. It’s even better if you don’t clean up until January 14th (the next day of the old New Year). All garbage collected on January 14 should be taken outside and scattered to the wind, or burned. According to signs, after this no evil spirits will bother you for a whole year.

You can't swear on a holy day. He who swears takes away the hope of salvation from his ancestors.

There is a widespread belief associated with the arrival of the first guest. If you are inviting guests over for Christmas, see who enters your home first. If a woman enters first, then the women of your family will be sick all year.

Christmas rules also applied to clothing: on Christmas, another tradition has long been followed: to wear only new clothes. Not clean, washed, but new, not yet worn. And don't sit at the Christmas table dressed in black. Our ancestors believed that such people would face failure in business in the new year.

It is not recommended to guess at Christmas - in order to ask the higher powers what awaits you in the future, there will still be a lot of time: it is best to do this on the so-called Christmastide - from January 8 to Epiphany, it is not for nothing that fortune telling at this time is called that - Christmastide.

You can't drink water on Christmas, so remove all mineral water from the table. There is coffee, tea and other great drinks. To be honest, this sign is a little strange, but it’s better not to drink water than to suffer for an unknown reason all year.

7 The Seven Blessings of Christmas

The number seven is considered sacred. There is a belief that whoever does seven blessings on Orthodox Christmas will live happily all year and even has the right to ask the angels for the fulfillment of their most cherished desire. On this day, it is customary to give seven alms for the sake of happiness in the coming year. Usually these are 7 identical coins, which must be given to someone who arouses sincere sympathy in the soul, accompanying the alms with a silent prayer. You can also give seven useful gifts. As a rule, these were towels, and when giving them, the giver must say the words: “I give towels, I will die well, I will correct evil with good, I will guide my kind (my family) to happiness.” On Christmas we greet each other with the words: “Christ is born!” and we respond to these words: “We praise Him!”

Ritual

At Christmas, many different rituals have long been performed, but in order not to be accused of obscurantism at all, do the nicest ones that are not tied to magic - it doesn’t matter whether it is black or white. For example, starting from January 7, for forty (!) days (this period is called peace - our ancestors believed that during this time angels help people in all matters), every morning, when you wake up, make a new wish - imagine how much good will come into your life!

Signs and superstitions

At Christmas, folk signs and superstitions acquire special power, as if nature itself and every object are trying to tell us something: how to live, what to fear. Here are just a few of them.

A sign of prosperity. If you lose any item at Christmas, this means that you may face losses next year. But if you find a thing and even some kind of jewelry, then money is already rushing to you in full sail!

A sign for good luck. If you accidentally spilled tea or coffee at the Christmas table (this does not apply to alcohol), then this is good news and great success for all your endeavors.

Money signs for Christmas

On Christmas Eve (January 7 to 19), look at nature. If the sky is most often strewn with stars, or it snows often, or there is a lot of frost on the trees, the year will be rich, satisfying, and profitable. If it snows on Christmas Day itself, this is a very good omen and promises a successful year.

If there is a new moon in the sky on Christmas Day, the year will be extremely unlucky financially.

The most monetary sign of Christmas is also a tradition. A coin is baked into the pie - and whoever gets a piece with a coin will have great financial luck in the New Year.

May the coin end up in your piece of Christmas pie!

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