January 6 7 Christmas what to cook. Christmas is one of the favorite holidays for all Russians
How to properly celebrate Christmas. What not to do. Christian traditions and customs. Signs for Christmas. How to wish Merry Christmas.
On the night of January 6-7, the entire Orthodox world celebrates the Nativity of Christ - one of the most important Christian holidays.
This is a holiday symbolizing renewal. After all, it was the birth of Christ that proclaimed a new, bright era for humanity. It is no coincidence that a new calendar was even established - from the Nativity of Christ.
The birth in the flesh of Jesus Christ from the Virgin Mary is one of the miracles revealed by the Lord to humanity. Therefore, on the holiday of the Nativity of Christ, everyone expects a miracle and prays that the next year will be better and happier than the outgoing one.
This bright holiday in Orthodoxy is one of the twelve lordly holidays and is preceded by a 40-day Nativity Fast.
Christmas celebrations begin on January 6th with the appearance of the first star in the sky. As you know, after the birth of Jesus, the first people to come to worship him were the shepherds, notified of this event by the appearance of an angel. According to the Evangelist Matthew, a miraculous star appeared in the sky, which led the Magi to the baby Jesus.
everything about Christmas
Christmas Eve is called Christmas Eve. In Russian, the name comes from the word “sochivo”. It means soaked grains of wheat - a prototype of the well-known kutya. Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas Eve on January 6th.
On Christmas Eve, an All-Night Vigil with Great Compline is served, at which prophecies about the Nativity are sung and read.
Around midnight, Matins begins, which is performed according to the rites of the great holidays. On it they read fragments of the Gospel about the Nativity and sing the canon “Christ is born...” - one of the most beautiful canons in Orthodox worship. Next they serve the festive Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.
The All-Night Vigil is a liturgical service that consists of Vespers and Matins, which received these names based on the time they took place. Before the holidays, morning and evening services are combined into the so-called “all-night vigil,” that is, prayer that continues all night. This prayer happens only twice a year - at Christmas and Easter. Before Christmas, at the All-Night Vigil, they serve not Vespers, but Great Compline: it is performed after Vespers served on Christmas Eve, hence the name.
What to cook for Christmas:
It is customary to place 12 dishes on the Christmas table, and Kutya decorates the table. On January 6, Lent ends and Christmas Eve begins.
Each housewife prefers her own recipe for preparing Kutya. There are a great many recipes. The simplest one: take the cereal and soak it overnight, then cook until tender and add all sorts of sweets. So, for example, you can take rice, honey and marmalade, as well as millet, poppy seeds and honey, some even cook kutya from pearl barley and millet. You can add marmalade or candied fruits to Kutya.
It is also customary to serve Uzvar, a dried fruit compote, on the Christmas table.
On Christmas Day itself, believers celebrate and feast - “break their fast”; it is already allowed to eat not only fasting food, but also “meat” food.
Traditional on the Christmas table are a variety of pork dishes: jellied meat, roasted pig, stuffed pig's head, roast. Baked poultry and fish, fried and baked meat in large pieces are also served on the Christmas table, since the design of the Russian oven made it possible to successfully prepare large-sized dishes. Finely chopped meat and offal were cooked in pots along with traditional porridge. A variety of pies are also filled with meat: rolls, cheesecakes, koloboki, kulebyaki, kurniks, pies, etc. They prepare casseroles and pancakes. In addition to meat fillings, a variety of vegetable, fruit, mushroom, fish, curd and mixed fillings are prepared.
Folk traditions of celebrating Christmastide from Christmas to Epiphany are rooted in the Slavic customs of celebrating the winter solstice. Mandatory attributes of the holiday were dressing up (massaging using skins, masks and horns), caroling (visits to houses by a group of fellow villagers who performed “well-wishing” sentences and songs addressed to the owners of the house, for which they received treats), carol songs, or carols, youth games and fortune telling.
Christmastide began on Christmas Eve with dinner with Christmas kutya and porridge, pie with pretzels, and for the holiday they baked figurines of animals from wheat dough, which were used to decorate tables, hut windows and which were sent as gifts to relatives and friends.
When the family gathered at the table, the elders remembered the year - all the good and bad in the past year, the site informs. At the end of the meal, the children took part of the remaining kutya to grandparents, as well as to the poor, so that they too could celebrate Christmas. In some places, food and tablecloth were not removed from the table until the morning, believing that the souls of the deceased parents would come to the table to also eat.
Then the mummers, dressed in sheepskin coats with the wool upside down and animal masks, in order to be unrecognized, staged dances in houses and on the streets, staged skits and entire performances. At the end of the 17th century, nativity theater came from Poland to Russia: in a special den-box, scenes about the birth of Jesus Christ and other scenes were acted out with the help of dolls.
Echoes of pagan beliefs were also evident in the fact that it is customary to tell fortunes on Christmastide. In some villages, straw was burned on Christmastide - according to legend, dead ancestors came to warm themselves by the fire at these moments. The Church, not approving of witchcraft superstitions and pagan rituals, assimilated “harmless” customs, and they organically entered people’s life.
For Christmas, the owners always cleaned the house, washed in the bathhouse, laid out a clean tablecloth, stocked up on new clothes, which they put on at the beginning of the day, and invited single people to Christmas dinner. But in some places, superstitions associated with the holiday were also widespread: they did not drink plain water at breakfast, since it was believed that a person who drank water on Christmas morning would be thirsty all summer.
What not to do at Christmas:
On pain of all sorts of troubles, nothing could be bent, weaved or sewed on Christmas Day. The legs of the dining table were tied to each other with a rope so that the cattle would not run away from the herd. The remains of the evening meal were taken outside the fence - “so that the wolves would not harm the peasant cattle.”
A popular proverb says: Whoever slaughters cattle on Christmas Day will die in three years.
You cannot lend anything related to fire on Christmas Eve, for example, a flint, matches, a lighter, a bucket of coal or firewood, etc., otherwise misfortune will befall you.
Never sew, wash your hair, do laundry or lend money on three-day holy holidays (Christmas, Easter and Trinity), otherwise you will set yourself up for tears and poverty.
On Christmas Eve, do not borrow bread, salt or money from home, otherwise all the goods will pass through your hands. They do not cut hair or spin wool. Do not wash or boil laundry. Believers must finish all dirty work by this day on Maundy Thursday, and whoever “pulls” dirt on Christmas Eve will sit in it for the whole year.
You cannot sit at the Christmas table in mourning, that is, in black clothes - you will invite disaster.
If on this bright day a dog howls in your yard, then there will be trouble. To get rid of it, you need to immediately go up to the dog, untie it and say: “Just as the rope doesn’t hold you, so the trouble wouldn’t hold on to my house!”
Do not buy ropes on January 8, the second day of Christmas, so that there will never be someone hanged or strangled in your family. Do not cook or eat jelly on this day, so as not to invite the deceased into your house.
On the ninth of January, the third day of Christmas, do not chop wood under any circumstances before sunset.
Things to do for Christmas:
According to popular beliefs, in order for your loved ones to be happy and healthy throughout the whole year, on the Feast of the Nativity of Christ on January 7, ask the oldest member of the family to treat all relatives with milk. When bringing milk to someone, he must say every time: “The Lord was born, the people were baptized. May you be cheerful and healthy. Amen".
On the eve of Christmas in the old days, food was taken out and left for people in need or treats were distributed - it was believed that in this way all deceased ancestors who did not have time to eat before their death satisfied their hunger. After the festive feast, food was not removed from the table so that the souls of dead relatives would also eat the festive food, and for this they would pray for you.
In a family where there is no peace and harmony, on Christmas night they put a bucket out in the cold, and in the morning they put it on the fire and say: “The ice will melt, the water will boil, and [so-and-so]’s soul will ache for me.” This water is given to the husband to wash his face or in the form of tea/soup, and they also wash the husband’s underwear in it. Holy Christmas water always helps a woman's troubles.
Ask God for what you really need at Christmas. Ask seventy-seven times and it will be given to you. Whoever asks God for something at three o'clock in the morning on Christmas Day will be given it.
If on Christmas night you look for a flying star in the sky and make a wish, then it will definitely come true.
On January 7, in the cold, jump out into the street lightly and, as soon as goosebumps appear on your body, say: “As there are so many pimples on my skin, so that I have so much money too.”
Signs for Christmas:
♦ If a drunk person shows up at your house first, the whole coming year will be filled with noise and quarrels. If a woman crosses your threshold first, then this is a sign of gossip and failure. If a man or boy - to prosperity. If an old man or woman - to a long life. If a bird knocks on your window, this is surprising news. If a beggar or a beggar woman comes to you, it means loss and need. If several people appear at once - to a rich life.
♦ If a man is the first to come to you on Christmas morning, wear plain clothes on this day, if a woman wears a colored dress, so that the whole year goes well.
♦ When a family sits down at the table on Christmas Day and when the first star appears, they begin to have supper, then an unmarried girl or an unmarried guy from this family, taking the first non-lenten piece into his mouth, must keep it on his tongue and not swallow until, going outside, by chance will not hear any name from people passing by. It was believed that the bride or groom would have the same name. People say that this sign has come true more than once.
♦ Cucumbers will be strong and crispy if you pickle them on the exact day of the week that Christmas was this year. A good housewife keeps the salt taken on Maundy Thursday in a secluded place for this purpose.
♦ It’s a good, good omen if during the Christmas feast a domestic cat sits under the table - this means that this year none of those sitting at the table will die.
♦ If two people come to you on Christmas morning, there will be no death, divorce or separation in your home for a year.
♦ If someone spills or breaks something in your house on this day, then the whole year will be turbulent for your family.
♦ If a person goes to church on Christmas Day and stumbles, then twelve years later, every day, he will get sick. To prevent this from happening, you must immediately say: “I am not going to the devil, but to God, He will save me.”
♦ On the ninth of January, be sure to visit your godfathers and parents.
♦ A child who takes his first steps independently on January 10 will be healthy, beautiful and live a long life.
♦ If a sick person sneezes loudly on the third day of Christmas, he will soon recover and live for a long time. If a person who is seriously ill talks about pancakes or horses on this day, then he will soon pass into another world.
♦ On the tenth of January, do not put out the dough or kneading bowl.
♦ On the eleventh of January, do not give your husband a towel, otherwise he will begin to loosen his hands.
♦ After they knock on your door or call on January 11, do not open it immediately. Wait until they knock or call a second time, otherwise you will invite illness into the house.
♦ If Christmas Day falls on a Monday, then many men will die that year. If Christmas Day coincides with Tuesday, an even number of guests are invited to the table so as not to invite poverty into the house. If Christmas falls on a Saturday, then this year many old people will die before the next Christmas.
♦ If a midwife was called to a woman in labor and she gave birth to a child on Christmas Day, then the midwife would never take even a penny for her labors; moreover, she was obliged to become the baby’s godmother. This custom was never violated; the old people knew: whoever takes money for childbirth will spend it on a coffin for themselves.
Merry Christmas greetings:
♦ Merry Christmas! Happy bright day!
May you be lucky in everything on this day!
Let joy come into your home,
New car - in the garage,
Profitable work - in the house,
And there are many, many children in it!
♦ Let the Christmas miracle
Will give you its warmth,
May it never be bad
Meet every day with goodness!
♦ The star of goodness and magic has lit up ‒
Merry Holy Christmas!
May God protect and people help!
Let the starlight in your soul not fade away!
May your home be filled with happiness and wealth!
Love, health, peace! Merry Christmas!
♦ Let the night sparkle with magic,
A flock of snowflakes rushes upward.
We wish you a Merry Christmas,
We wish you smiles and joy.
Flow of divine love
Let it flow with wonderful light,
And the Lord will bless you
Health, happiness and success!
♦ We wish you a Merry Christmas
Smiles, sincere laughter,
Good health, success
And a lot of good things.
Let the blood flow in the heart,
And the joy lasts forever.
And may they be with you forever
Hope, faith and love!
♦ Merry Christmas to you
And I want to wish from the bottom of my heart,
So that life is full of happiness,
So that you don’t know adversity and sorrow!
I wish you to come true
All your hopes and dreams,
To pure love and tenderness
You could always enjoy!
♦ May the bright holiday of Christmas
Everything you dreamed about will come true!
Let there be a lot of joy, goodness in the house,
And let the heart not know sadness!
I wish you many fabulous miracles,
Warmth of love, spiritual purity!
And let the snowflakes fall from the sky,
Keeping the peace of heavenly beauty!
♦ It's Christmas again ‒
Celebration of the Heavenly Forces!
On this day Christ came
To save our world from evil.
Glory to Him eternal,
Conqueror of darkness!
Congratulations with all our hearts
With this great joy!
♦ The flickering of candles warms the house
And sparkles with gold,
When have a magical Christmas
The Lord will appear!
He gave his life for us -
We must remember this
And what he bequeathed to the people -
Execute diligently!
May it protect your peace
From shutter to threshold
Long-suffering love
Simple faith in God!
♦ The star lit up ‒ Christ was born ‒
And the world was illuminated with love!
Let happiness enter every home!
Have a wonderful and bright Christmas!
♦ Today Christ appeared to us,
To teach people Love.
Friends, let's celebrate everything
And let's become at least a little kinder!
♦ Let the snowflake ring
Announcing the birth
And fill you with delight
Your mood!
After all, today is Salvation,
Love's triumph ‒
The saint is coming
Christ's Christmas!
♦ When the snow covers the ground,
And Christmas will come again
Raise a glass to happiness,
For peace, for friendship, for love!
And so that without grief and doubt
May you live many bright days!
Preserve comfort and family peace
And respect from friends!
♦ Merry Christmas,
What is already knocking on the house!
Open the doors wider
You are to Love, Hope, Faith!
Fur Christmas trees
The whole house smells
Every needle
Whispers: “Merry Christmas!”
Let grievances and losses
They fly away like leaves!
Let luck come through the door
On the bright holiday of Christmas!
♦ Congratulations on Christmas!
Let a miracle happen in your life!
May joy, inspiration and goodness
They will be able to live in your house!
♦ Today is the Birthday of Christ ‒
Good news is sweeping across the planet!
I wish you Christmas this holiday
Consent and joy without end!
♦ Happy New Year!
Happy New Year's treat!
Happy New Year's Eve!
Merry Christmas!
Let everything be fine in the family,
And luck will be nearby!
May your health be good
Happiness - bright, incomparable!
♦ Christmas has come to your home,
Happiness spread all around!
Let smiles soar in it,
And I also wish you:
Kindness and beauty
So that all your dreams come true,
May your health not fail you
And let good luck come!
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, place 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
Christmas is a sacred, divine day. It is celebrated in all corners of the globe, where the name of Christ is glorified. Traditionally, there should be 12 Lenten dishes on the Christmas table, symbolizing the 12 apostles.
The Nativity of Christ occupies a large place in the life of the whole world. Preparation is taken very seriously and well in advance. In every home they set a festive table, prepare traditional dishes, and buy gifts for relatives. Parents think lovingly about the upcoming holiday and look forward to it no less than their children.
What to cook for Christmas in Russia 2018: The Nativity fast ends on January 6
The fast leading up to Christmas is a kind of rite of renewal of the soul and its unity with God, as well as preparation for the celebration of Christmas Eve. The Nativity fast was established in order to be cleansed by repentance and prayer, and also to meet the appearance of the Son of God with a pure heart, soul and body.
January 6 is the last day of fasting. Our ancestors prepared richly for the festive dinner. It is a lean porridge. You can sit down at the table only with the appearance of the first evening (Bethlehem) star in the sky. It symbolizes the birth of Christ.
kutia is the main dish on the Christmas table
According to tradition, kutya is eaten first, symbolizing a blissful life. This dish begins a rich supper and the Christmas table of the next day. The basis of kutya is wheat, barley or rice. The composition also includes grated poppy seeds, nuts, honey and uzvar.
The recipe for kutya has been around for several centuries. Our ancestors also believed that by frequenting kutya, people take care of the souls of those who have passed away. And they, in turn, experience joy while in the afterlife.
What to cook for Christmas in Russia 2018: twelve must-have dishes on a festive evening
In Russia, on Holy Evening, there should be twelve Lenten dishes on the festive table. These include: kutya, uzvar, lean cabbage, cabbage rolls, vinaigrette, dumplings with potatoes, Poloninsky salad, vegetable stew, beans or peas, baked, fried or other fish, pickles, and for dessert, baked apples with honey and nuts.
Having tasted the main dish, kutya, they move on to appetizers, which should not be made from meat, milk or other animal products. Uzvar has been and remains a traditional and very healthy drink for the Christmas feast. The drink is prepared from dried fruits and berries: cherries, apples, pears, apricots and others.
Most of these dishes are prepared on ordinary days, which cannot be said about the “Poloninsky” salad. Its main ingredients are baked beets and boiled forest mushrooms. A dressing made from fried onions with nuts and garlic gives the salad a special taste that our ancestors enjoyed.
What to cook for Christmas in Russia 2018: traditional and modern dishes of the first day of Christmas Eve
The true feast began the day after the end of the fast, that is, January 7. In Russia, the main decoration of the table was baked goose with apples.
Also on this day, they ate dishes from large pieces of meat, such as boiled pork or smoked brisket, as well as very extravagant dishes - offal of poultry, stuffed pork stomach, legs of lamb stuffed with eggs.
A festive table would not be complete without pies, which were made with meat, eggs and onions, fish, brains, peas, potatoes and other vegetables. Both previously and now, one of the central dishes of the Christmas feast is stuffed chicken, duck or goose.
What to cook for Christmas in Russia 2018: traditions and superstitions of Christmas dinner
When setting the table on January 6, you must put hay under the tablecloth. It is a symbol of the Bethlehem manger. The best dishes and cutlery are used, and the number of guests must be even.
It is not allowed to borrow money to prepare Christmas dinner, so that the whole year can pass in abundance and not depend on outside help. An interesting fact is that according to tradition, the hostess had to serve the dishes. Everyone sitting at the table during dinner was forbidden to speak, stand up, or even drink water.
If someone sneezed during a feast, it was considered a good sign. It was necessary to eat from the same plate and drink from the same cup - for unity and love in the family.
What to cook for Christmas in Russia 2018: traditional dishes with a modern interpretation
So, on January 7, when the fast ends, you will be able to eat everything without restrictions. In Russia, every family will have 12 traditional dishes prepared on the festive table.
Every housewife wants to please her family with the most delicious recipes. Various rolls, boiled pork, pork knuckle and baked goose with oranges have long been favorites among meat dishes.
The most popular appetizers today include stuffed champignons in bacon, tartlets with red fish, and julienne. A truly royal fish dish can be baked trout with spices. Fish served baked with vegetables will be no less tasty and impressive. Table decorations can include red fish steaks with white sauce, as well as marinated or smoked fish. A holiday table would not be complete without sandwiches with caviar.
Baking gingerbread and peppermint cookies in the shapes of Christmas trees, stars, crescents, and Christmas cupcakes is becoming increasingly popular.
To celebrate and spend Christmas with dignity, it is not enough just to prepare traditional dishes and delicacies for the festive table. It is necessary, first of all, to feel the spirit of the holiday and the love of the Almighty.
According to tradition, housewives prepare from ten to seventeen lenten dishes for the festive table at Christmas. The fact is that Christmas Eve or Holy Vecher, as they call the evening before Christmas in Ukraine, is the last day of the Nativity Fast. The next day, January 7, the food becomes much more satisfying.
1. In first place, of course, kutya. A traditional and very tasty Christmas dish, which is served both on Christmas Eve and on the Christmas table. Classic kutia is made from wheat. But if you don’t like this dish, then you can replace the cereal with rice, barley, or pearl barley. Also, poppy seeds, nuts, uzvar and honey are always added to kutya. The more additives, the better. Remember, kutya is not removed from the table at night. It is believed that on this night deceased relatives come to the house and kutya is left for them.
2., also known as dried fruit compote: dried pears, apples, prunes, etc.
3. The third main dish of Christmas is Lenten borscht. You can cook it with mushrooms or fish. Borscht can be replaced with kapustnyak (thick sauerkraut soup with mushrooms) or vegetable stew without meat.
4. Vareniki. Dumplings can be prepared with a variety of fillings: mushrooms, cabbage, potatoes, cherries. Salted dumplings can be seasoned with fried onions or sauces to taste. Sweets can be served with honey.
5. Fish must definitely be on the festive table on Christmas Eve, as this is one of the symbols of Jesus Christ. It can be either sliced herring with onions in sunflower oil, or simply fried river fish. Even fish sandwiches are welcome.
6. - Probably everyone knows how to cook it. Boiled or baked (which is much tastier) vegetables - cut beets, potatoes, carrots into cubes of approximately the same size. Chop the onions, pickles, add the beans cooked in advance. Salt everything and season with vegetable oil.
7. . Instead of meat, cabbage rolls use mushroom filling as a filling. There can also be buckwheat with onions or carrots with rice. There are many options.
8. . Can be made from either yeast dough or puff pastry. Add a lot of fried onions and coarsely grated carrots to the filling.
9.Mushrooms. Mushrooms can be either one of the dishes (marinated or fried), or they can be a filling for some dish.
As you know, there is a Catholic Christmas and an Orthodox Christmas, and yet it is difficult to find even two Catholic or Orthodox countries that would have absolutely identical Christmas dishes and a Christmas menu. The Christmas table should not only satisfy the family, but also symbolize abundance and the beginning of a new life. Traditional Christmas dishes in different countries are very diverse; in connection with the end of Lent, a wide variety of foods are allowed. For example, from the end of November until January 7, the Orthodox Nativity fast lasts; the Nativity fast menu is an excellent way not only to cleanse yourself spiritually, but also physically. Meals during the Nativity Fast excludes fatty animal foods; fish can be eaten several times a week. But after Lent, recipes for Christmas dishes are more varied, there are meat, fish, and dairy products.
For Western European countries, Christmas baking recipes are especially typical for sweet dishes. At this time, houses and markets are really filled with Christmas baked goods. Christmas baking recipe is Christmas cookies, as well as Christmas gingerbread. Christmas cake and Christmas candy recipes are also very popular. England even has a special English Christmas cake. The recipe for Christmas cookies is simple, the main thing is the beautiful design. To please your loved ones and especially children, we offer you a recipe for Christmas gingerbread cookies. You will need flour, sugar, soda, eggs, butter, cocoa, honey, spices. After mixing the ingredients and kneading the dough, you should put it in the refrigerator overnight so that it infuses and is saturated with spices, in which case you will get especially fragrant Christmas gingerbread cookies. The recipe for Christmas gingerbread cookies will also require a certain artistic taste from you, because you will need to sculpt human, animal, or some kind of geometric figures from the dough. After this, the cookies are baked in the oven and decorated with icing. Christmas cookies are prepared in much the same way. The Christmas cake recipe is very popular in England. It is prepared with dried fruits and nuts, and soaked in some kind of alcohol. For Orthodox Christians, Christmas sweets are primarily Christmas kutia and Christmas pastries, for example, Christmas pie. A recipe that creates a holiday for children is lollipops in the shape of cockerels. The ideal option for Christmas baking would be Christmas tea. It is made from black tea, ginger, cinnamon and orange zest.
Also in many European countries, a mandatory Christmas dish is Christmas goose, Christmas duck or Christmas turkey. Christmas goose is prepared in Germany, Denmark, Greece, and Russia. You definitely won’t regret it if a Christmas goose appears on your table. The Christmas goose recipe usually uses apples and prunes. Christmas turkey is a recipe that is typical for England and the USA. Christmas salad is often served with meat dishes, the recipe for which may differ in different countries.