Epiphany Christmas Eve: traditions, signs and rituals. Christmas Eve: What is it?

The evening before Christmas, for each of us, is usually kutya and carols, as well as a quiet family dinner. There are several names for this holiday - Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, Holy Evening, Rich Evening, Rich Kutia, Viliya. We were getting ready for winter holidays long before their arrival. The hostesses cooked delicious dinner and cleaned the house, and most importantly observed a strict fast, which ended on January 6 at 12 am. However, these are not the only traditions that accompanied this day, so let's dive into history and figure out what is the difference between modern Christmas Eve and Holy Evening before.

Christmas Eve Meaning:

As you know, there are two Christmas Eve - one Catholic, which is celebrated on December 24, and the other Orthodox and celebrate it on January 6. But both of them are a symbol of enhanced preparation for one of important holidays in the year - Christmas.

The custom of celebrating Christmas Eve, according to legend, appeared based on the history of Star of Bethlehem. A few days before the birth of Christ, the Magi appeared to the most bright Star, such a sign appears only when a king is born. Therefore, they decided to go on a journey to present gifts to Christ.

But this is not the only meaning of the holiday, because basically all holidays have pagan roots. Holy evening was no exception, and many traditions have nothing to do with Christianity, this includes Christmas divination. So, according to legend, even in the pre-Christian period, our ancestors celebrated the Korochuna holiday on this day, or, in other words, the day of greeting the sun. According to other sources, the eve of the birth of Kol Svarog was celebrated on this day. It was on Holy Evening, as they used to believe, that the Earth endowed people, plants, animals, in general, all living things, with energy, which subsequently can help not only preserve the crop, but also increase it, and it protects animals from diseases and contributes to a good offspring.

Church Traditions for Christmas Eve:

As we have already mentioned, the winter holidays were preceded by a strict fast, which ended with the appearance of the first star on January 6th. On Christmas Eve, the whole family ate festive kutya all day long.

In the evening, a divine service is held with the reading of the gospel, the story of the Magi, prayers, and a liturgy. However, if Christmas Eve falls on Saturday or Sunday, then the main part of the service is held on Friday evening, and the liturgy is already on Christmas Eve itself.
If, for some reason, it was not possible to get to the temple before, then it was allowed on this holiday just to read prayers with the family and proceed to the festive dinner. At the same time, it was important to put on all the newest things on Holy Evening, but if there was not enough money for a new one, then they simply put on clean ones. This tradition served as a symbol of cleansing from sins and the onset of something new.

Slavic traditions in Holy evening.

Holy evening in Slavic tradition It was solemnly celebrated, the whole family usually gathered for this, and the hostess of the house cleaned the house and prepared a rich dinner before the arrival of the guests. Be sure to lay clean white, and better new tablecloth, under which they put a little hay.

Christmas Didukh.

Separately, it is worth noting about the decoration of the table. For this, a festive candle was necessarily placed on the table as a symbol of the first star, as well as the Christmas Didukh. Simply put, a sheaf of hay was placed in a vase and solemnly brought into the house by the whole family and placed in the middle of the table. Moreover, Didukh was prepared since the summer. For this, the first sheaf of wheat or bread was left unthreshed. In some villages, they separated from the last sheaf. He was bandaged and left until Christmas Eve, after which he was given the most honorable place on the table - in the middle.

“Let the hay run, let it feed the cattle. Let it be soft for darlings, let it be soft for the Holy Child and the cattle in the hay!

At the same time, together with his son, scattering a sheaf of hay.

And at the entrance to the house, the father shouted:

“Christmas time is coming!”, the son answered: “Christmas time has come!” while the mother continued: “We honor and ask the didukh and you to look into the house!”

Didukh was not removed until the very Have a generous evening, after which they burned it, throwing old things or clothes in which a family member had an illness. Thus, our ancestors were cleansed of negative energy of the past year.

Festive table for Christmas Eve.

The main dish for Holy evening was kutya or as it was also called sochivo, kolivo. It was usually prepared from boiled wheat, barley with the addition of honey. Sometimes housewives also cooked sochivo with rice. The meal began with kutya.

Moreover, the sequence of dishes was also strictly executed according to certain rules. So snacks were the first to go. After them, the first thing was usually served, often borscht, mushroom soup or fish soup. By the first, the housewives always prepared pies, ears or flat cakes, they were also called juicy. Dessert was served last. These are rolls with poppy seeds, honey cakes, pies, jelly and so on. Be sure to bake sweet gingerbread for this day.

The second obligatory dish was uzvar, or, more simply, dried fruit compote. Often it was prepared from apples, pears, plums, raisins, cherries and other fruits. At the same time, it should be noted that all dishes were washed down only with uzvar and nothing else.

Separately, it is worth noting 12 dishes that must have been on the table and what they meant:

* kutya was prepared as a symbol of sacrifice and shed blood;

* peas were considered a sign that after a decline a person is reborn again, like God's spring;

*cabbage - cabbage is a symbol of simplicity and reliability;

*borsch - since the hostess tries to cook this dish from simple products, this is a symbol of the fact that routine work and daily fuss bring up willpower in us. Among other things, it is also a reminder of the cruel order of King Herod to destroy babies;

* cabbage rolls were prepared as a sign of God's love for man;

* fish - since ancient times, it was the fish that was a symbol of Christianity and the sacrifice of Christ;

* dumplings - this dish was a symbol of prosperity that awaits believers in heaven;

* pancakes - meant the sun. Cooking pancakes on this day rather comes from paganism, but today this dish has become a symbol of the fact that Christ has become a symbol of the new sun, light;

* porridge - has become a symbol of procreation;

* pies - a symbol of health and happiness;

* uzvar is a symbol of the life that God gave us, as well as cleansing from everything bad;

* donuts are prepared as a reminder of what awaits a person after death - eternal life.

It is worth noting that it is not necessary that only these dishes were prepared on this day, the most important thing is that there are 12 Lenten dishes on the table. In addition to these recipes, the housewives prepared jelly, homemade sausage, pork head, jelly, dishes from mushrooms, meat, and fish.

At the table, they tried to behave with restraint and calmness. At the same time, it was impossible to get up from the table before the end of the meal. Not a single dish was to remain untouched, everyone who sat at the table had to taste at least a spoonful of all the dishes. It was considered a good sign, if an even number of people gather at the table, if not, then the hostess put additional set cutlery for deceased relatives.

Caroling on Holy Evening.

After gala dinner the most interesting part for young people began - festivities, which, in particular, included caroling. For this, young boys and girls gathered near the temple or in another public place. Free unmarried men could join them.

Then they chose the main one, who leads the carols - Birch, as well as the treasurer, star, latkovy and so on. Be sure to wear interesting costumes and came up with a little show. The goat usually appeared in the title role as a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

Caroling used to be a little different from how it is done now. Previously, they did not knock and did not enter houses, as is done in modern world. our ancestors used to call the hosts with the words “Kolyada is coming!”. Whoever went out was shown a performance with the singing of carols and folk songs. Wishing the owner all the best for the coming year. After that, carolers were invited to the house and presented with gifts.

Notes for Christmas Eve:

*bad sign it was when they fell asleep in the house, so that this would not happen, the owners, if they lay down on the bed, then in festive clothes not to fall asleep. At the same time, the older generation and those who are married tried not to leave the house once again - Bad sign, which does not bring anything good.

*For free girl and the guy was a good omen to sneeze during the gala dinner. In this case, the girl will get married next year, and the guy will become a good Cossack. Moreover, if this happens, fathers sometimes gave gifts to their children: for girls - a calf, and for boys - a foal.

* Also, the owners were happy when lonely and restless people came to visit that evening, which meant that in the coming year there would be happiness, joy and prosperity in the family. Therefore, such guests were generously presented and treated.

* Since on Christmas Eve they prepared for Christmas, they tried to prepare all the food for the holiday even before sunrise. Then, according to beliefs, there will be prosperity and wealth in the family.

* And the snow cover spoke about what the harvest will be in the coming year. So it was believed that the more snow on Christmas Eve, the richer the harvest. If snow fell before January 6, but melted by Christmas Eve, then this indicates what will happen. good harvest buckwheat. But if there is frost and snowdrifts, then this is for grain production.

*The stars were also closely monitored. If, for example, there are a lot of stars in the sky, then in summer there will be a lot of peas. And if there are few stars, then the berries will also not be dense. It was also a bad sign if the Milky Way was dim - this is bad weather.

* The hosts tried not to be stingy on the table, because the richer the dinner on Christmas Eve, the richer the coming year will be.

*We also tried not to quarrel from this evening and avoid disagreements for the entire period of the holidays. After all, if you quarrel or argue with someone these days, the whole a year will pass in quarrels and disagreements.

* It was impossible to hunt and fish, otherwise the whole year would pass in misfortunes and hardships.

The custom of celebrating Christmas Eve, according to legend, appeared based on the story of the Star of Bethlehem. A few days before the birth of Christ, the brightest star appeared to the Magi, such a sign appears only when the king is born. Therefore, they decided to go on a journey to present gifts to Christ.

Church Traditions for Christmas Eve

If, for some reason, it was not possible to get to the temple before, then it was allowed on this holiday just to read prayers with the family and proceed to the festive dinner. At the same time, it was important to put on all the newest things on Holy Evening, but if there was not enough money for a new one, then they simply put on clean ones. This tradition served as a symbol of cleansing from sins and the onset of something new.

Slavic traditions in Holy evening

The holy evening in the Slavic tradition was solemnly celebrated, for this the whole family usually gathered, and the hostess of the house cleaned the house and prepared a rich dinner before the arrival of the guests. Be sure to lay a clean white, or rather a new tablecloth, under which they put a little hay.

Christmas Didukh

The introduction of Didukh began with the fact that the head of the family took him in one hand, and in the other there was a sheaf of hay. Behind him was the eldest son, who had a sheaf of hay in two hands. Even in the yard, the head of the family would say: “Let the hay run, let it feed the cattle. Let it be soft for darlings, let it be soft for the Holy Child and the cattle in the hay! At the same time, together with his son, scattering a sheaf of hay. And at the entrance to the house, the father shouted: “Christmas time is coming!”, The son answered: “Christmas time has come!”, And the mother continued: “We honor and ask didukh and you to look into the house!”

Didukh was not cleaned up until the very Generous Evening, after which it was burned, throwing old things or clothes in which a family member suffered an illness. Thus, our ancestors were cleansed of the negative energy of the past year.

Festive table for Christmas Eve

Separately, it is worth noting 12 dishes that must have been on the table and what they meant:

kutya was prepared as a symbol of sacrifice and shed blood;
peas were considered a sign that after a decline a person is reborn again, like God's spring;
cabbage - cabbage is a symbol of simplicity and reliability;
borscht - since the hostess tries to cook this dish from simple products, this is a symbol of the fact that routine work and daily fuss bring up willpower in us. Among other things, it is also a reminder of the cruel order of King Herod to destroy babies;
cabbage rolls were prepared as a sign of God's love for man;
fish - since ancient times, it was the fish that was a symbol of Christianity and the sacrifice of Christ;
dumplings - this dish was a symbol of prosperity that awaits believers in heaven;
pancakes - meant the sun. Cooking pancakes on this day rather comes from paganism, but today this dish has become a symbol of the fact that Christ has become a symbol of the new sun, light;
porridge - has become a symbol of procreation;
pies are a symbol of health and happiness;
uzvar is a symbol of the life that God gave us, as well as cleansing from everything bad;
donuts are prepared as a reminder of what awaits a person after death - eternal life.

It is worth noting that only these dishes were not necessarily cooked that day, the most important thing is that there are 12 Lenten dishes on the table. In addition to these recipes, the housewives prepared jelly, homemade sausage, pork head, jelly, dishes from mushrooms, meat, and fish.

At the table, they tried to behave with restraint and calmness. At the same time, it was impossible to get up from the table before the end of the meal. Not a single dish was to remain untouched, everyone who sat at the table had to taste at least a spoonful of all the dishes. It was considered a good sign if an even number of people gathered at the table, if not, then the hostess put an additional set of cutlery for the deceased relatives.

Caroling on Holy Evening

After the festive dinner, the most interesting part for young people began - festivities, which, in particular, included caroling. For this, young boys and girls gathered near the temple or in another public place. Free unmarried men could join them.

Then they chose the main one who leads the carols - Birch, as well as the treasurer, star, latkovy, and so on. Be sure to put on interesting costumes and come up with a little performance. The goat usually appeared in the title role as a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

Caroling used to be a little different from how it is done now. Previously, they did not knock and did not enter houses, as is done in the modern world. our ancestors used to call the hosts with the words “Kolyada is coming!”. Whoever went out was shown a performance with the singing of carols and folk songs. Wishing the owner all the best for the coming year. After that, carolers were invited to the house and presented with gifts.

Signs for Christmas Eve

It was a bad sign when they fell asleep in the house, so that this would not happen, the owners, if they lay down on the bed, then in festive clothes, so as not to fall asleep. At the same time, the older generation and those who are married tried not to leave the house once again - a bad omen that does not bring anything good.
It was good luck for a free girl and guy to sneeze during the gala dinner. In this case, the girl will get married next year, and the guy will become a good Cossack. Moreover, if this happens, fathers sometimes gave gifts to their children: for girls - a calf, and for boys - a foal.
The owners also rejoiced when lonely and restless people came to visit that evening, which meant that in the coming year the family would have happiness, joy and prosperity. Therefore, such guests were generously presented and treated.
Since on Christmas Eve they prepared for Christmas, they tried to prepare all the food for the holiday even before sunrise. Then, according to beliefs, there will be prosperity and wealth in the family.
And the snow cover spoke about what the harvest will be in the coming year. So it was believed that the more snow on Christmas Eve, the richer the harvest. If snow fell before January 6, but melted by Christmas Eve, then this indicates that there will be a good harvest of buckwheat. But if there is frost and snowdrifts, then this is for grain production.
They also kept a close eye on the stars. If, for example, there are a lot of stars in the sky, then in summer there will be a lot of peas. And if there are few stars, then the berries will also not be dense. It was also a bad sign if the Milky Way was dim - this is bad weather.
The hosts tried not to skimp on the table, because the richer the Christmas Eve dinner, the richer the coming year will be.
They also tried not to quarrel from that evening and avoid disagreements for the entire period of the holidays. After all, if you quarrel or argue with someone these days, the whole year will pass in quarrels and disagreements.
It was impossible to hunt and fish, otherwise the whole year would pass in misfortunes and hardships.

The evening before Christmas, for each of us, is usually kutya and carols, as well as a quiet family dinner.

There are several names for this holiday - Christmas Eve, Christmas Eve, Holy Evening, Rich Evening, Rich Kutia, Viliya, writes vedmochka.net. Prepared for the winter holidays long before they come. The hostesses prepared a delicious dinner and cleaned the house, and most importantly, observed a strict fast, which ended on January 6 at 12 am. However, these are not the only traditions that accompanied this day, so let's dive into history and figure out what is the difference between modern Christmas Eve and Holy Evening before.

As you know, there are two Christmas Eve - one Catholic, which is celebrated on December 24, and the other Orthodox and celebrate it on January 6. But both of them are a symbol of intensive preparation for one of the most important holidays of the year - Christmas.

Church Traditions for Christmas Eve

Slavic traditions in Holy evening

Christmas Didukh

Festive table for Christmas Eve

Separately, it is worth noting 12 dishes that must have been on the table and what they meant:

kutya was prepared as a symbol of sacrifice and shed blood;
peas were considered a sign that after a decline a person is reborn again, like God's spring;
cabbage - cabbage is a symbol of simplicity and reliability;
borsch - since the hostess tries to cook this dish from simple products, this is a symbol of the fact that routine work and daily fuss bring up willpower in us. Among other things, it is also a reminder of the cruel order of King Herod to destroy babies;
cabbage rolls were prepared as a sign of God's love for man;
fish - since ancient times, it was the fish that was a symbol of Christianity and the sacrifice of Christ;
dumplings - this dish was a symbol of prosperity that awaits believers in heaven;
pancakes - meant the sun. Cooking pancakes on this day rather comes from paganism, but today this dish has become a symbol of the fact that Christ has become a symbol of the new sun, light;
porridge - has become a symbol of procreation;
pies - a symbol of health and happiness;
uzvar is a symbol of the life that God gave us, as well as cleansing from everything bad;
donuts are prepared as a reminder of what awaits a person after death - eternal life.

At the table, they tried to behave with restraint and calmness. At the same time, it was impossible to get up from the table before the end of the meal. Not a single dish was to remain untouched, everyone who sat at the table had to taste at least a spoonful of all the dishes. It was considered a good sign if an even number of people gathered at the table, if not, then the hostess put an additional set of cutlery for the deceased relatives.

Caroling on Holy Evening

Then they chose the main one, who leads the carols - Birch, as well as the treasurer, star, latkovy and so on. Be sure to put on interesting costumes and come up with a little performance. The goat usually appeared in the title role as a symbol of prosperity and wealth.

Signs for Christmas Eve

- It was a bad sign when they fell asleep in the house, so that this would not happen, the owners, if they lay down on the bed, then in festive clothes, so as not to fall asleep. At the same time, the older generation and those who are married tried not to leave the house once again - a bad omen that does not bring anything good.
- It was good luck for a free girl and a guy to sneeze during the gala dinner. In this case, the girl will get married next year, and the guy will become a good Cossack. Moreover, if this happens, fathers sometimes gave gifts to their children: for girls - a calf, and for boys - a foal.
- Also, the owners were happy when lonely and restless people came to visit that evening, which meant that in the coming year there would be happiness, joy and prosperity in the family. Therefore, such guests were generously presented and treated.
- Since on Christmas Eve they were preparing for Christmas, they tried to prepare all the food for the holiday even before sunrise. Then, according to beliefs, there will be prosperity and wealth in the family.
- And the snow cover spoke about what the harvest will be in the coming year. So it was believed that the more snow on Christmas Eve, the richer the harvest. If snow fell before January 6, but melted by Christmas Eve, then this indicates that there will be a good harvest of buckwheat. But if there is frost and snowdrifts, then this is for grain production.
- They also watched the stars closely. If, for example, there are a lot of stars in the sky, then in summer there will be a lot of peas. And if there are few stars, then the berries will also not be dense. It was also a bad sign if the Milky Way was dim - this is bad weather.
- The hosts tried not to be stingy on the table, because the richer the dinner on Christmas Eve, the richer the coming year will be.
- We also tried not to quarrel from this evening and avoid disagreements for the entire period of the holidays. After all, if you quarrel or argue with someone these days, the whole year will pass in quarrels and disagreements.
- It was impossible to hunt and fish, otherwise the whole year would pass in misfortunes and hardships.

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Christmas Eve 2019 is the most long-awaited holiday for the Orthodox. In the modern world, unfortunately, the great religious holiday Christmas Eve. What it is: Christmas Eve, now only a few know.

And in the time of our great-grandmothers, he was glorified more than Christmas. I will tell you about how we prepared for this day and how our distant ancestors celebrated it, so that in 2019 you could celebrate Christmas Eve, according to the rules and centuries-old traditions.

On January 6, Russia celebrates Christmas Eve - the eve of the Nativity of Christ. In church tradition, the eve of the Nativity of Christ, or Christmas Eve, is called the last day of Advent, the day preceding the feast of the Nativity of Christ.

According to church tradition, Christmas Eve is otherwise called the eve of this great holiday. And the word "Christmas Eve" comes from the name of a dish of boiled wheat, or rice, with honey - "sochi". It was customary to treat Sochivom on Christmas Eve after the appearance of the first star.

The tradition of fasting "until the first star" is associated with the legend of the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem, announcing the birth of Christ.

On Christmas Eve, the church ascribed a strict fast until the evening service, and on this day it is the first meal that ends the Advent fast.

How to prepare for the holiday

As mentioned earlier, strict abstinence from fast food preceded such a holiday as Christmas Eve. When this post begins, we know - November 28th.

For five weeks it was forbidden to eat animal products: meat, fish, milk, eggs, ghee, cottage cheese, kefir and sour cream. But everything lean was allowed: boiled potatoes with salted mushrooms or cucumbers, steamed turnips, cereals on the water, lean bread, kvass.

Before Christmas Eve they cleaned the house, trying to look into all corners. And then they heated the bath hot, washed and changed clothes. People believed that both the body and thoughts should be kept clean. So before you sit down festive table, they lit candles at the icons in the house and made a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord.

Sochivo - a dish for Christmas Eve

According to the church charter, on the days of Christmas Eve - Christmas and Epiphany - Orthodox Christians are prescribed to eat sochivo. Here's how to cook it:

1 cup wheat grains
100 g poppy,
100 g cores walnuts,
1-3 tablespoons of honey
sugar to taste.

How to cook Christmas juicy:

Wheat grains are crushed in a wooden mortar with a wooden pestle, periodically adding a little warm water so that the wheat shell comes off. The kernel is then separated from the husk by sieving and washing. On water from pure grains, ordinary friable lean liquid porridge is boiled, cooled, sweetened to taste.

Separately, poppy seeds are ground until poppy milk is obtained, honey is added, everything is mixed and added to the wheat. If the porridge is thick, it can be diluted with chilled boiled water. At the end, crushed walnut kernels are added.

Sometimes juicy is prepared from rice, but rice should be prepared specially - pour a glass of rice with one and a half glasses of boiling water, cover the pan tightly with a lid, cook the rice for three minutes on high heat, six on medium, three on low. Do not open the lid for another twelve minutes, allowing the rice to brew for a couple. The ratio of all components for juicy is preserved. Raisins are sometimes added, but this is optional.

For sweetening, it is better to use only honey.

What dishes to prepare for the Christmas holiday table

It is customary to break the fast with sychiv or kutya. This is also done in remembrance of the ancient custom, when those preparing for baptism, intending to perform it on the Nativity of Christ, prepared for the sacrament by fasting, and after baptism they ate honey - a symbol of the sweetness of spiritual gifts.

On Christmas Eve, the Orthodox would cook kutya, and the Catholics would cook bigilia. Christmas kutya was cooked lean. But on the second day of Christmas, they prepared "babin's porridge", or "babin's kutya". In ancient times, such porridge was usually brought among the gifts to the house where the newborn appeared. In contrast to the Christmas Lenten kutya, "babkin's porridge" was prepared "rich".

According to Russian customs, the whole family fasted on Christmas Eve, and only with the first star did everyone sit down at the table, on which, among other Lenten dishes, there must be kutya, as well as compote (uzvar) or jelly; in wealthy families, the table was also decorated with curly marmalade.

In some regions, there is a tradition of baking animal figurines for the holiday. In the evening, closer to midnight, caroling began with songs and carols.

The order of eating was regulated strict rules: appetizers (herring, fish, salads) were served first, then red (slightly warmed) borscht, mushroom or fish soup. For borscht, mushroom soup, ears or pies with mushrooms were served, and for Orthodox sochni - flour cakes fried in hemp oil.

At the end of the meal, sweet dishes were served on the table: roll with poppy seeds, gingerbread, honey cakes, cranberry jelly, dried fruit compote, apples, nuts.

The meal was non-alcoholic. All dishes were lean, fried and seasoned vegetable oil, no meat base, no milk and sour cream. Hot dishes were not served so that the hostess was constantly at the table.

Sample menu for the Christmas table

Marinated fish is cold

Required:

1 kg of fish (cod, pollock, hake)
3 large carrots
2 onions
2 tbsp. spoons of tomato paste
1 st. a spoonful of sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
Bay leaf
1 teaspoon of vinegar
1 egg
½ cup flour
Black pepper
Salt to taste

Marinated fish. Cooking method:

First of all, deal with the fish: free it from the ridge and bones, prepare it under the marinade in pieces.
Then pour vegetable oil into the pan, roll the fish in spices mixed with flour, and fry in a pan until cooked.
Now let's get to the marinade. Coarsely chop the carrot, cut the onion and fry it all in a pan. Add tomato paste, pepper, salt, a tablespoon of sugar, a teaspoon of vinegar there and simmer carrots and onions in a spicy seasoning under the lid.
If you like it spicier, add more vinegar and sugar, but don't overdo it.

It turns out a delicious marinade for fish. Now put a layer of prepared fish in a container, on top - a layer of marinade, fish again, carrot-onion mixture again. Let this dish stand for a couple of hours and cool down.
Cold fish under the marinade is something!

Easy quick borscht

Real borscht is a light dietary dish, rich in vitamins and indispensable for people who take care of their health.

Despite the apparent simplicity of the dish and a small set of products, in the process of preparing borscht, it is necessary to adhere to a strict sequence of adding products and combining them. Otherwise, you will not achieve the necessary taste of the rich, fragrant structure of this dish.

In my practice of making borscht, I do not use meat, or other meat products, as is customary in traditional recipes Russian cuisine, and I cook borscht according to my own recipe, using Galina Blanca bouillon cubes in the soup base. The preparation of this dish will take us very little time, about 25 minutes, which is indispensable in a tight schedule working week.

Today we need following products:

Potato - 1 kg.
Cabbage-0.5 kg.
1 medium onion
1 medium carrot
1 small beet.
3 bouillon cubes
salt,
sunflower oil 50 gr,
tomato paste 50 gr.
parsley, dill, green onion

Pour 2 liters of filtered water into a medium-sized saucepan and put on fire. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into small squares. Throw into boiling water.

Next, thinly cut the cabbage and after the potatoes boil for 5 minutes, send the cabbage to the pan, cook with the potatoes. I will add that in winter time can be used sauerkraut, borscht will be even tastier.

In the meantime, we are preparing a frying for borscht: finely, cut the onion into squares, cut the carrots and beets into strips.
We heat a small frying pan, pour 50 grams of vegetable oil and send the chopped vegetables to the frying pan.

Turn over and stir. Almost immediately after the first stir frying, we must add tomato paste to the mixture of vegetables, in this case the beets will not lose their beautiful color, since acidic environment tomato paste will play the role of a color fixer and our borscht will become rich burgundy shade. Simmer everything together for 5 minutes.

After 20 minutes, when the potatoes and cabbage are cooked until soft, we add our frying and three bouillon cubes to the borscht. Let it simmer for another 5 minutes, so that the tastes of vegetables are combined and turn off the heat. If you let it boil more, then the beets will lose their beautiful colour. In total, the preparation of this dish takes us 25 minutes.
Decorate with finely chopped herbs and sour cream.

Cabbage salad with ginger

The simpler the salad, the tastier. There is nothing more wonderful in winter than a delicious salad of ordinary cabbage - a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. Everyone has their own recipes, but sometimes you peep some trick somewhere and the dish is three times tastier.

For the recipe is used:

white cabbage
white bow
carrot root
Ginger (big cream)
Greenery
Spices and oil.

Preparation of cabbage salad:
We chop the cabbage, add onion in half rings, fresh carrots, a piece of ginger, greens, salt and pepper everything, season with any vegetable oil.
For an amateur - you can season with half a teaspoon of sugar and lemon juice.

Christmas prunes roll

If your mother baked various confectionery products for you, I think she did not disregard this old, one might even say, grandmother's recipe. All familiar products are the basis of its preparation.

For the test you will need: one hundred grams of margarine,
two glasses of flour
one hundred grams of sour cream,
two eggs,
one pinch of vanilla
one sachet of baking powder.
For the filling: half a can of condensed milk,
chocolate bar (preferably black or dark),
half a cup of shelled nuts
ten prunes.

Cooking method:
In eggs, separate the whites from the yolks, beat them separately in a steep foam, combine. Add sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Melt margarine in a water bath and add to the mixture. Mix everything thoroughly so that the sugar dissolves. Sift flour onto the resulting mass and add a bag of baking powder. Make a test batch. It should stick to your hands a little. We put in the refrigerator for several hours.

In the meantime, we are preparing the milk chocolate cream. To do this, grind a bar of chocolate on a coarse grater and add condensed milk. Melt the filling in a water bath and stir constantly. We add chopped nuts and finely chopped prunes to our mass.

We take the dough out of the refrigerator, heat the oven to 180 C, cover the baking sheet parchment paper, smear sunflower oil. We roll out the dough into a layer and spread the filling with a spoon so that it does not go beyond the edges. Now we twist the dough into a roll and bend it so that the paste does not flow out.

Put in the oven for about twenty-five minutes. The dough is ready when the edges turn golden and the middle remains white. We pull the finished roll out of the oven, let it cool, and cut into slices of arbitrary thickness. Can be sprinkled on top powdered sugar.

Christmas Eve January 6: Signs of what not to do

On a holiday, a wax candle was placed on a table with a white tablecloth and lit with the words: “Burn, candle, righteous sun, shine on the souls in paradise and on us, the living, warm the mother earth, our cattle, our fields.” If the light burns merrily, it means that the year will be prosperous and fruitful, if it blinks and trembles, you will have to tighten your belts.
In the evening they looked out the window: if the night is clear and starry, the summer will be generous for the harvest of berries, and the year will be good for the offspring of livestock
If a snowstorm broke out before Christmas Eve, the bees will swarm well.
What date is Christmas Eve? 6th January. The height of the Russian winter. It was expected that frosts would rage in the yard at this time. However, this is not always the case. The thaw could suddenly start. And if it suddenly happens on a holiday of drops, then you should not wait for a good harvest from your garden. But buckwheat will certainly be good.
On a holiday, frost on trees - to good bread.

Our ancestors claimed that to work and engage economic affairs in the Nativity of Christ - sin. Because that's how you can catch up evil spirits to the house.

Sewing was considered a particularly bad omen at Christmas. Our ancestors claimed that the one who sews in this big celebration, calls blindness on someone from his family.

There is also a sign that many people trust to this day - how you spend Christmas, such a year will be.

It is very important that there is a rich table of 12 Lenten dishes on Holy Evening - then there will be prosperity in the house all year round.
You can’t quarrel with your relatives - then you will live the whole year in disagreement.

Video: Christmas Eve - holiday greetings

Church Traditions for Christmas Eve

Slavic traditions in Holy evening

Christmas Didukh

Festive table for Christmas Eve

Separately, it is worth noting 12 dishes that must have been on the table and what they meant:

kutya was prepared as a symbol of sacrifice and shed blood;
peas were considered a sign that after a decline a person is reborn again, like God's spring;
cabbage - cabbage is a symbol of simplicity and reliability;
borsch - since the hostess tries to cook this dish from simple products, this is a symbol of the fact that routine work and daily fuss bring up willpower in us. Among other things, it is also a reminder of the cruel order of King Herod to destroy babies;
cabbage rolls were prepared as a sign of God's love for man;
fish - since ancient times, it was the fish that was a symbol of Christianity and the sacrifice of Christ;
dumplings - this dish was a symbol of prosperity that awaits believers in heaven;
pancakes - meant the sun. Cooking pancakes on this day rather comes from paganism, but today this dish has become a symbol of the fact that Christ has become a symbol of the new sun, light;
porridge - has become a symbol of procreation;
pies - a symbol of health and happiness;
uzvar is a symbol of the life that God gave us, as well as cleansing from everything bad;
donuts are prepared as a reminder of what awaits a person after death - eternal life.

At the table, they tried to behave with restraint and calmness. At the same time, it was impossible to get up from the table before the end of the meal. Not a single dish was to remain untouched, everyone who sat at the table had to taste at least a spoonful of all the dishes. It was considered a good sign if an even number of people gathered at the table, if not, then the hostess put an additional set of cutlery for the deceased relatives.

Caroling on Holy Evening

Signs for Christmas Eve

It was a bad sign when they fell asleep in the house, so that this would not happen, the owners, if they lay down on the bed, then in festive clothes, so as not to fall asleep. At the same time, the older generation and those who are married tried not to leave the house once again - a bad omen that does not bring anything good.
It was good luck for a free girl and guy to sneeze during the gala dinner. In this case, the girl will get married next year, and the guy will become a good Cossack. Moreover, if this happens, fathers sometimes gave gifts to their children: for girls - a calf, and for boys - a foal.
The owners also rejoiced when lonely and restless people came to visit that evening, which meant that in the coming year the family would have happiness, joy and prosperity. Therefore, such guests were generously presented and treated.
Since on Christmas Eve they prepared for Christmas, they tried to prepare all the food for the holiday even before sunrise. Then, according to beliefs, there will be prosperity and wealth in the family.
And the snow cover spoke about what the harvest will be in the coming year. So it was believed that the more snow on Christmas Eve, the richer the harvest. If snow fell before January 6, but melted by Christmas Eve, then this indicates that there will be a good harvest of buckwheat. But if there is frost and snowdrifts, then this is for grain production.
They also kept a close eye on the stars. If, for example, there are a lot of stars in the sky, then in summer there will be a lot of peas. And if there are few stars, then the berries will also not be dense. It was also a bad sign if the Milky Way was dim - this is bad weather.
The hosts tried not to skimp on the table, because the richer the Christmas Eve dinner, the richer the coming year will be.
They also tried not to quarrel from that evening and avoid disagreements for the entire period of the holidays. After all, if you quarrel or argue with someone these days, the whole year will pass in quarrels and disagreements.
It was impossible to hunt and fish, otherwise the whole year would pass in misfortunes and hardships.