Christmas Tradition in Ukraine

Lay the table - The son of the God was born!

In Ukraine we celebrate Christmas in Orthodox tradition - so we have it on the 7th of January. And till that time it is Lenten time. After Christmas Ukrainians have two more important and very interesting celebrations: they are the Old New Year - so called Shchedryy wechir (13th of January), and Vodohreshcha (the christening of the water - 19th of January)


By SOFIYA FEDYNA
from Lviv, UKRAINE


Neither New Year nor any other holiday is more popular and sacred than the Christmas in Ukraine. It is a beginning of a new time and the birth of new star. And this time people leave all their work, return from distant trips to be at native home and to celebrate together. And it is the first the most important holiday out of three that make together Winter celebrations.

Christmas (in Ukrainian - Rizdvo) - has much older tradition that the Christianity, and the customs and traditions of Christmas we have now - that is the compromise between Christianity and heathenism. From the very old times in Ukraine this day is symbolic as a day of magic and welfare, happiness, peace and stability. In Ukraine we celebrate Christmas in Orthodox tradition - so we have it on the 7th of January. And till that time it is Lenten time.

During all the day it is not allowed to eat anything - everybody waits till the evening. And when the first star appears on the sky the whole family sits at the Christmas table to have the Holy supper. in the villages there is still preserved the tradition to ask all the nature forces to come and sit at the table together with the family: the head of the family stands on the threshold and says:
Frost, wind, snowstorm
Come to us to have the Holy supper together

He repeats this for 3 times and as nobody comes he says:
You have not come
So stay away of my house for the whole next year.
After this he checks the cattle and then the Holy supper can begin.

The Holy evening has rich but Lenten supper and in this way the mistress of the house tries somehow to make a report to the New Year about what has been done in the year that passed. For the Holy supper there should be 12 Lenten dishes - they symbolize 12 month of the year, or 12 apostles of the Jesus. Among them Uzwar (the drink that is made out of dried fruits), warenyky (boiled dough in a form of half-moon with different filling), mushrooms, borshch with ears (red beet soup with small warenyky with mushroom filling), and other... The main dish of Christmas time is Kutia. It comprises of boiled wheat, raisins, nuts, poppy-seeds, prunes, and honey. That is the first dish that should be eaten on the Christmas Eve when all the family gathers at the table and also on the other holidays of the Christmas time.

On the table under the table-cloth at for corners there people lay cloves of garlic to protect themselves from the evil forces. Except the plates for the members of the family there should be a plate for the spirits of the ancestors, where people lay all the food they eat. An integral part of Christmas decorations are the candle and Didukh - the magic tree that is made of wheat ears and of some other crops. Firstly - it symbolizes the spirits of the predecessors (in Ukrainian Did - means grandfather, Dukh - spirit), and secondly it is a symbol of welfare and good crops in the previous year.

The Holy supper - that is the supper of the whole family - even dead or missing members - they have to be together at this time. You even have to blow on your chair before sitting at the table not to sit down on some spirit.

After the Supper people, primarily children go from house to house singing Christmas carols - Koliadky) and wishing all the best to the mistress and master of the house. They make groups of several people that redress into Bible and folk characters and make short performances that tell the Story of Jesus birth - it is called Vertep. It is usual that even unfamiliar people can come to sing Christmas carols for you. Often the hosts make small gifts for the singers and performer
Good evening to you the master of the house, be happy
As the God's son has been born
That is the most popular Koliadka and every person in Ukraine knows it.

After Christmas Ukrainians have two more important and very interesting celebrations: they are the Old New Year - so called Shchedryy wechir (13th of January), and Vodohreshcha (the christening of the water - 19th of January).

As Ukraine lives according the so called religious old style (reform introduced by the Tsar Peter I and that should be changed) we have one more New Year according to this old style. At this Old New Year Eve Ukrainians have Generous evening. This time the family once again comes together but the dishes on the table are not Lenten any more. At this time only girls are allowed to sing the special songs that are called Shchedrivky.

And the last time in winter when the family has to be together to glorify the Christ - is on the eve before 19th of January. The whole family tries to be together once again and to eat Kutia for the third time. In the morning they go to the church to christen the water. This water will protect from all the evil that is around, and what is much more interesting that this water will be like a fresh one during all the year.

So come to Ukraine, celebrate and sing with us - here you will find bottomless source of real preserved folk traditions and a spirit of Christmas.