Many people hear the word "Christmas Eve" on Christmas Eve. But during the year there are several Christmas Eve: before the Annunciation, on the eve of the memory of Fyodor Tiron, the first Saturday of Great Lent.
Christmas Eve is an evening on the eve of a great church holiday. The name this time received from the dish "found." For its preparation, wheat grains were soaked in water or seed juice. In some homes, wheat was replaced with peas, lentils, or barley. To make the dish sweet, fruits and honey were added.
Christmas Eve Traditions
The housewives especially carefully prepared for Christmas Eve before Christmas, one of the most important Christian holidays. According to tradition, you cannot sit on Christmas Eve until the first star, it symbolizes the birth of Jesus Christ. After the rising of the star, the table was covered with a snow-white tablecloth, the house was decorated with hay, and the housewives prepared 12 dishes, among which were Uzvar, Kutia and Kissel. On the festive table they put meat dishes, pies, pancakes, dried berries, pickles, pies and grilled sausages.
Dishes for Christmas Eve are not chosen by chance: soaked wheat grains - a symbol of the beginning of a new life, jelly from ripe fruits - the full maturation of life and its end. Thus, wheat and jelly grains are symbols of birth and death.
On Christmas Eve, it is customary to help people in need with clothing, money and food. It is believed that on this day God sees all good deeds and rejoices. If you do good tonight, it will certainly come back and multiply.
Epiphany Christmas Eve is January 18th. Before the holiday, you can only eat lean dishes: porridge, juicy berries, vegetable pancakes, compote and bread. On Christmas Eve, people collect holy water, which heals from diseases.
Fortune telling on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve for young people is not only a feast and church traditions, but also fortune-telling on the night before the holiday. This time is the most favorable for predicting the future, each sacrament is held with a burning candle, which drives away evil forces and evil spirits, helps to fulfill wishes and dreams. The girls divined the ring, the name of the betrothed, did fortune-telling, used coffee grounds, pets, fruits, berries, etc. in secret rituals.
On Christmas Eve's evening, boys and girls dressed up, gathered in carols, went home, sang songs and received treats. On Epiphany Eve you can’t lend money and take things out of the house. And if a bird flew to the window, it means that deceased relatives are asking for prayer for them.
Christmas Eve - the evening before the church holiday, a time when you need to escape from the worldly bustle and gather the whole family at the table.
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