Christmas is a beautiful holiday full of customs and traditions, which is celebrated in Ukraine on a grand scale.
Since ancient times, the Church has counted the celebration of Christmas before the greatest event – the birth of Jesus Christ. Believers honor this holiday and try to observe all the customs and traditions that have been formed for centuries. But in Ukraine, even people who are not very religious like the Christmas period and do not mind immersing themselves in the appropriate atmosphere.
The history of the celebration on the eve of Christmas goes back to the first centuries of Christianity. Christmas traditions have been passed down from generation to generation. Christmas is considered a family holiday and is traditionally celebrated in the family circle. It can be said that the period of preparation for Christmas is a God-blessed time to forget old grudges, to apologize to those we may have offended, to thank those who have done us good or simply been by our side during this year. In the evening, solemn religious services begin in the temples, reminding of the great event that began the countdown to the new era.
Preparation for Holy evening.Ukraine has been preparing for Christmas since the summer. During the harvest, the first, and in some localities, the last sheaf of grain (rye or wheat) was left unthreshed. A few stalks of other cereals were also added to it and tied with one, two, or sometimes three oars. This sheaf was brought into the house on Christmas Eve.
Festive dinner dishes.To celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas, many types of bread were baked, which had different names (korun, krachun, kraichun, kerechun, knysh, kalach, strutslia and just bread) and shapes, depending on the region, and were baked from different flours, could be unleavened or seasoned (it was not consumed during dinner, but simply put on the table).
The tradition of bringing grandfather and preparing the table. The next step is the tradition of introducing the grandfather. The master, taking off his hat and crossing himself, took the grandfather and a bundle of hay, and the son – two bundles. At the same time, they shook the hay, and the father reprimanded: “Let the hay shake, let it feed the lean. May it be gentle for the souls, may it be gentle for the Holy Child and the thin woman to lie on the hay!”. They entered the house and the father said the following words: “The holidays are coming!”. – “The holidays have come!” – answered the son after the father. “We respect and ask grandfather and you to visit the Lord!” – replied the mother.
Christmas star. When the first star appeared in the sky, even then the family could sit down to the table after a day of strict fasting, during which no one was allowed to eat, except the little children, who were given a little boiled potato. However, before sitting down, everyone blew on the place on the bench so as not to suffocate the souls that were believed to come to the house on Christmas Eve.
Ukrainians have long been preparing very carefully for Holy Evening and Christmas. People believed that these days are the beginning of a new business year. Therefore, on the eve of Christmas, it was customary to perform a number of mandatory rites, which, according to belief, should ensure happiness, peace and wealth for the whole family. These rites have been passed down from generation to generation for so long that many have forgotten their meaning.
In some areas of the Western part of Ukraine, it was customary to wash in a vessel with pennies. “Someone did it in order to have money like water, someone – to be healthy like money,” says the researcher. The pennies that were thrown into the water were later given to the smallest of the children. There were also beliefs that bathing in money was a sin. Because money is evil. On Christmas Eve, it was also a tradition to smoke the house and consecrate it with holy water. Also, holy water was served on the table, which had to be drunk before dinner.
In the system of Christmas customs, there are a number of fortune-telling, which gave an opportunity to look into the future. “In fact, fortune-telling was done not only on Andrii or Melanka, but also on Holy Evening. They threw a spoon with a corner to the ceiling and if the grain did not fall, then the harvest would be good. If the kutya falls on the side, it’s bad.
Today they often like to joke that if the carolers are walking, people turn off the lights in the house. Only people know whether it is true or a joke. But it is interesting that once on the contrary – carolers were invited in all kinds of ways to come and sing carols: “If many carolers came to the house during the holidays, they were proud of it. If carolers for certain reasons bypassed someone’s house, it was considered a great shame and shame. And the whole village was buzzing about it for another six months.”
