The Celebration of Christmas varies from person to person with many different traditions.
Artwork by Mia Nogueira
Christmas is a glorious holiday and each ethnicity celebrates it in its own unique way. Growing up in a Russian family I have become accustomed to our own rules and ways of celebrating the birth of Christ. Unlike many Western societies, we celebrate Christmas and the New Year twice per year, first time according to the Western calendar and the second time according to the Julian calendar. Julius Caesar, in Rome, used this calendar and its empire which included Russia, and many other European countries have kept the calendar.
These holidays are enjoyed by many people around the world, but in Russian culture Christmas and any other religious holidays were banned after the 1917 Revolution, but later were brought back in 1992. The Communist party at that time did not allow people to worship God and celebrate any of the religious holidays. But people still followed the customs even if it had to be done in secret. This is a reason why today Christmas and New Year in Russia is celebrated with immediate family only.
The Russian Orthodox Christmas runs from January 6th to the 7th, with many specific rules that are meant to be followed. On Christmas Eve, the family gathers together and begins the fasting that last usually until the first star appears in the sky. The dinner that follows is a celebration of its own. Because meat is not allowed at this dinner, Kutya -a type of porridge- is the primary dish.
When the first star appears, that is when the festivities truly begin. The food that is served is strictly Lenten, and served in a special manner; the dinner is called “The Holy Supper.” The whole family must gather around the table and drink red wine in honor of the coming Christ Child. In the center of the table there is usually a tall white candle that represents “The Light of the World.” By the candle there is a loaf of Lenten bread, “pagach,” which represents “The Bread of Life.”
As we get settled in our seats my father – head of the family – begins the holiday with a prayer. Then he greets everyone at the table by saying “Christ is born!” and we all respond “Glorify Him!” Then my mother steps in and blesses each person with honey in the form of a cross on each forehead, saying, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, may you have sweetness and many good things in life and in the new year.”
One by one, starting with the youngest, we rip a piece of the bread and dip it into honey and then chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness. This is when “The Holy Supper” officially begins. At the table there must be 12 different foods that represent the 12 Apostles:
1) Mushroom soup
2) Lenten bread (“pagach”)
3) Grated garlic
4) Bowl of honey
5) Baked cod
6) Fresh Apricots, Oranges, Figs and Dates
7) Nuts
8) Kidney beans seasoned with shredded potatoes, lots of garlic, salt and pepper
9) Peas
10) Parsley Potatoes
11) Bobal’ki (small biscuits)
12) Red Wine
After we finish dinner, no dishes are washed and we give Christmas presents to each other. We then all go to church and finish the night with prayers and blessing our friends. Also, Russians believe that this is the most proper time for fortune-telling and card reading. We, as a family, predict our life for the upcoming year. Our predictions show a good future, and we hope that everyone has a great upcoming year.
