12 Ukrainian dishes served on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve festive dinner, which is on 6 January, has a lot of traditions and customs. In this article we will discuss the one, according to which it is a must to have 12 different dishes to honour the twelve apostles.
You should try a bit of each dish not to be hungry. However, it is not allowed to eat up all the dishes not to make the fridge stay empty.
The first evening star lets the people know about the great wonder — the birth of Christ. So this is when the festive dinner can start with lighting a candle and saying a prayer.
After the dinner, which usually lasts for 3 or 4 hours, some of the dishes are left on the table for the spirits of dead relatives who are believed to come for the Christmas Eve dinner.
Every dish for the festive table is cooked lean, i.e. without any eggs, sour cream, milk, butter and, of course, without meat. Let us look closer at the traditional Christmas Eve festive dishes and their meaning.
- Kutia.
Number one Ukrainian dish served at Christmas Eve dinner is kutia. It is a kind of porridge, which consists of boiled wheat mixed with honey and poppy seeds. This dish is a sacrifice to God as poppy seeds symbolise martyrs and innocent blood, while honey is the symbol of clearance and word of God.
2. Peas.
Being the symbol of God rise, which always reborns in a person after a failure, peas are also the product, which is found on the Christmas Eve table in different variations: most usually mashed or tinned.
3. Kapustniak (cabbage soup).
Cabbage is usually the symbol of plainness and strength as well as unity around the firm core.
4. Borscht.
This Ukrainian dish does not need any special introduction. However the reason why it is on the festive table is that borscht symbolises the triumph of good. The housewife usually cooks borscht with plain plants, which the earth gives to her. In the same way a Christian person raises their faith with everyday little practices at home or in a good Christian society.
Christmas borscht is made with beetroot juice and has dark-red colour, which also symbolises the blood of Bethlehem babies killed by the order of Herod.
5. Holubtsi (cabbage rolls).
Another Ukrainian dish, which is traditional for the festive Christmas Eve dinner is holubtsi. In Ukrainian “holub” means “dove”, and dove is the symbol of the love of God, Holy Spirit, the symbol of beauty and strength, received from the Creator of the universe.
6. Fish.
In early christianity fish used to be the symbol of Christ. And three fishes interwined, or three fishes with one head symbolise the Holy Trinity. That is why any fish dishes are a usual part of the festive dinner.
7. Vareniki (pierogi).
This Ukrainian dish is the symbol of wealth. God assigned the place for a human in the Kingdom of God saying that this is where they feel as good as a varenik in butter.
8. Pancakes.
Pancakes are a kind of a symbol of the sun. Christians see Jesus Christ as the new Sun.
9. Gruel.
Gruel symbolises the continuation of the bloodline. Christians are God people, who see the birth of Jesus as the continuation of their line. Gruel is the symbol of the poeple’s unity thanks to the son of God.
10. Pyrizhky (patties).
Patties are the Ukrainian dish, which is the symbol of health and happiness, which a man can get taking care of the newborn Jesus.
11. Uzvar, water.
Uzvar is a kind of compote made with dried fruit. It is the symbol of life; while water is the symbol of body and soul clarification.
12. Pampushky (donuts).
Donuts symbolise the saints, who believed in Jesus and got eternal life in the sky. There are millions of them and every person has the right to get a sweet, full, eternal life. In Ukrainian the word “sviato” (holiday) derives from the word “sviatyi” (saint); this is why a pampukh is the symbol of celebration and joy, which God gave to people.
As you can see, every Ukrainian dish, found on the Christmas Eve festive table is not just a “celebration for the stomach”. Every dish has its own meaning and shows how Ukrainian people honour this glorious feast — the birth of the son of God.
