It is this magical holiday – Christmas, Ukrainian women would like to meet with a beloved man, to whom she can tell how much she loves him, appreciates and cares about him and all dreams come true on this holiday.

Christmas is a family holiday when all family members get together and have fun. Unlike Western traditions, Ukrainians do not exchange gifts for Christmas. Christmas is a religious holiday with a Christmas meal.

Holy Evening

Ukrainians call the evening before Christmas a holy evening when the whole family eats the Holy Supper together. According to Ukrainian customs, exactly 12 different traditional dishes should be on the table on Christmas Eve. When the first star appears in the sky - the Star of Bethlehem, the whole family starts the Christmas meal. After the prayer, all family members try kutya. Kutia is a traditional Christmas dish made from wheat, honey, and grated poppy seeds. A rich evening consists of dumplings, vegetables, borscht, sauerkraut, herring, and many other dishes.

On Christmas eve, Ukrainians attend church, some pray all night, sing Christmas songs and congratulate each other: "Christ was born! Praise Him!"At Christmas, Ukrainians sing Christmas carols, they wish each other a lot of love, joy and all the best to this house. In the eyes of their happiness, all Ukrainians rejoice at the birth of God's son.