On Christmas Eve it is customary to hold services from sunset to dawn. Christians also observe the Advent fast on this day, which has its own restrictions on the consumption of food and the behavior of fasting people.
In churches on December 24 at night, before dawn and on the day of December 25, three liturgies are celebrated. Christmas is celebrated as the birth of the Word from God the Father (at night), God the Son from the Virgin (at dawn) and the birth of God in the soul of believers (by day).
Christmas Eve is the final day of the great Advent. According to folk tradition, people did not sit down at the table and did not eat anything until the "evening dawn came down", because according to legend, it was this first star that announced the birth of Jesus Christ to the Magi.
Since the Catholics continue the Christmas fast, in the center of the table the hostess puts consecrated unleavened bread - Christmas wafers. It is customary to eat it only after the liturgy. Before sitting down at the table on Christmas Eve, everyone prays together, and then the head of the family reads aloud a passage from the Gospel of Luke tells about the birth of Jesus Christ. Subsequently, all those present at the table take pieces of the wafer and, wishing good and peace, share them with each other. Pieces of such bread symbolize the body of the Lord and are reminiscent of how Jesus Christ shared food with his disciples during the Last Supper. On this day, compote, dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms, and sweet pies are also served at the festive table.
Another of the most popular Christmas Eve traditions among Catholics is to leave one empty seat at the festive table. Any person who visits the house must be received as a brother. This tradition calls for remembering those who cannot celebrate Christmas with their families.
In Ukraine, Christmas traditions are usually combined with ancient sacraments and church customs. Therefore, it is very important that the Holy Supper consists of 12 Lenten dishes that are made in honor of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ. Be sure to have kutya on the table. Among the people, the grain from which kutya is prepared symbolizes the resurrection and eternal life. Poppy and walnut are a symbol of abundance and fertility, and honey is a symbol of good health and prosperity. Also on the table should be dishes: borscht, mushrooms, fish, dumplings with beans and cabbage, potatoes and compote.
At Christmas, they put up a Christmas tree, decorated with the Star of Bethlehem on top. Various sweets are hung on the branches of a tree for children, and gifts are placed under the very Christmas tree. In some regions, an authentic Ukrainian symbol of Christmas grandfather is put on the table. It looks like a sheaf of wheat or oats of a special shape: with three, five or seven legs and a large number of knots. Among the people, it symbolizes a rich harvest, prosperity, immortality of ancestors and amulets of the family😍😍😍.