One of the most revered holidays in Ukraine has always been Christmas, or Kolyada (an older, pre-Christian holiday). To answer the question of how to celebrate the Nativity of Christ, one must understand the very essence of this dualistic celebration. It mixed pagan echoes of the birth of a new sun and the Christian legend of the birth of the Son of God. Such parallel motives explain the wealth of rituals and traditions of our people, in which there is a place for appeasing the spirits of deceased relatives, and fortune-telling, and wishes for the next year, and religious prayer, and fasting until the first star.

How should this great day be celebrated so as not to violate the traditions of the ancestors and ensure the favor of fortune for the next year, Styler will tell.

Traditions of celebrating Christmas in Ukraine
Much has been written about how Christmas is celebrated in Ukraine. Ethnographers and historians, starting from the 19th century, have been collecting material, thanks to which we can, if desired, revive many traditions lost over the past century. But, fortunately, something has been preserved in our families and is still being carefully passed from grandmothers to grandchildren.

Celebration of Christmas in the cities of UkrainePhoto: Celebration of Christmas in the cities of Ukraine (facebook.com)

Traditionally, they start preparing for Christmas the day before, because January 6 is Holy Evening, when the whole family should gather at a lean but rich table. A few days before this, everything is washed and cleaned, the housing is decorated with festive towels, straw amulets (spiders), they bring in and put on a pokut (holy corner) didukh - a sheaf of wheat, intricately decorated with ribbons.

Dishes on the Christmas table
Customs for Christmas suggest that the housewives will prepare 12 Lenten dishes in the morning. It can be borsch with mushrooms, dumplings with various fillings, pies, fish dishes and much more.

Kutya - the main dish of the festive tablePhoto: Kutya - the main dish of the festive table (facebook.com/kakadurestaurant)

But the main things that evening were and still are kutya and uzvar. Kutya was supposed to be rich - from wheat, with poppy seeds, honey, nuts. Now raisins, dried apricots, candied fruits are often added to it, but the main ingredient - wheat - remains unchanged. Those who cook it from rice make a very gross mistake, because they traditionally prepared a memorial treat - "eve" from rice cereals, and such a dish has no place on the festive table dedicated to the birth of Christ.

On this day, adults did not eat until the first evening star rose, symbolizing the birth of Jesus and the radiance of the Star of Bethlehem. Children were allowed to eat a little at lunch. By evening, all family members in festive clothes gathered at a table laden with treats.

Christmas traditions in Ukraine required the head of the family to "hide" behind a dish of pies and ask the children if they could see it. To this, the children had to answer that they were not visible, and then the head of the family wished that there was always prosperity in the house, so that the table could not be seen behind the pies. They began the meal with a joint prayer, and everyone first took kutya, and then proceeded to other dishes. In some regions, it was customary to throw the first spoonful of kuti to the ceiling (to make a sacrifice to the spirits of deceased relatives who are invisibly present at dinner).

carols
Further, the celebration of Christmas in Ukraine went beyond the family, because after dinner, children and youth gathered in groups to continue it in each hut, where they began to carol - walk around the huts with a star and perform ritual songs - carols, for example:

Good evening to you
affectionate host,
Rejoice, rejoice earth
The Son of God was born into the world.

In these songs, carolers talked about a wonderful event that happened that night, wished happiness and health to the owners - and in return they received a generous treat. It was believed that you need to go to everyone, otherwise there will be no joy in the house where the foot of carolers has not set foot.

By midnight, everyone returned home so as not to "wander around the world" all next year, and the next day brought a generous feast and continued festivities: winter entertainment, nativity scenes, visits to relatives lasted 12 days - the so-called Christmas time (until Baptism).