The "Holy Supper"
Christmas is one of the most joyous
traditions for the celebration of Eve comes from the Russian tradition. On the
Eve of Christmas, it is traditional for all family members to gather to share a
special meal. The various foods and customs surrounding this meal differed in
Holy Russia from village to village and from family to family, but certain
aspects remained the same.
Once the first star has appeared in the sky, the festivities begin.
Although all of the food served is strictly Lenten, it is served in an
unusually festive and anticipatory manner and style. The Russians call this
meal: "The Holy Supper." The family gathers around the table to honor
the coming Christ Child.
Christmas Eve dinner is meatless but
festive. The most important ingredient is a special porridge called kutya. It
is made of wheatberries or other grains which symbolize hope and immortality,
and honey and poppy seeds which ensure happiness, success, and untroubled rest.
A ceremony involving the blessing of the home is frequently observed. The kutya
is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity. Some families used to throw a
spoonful of kutya up to the ceiling. According to tradition, if the kutya stuck,
there would be a plentiful honey harvest. |
Traditionally,
the "Holy Supper" consists of 12 different foods, symbolic of the 12
Apostles.
1) Mushroom soup with zaprashka;
this is often replaced with Sauerkraut 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 (slow cooked all day) seasoned
with shredded potatoes, lots of garlic, salt and pepper to taste
9) Peas
10) Parsley Potatoes (boiled new potatoes with
chopped parsley and margarine)
11) Bobal'ki (small biscuits combined with
sauerkraut or poppyseed with honey)
12) Red Wine
Meal
ReplyDeleteIn this Orthodox tradition, following 40 days of Nativity Lent, the birth of Christ is commemorated with a final Lenten feast. The placing of hay under the tablecloth is in memory of the manger in which the Holy Child was placed by His Mother at His birth. Completely Lenten, the supper consists of 7, 9 or 12 courses. A candle is lit and the head of the family leads in prayer. An extra place is always set -- for Jesus, either in Spirit, or in the form of a traveler or stranger, for none are turned away on this day without a warm invitation to partake of this Holy Supper.
The supper begins with a spoonful of the traditional Kutya, a cooked wheat or barley kasha, sweetened with honey, poppy seeds and chopped nuts -- for good fortune!
After supper, it is traditional for all to attend a Vesper Service, following which the choir may begin visiting homes to sing Christmas Carols.
Two may be chosen from each category -- except soup.
APPETIZERS: lkra (caviar), Kutya, Pick-led Mushrooms, Piroshki (with mushroom or sauerkraut filling), Herring (with beet and onion slices), Baklazhan (eggplant caviar).
SOUPS: Mushroom, Barley, Fish (with dumplings), Borscht, Cabbage, Vegetable.
FISH DISHES: Baked Pike, Trout or other, Fried Filet of Sole or Bluefish, Fish in Aspic, Stuffed Carp, Fishcakes, Fried Smelts, Boiled Lobster.
VEGETABLE DISHES: Potato Pancakes, Boiled Potato (with dill), Baked Sauer-kraut, Baked Sliced Beets, Potato Salad (with beets), Cauliflower (with bread crumbs and margarine topping), Lenten Cabbage Rolls, Pickled Baked Cabbage, "Malosolniyeh" Pickles (freshly dilled).
FRUIT & CAKE: Dried-fruit Compote, Cherry or Blueberry Vareniki, Poppy seed Cake or Roll. Nut Pudding, Apple Strudel, Kissel, Fruit Rolls.
BEVERAGES: Wine, Kvass, Russian Tea (served with preserves and lemon slices)
Holy Supper is a tradition of Slavic Orthodox Christians in central Europe and the western parts of Russia. It apparently is a practice introduced from Italy.
ReplyDeleteHoly Supper is a traditional lenten meal on the Eve of the Nativity of Our Lord (Christmas Eve). Since Christmas is preceded by forty days of fasting, the Holy Supper is the last meal of the fast. The twelve fasting foods usually served are: barley, honey, stewed prunes, pierogi, sauerkraut, potatoes, lima beans, garlic, Lenten bread, mushroom soup and salt. The meal begins with the singing of the Christmas troparion (a hymn) and the lighting of a candle placed in the center of the table. The candle symbolizes the star of Bethlehem. The bread is then broken by the father of the house and given to everyone present. This symbolizes Christ at the Last Supper. The foods range from bitter to sweet to remind us of the bitterness of life before Christ was born and the sweetness of life which comes after His birth. The number 12 symbolizes the twelve apostles. When the meal is finished all attend the Christmas Eve vigil.
The Holy Supper usually takes place in the home with the father leading the family in the prayer ritual. It begins with the youngest child reading the Nativity account from the gospel of St. Matthew 2:1-12. The father then starts with an opening prayer asking God to bless the bread, wine, and food. He then breaks the bread and passes it out to all present.
Some Orthodox believers preserve the family tradition where parishioners bring their favorite Nativity Lenten food and share it with all present. This family tradition began because it is in danger of being lost since families no longer live close together and few have the time to cook the necessary dishes. The priest who is the father of the church family performs the prayer ritual.
Priest: O Lord Jesus Christ our God, Who blessed the five loaves in the wilderness and with them You satisfied the five thousand, + bless this loaf, wine, and the food we are about to eat and multiply them in this city, and in all the world, and sanctify all the faithful who partake of them. For it is You, O Christ our God, Who bless and sanctify all things, and to You we ascribe glory, together with Your Father, Who is without beginning, and Your all-holy, and good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
People: Amen. Honey is placed on the forehead with the words:
All: May we love one another as the bee loves honey The cup of wine in passed around for each to drink:
All: Unite us in Faith and Love Bread is broken and passed to all. It is then dipped into the honey and eaten:
All: Let us love one another Garlic is eaten-( not pealed but cracked with the teeth)
All: May God Spare us from all Evil Twelve Lenten foods are eaten without knives or pepper. Pepper symbolizes arguments and knives the cutting of friendship
Closing Prayer: Priest: May He who was born in a cavern and lay in a manger for our salvation Christ our true God, through the prayers of the Holy Theotokos, of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Luke and of all the saints have mercy on and save us for He is good and loves mankind.
People: Amen
There are a few games which are played. While blindfolded prunes are speared with a fork. If two prunes are speared the single will get married, the married will become pregnant.
A candle is blown out gently. If the smoke rises straight up it means a year of good luck.
The Holy Supper usually takes place in the home with the Father leading the family in the prayer ritual. It begins with the youngest child reading the Nativity account from the gospel of St. Matthew 2:1-12. The Father then starts with an opening prayer asking God to bless the bread wine and food. He then breaks the bread and passes it out to all present.
ReplyDeleteAt St. Luke we preserved this family tradition in our church fellowship hall. Parishioners bring their favorite Nativity Lenten food and share with all present. We perform this family tradition because it is danger being lost since families no longer live close together and few have the time to cook the necessary dishes. The priest who is the father of the church family performs the prayer ritual.
It is a Russian tradition to have a holy supper on Christmas Eve. Since Christmas is preceded by forty days of fasting, this Holy Supper is the last meal of the Fast. The twelve fasting foods usually served are: barley, honey, stewed prunes, pierogi, sauerkraut, potatoes, lima beans, garlic, Lenten bread, mushroom soup and salt. The meal begins with the singing of the Christmas troparion (a hymn) and the lighting of a candle placed in the center of the table. The candle symbolizes the star of Bethlehem. The bread is then broken by the father of the house and given to everyone present. This symbolizes Christ at the Last Supper. The foods range from bitter to sweet to remind us of the bitterness of life before Christ was born and the sweetness of life which comes after His birth. The number 12 symbolizes the twelve apostles. When the meal is finished all attend the Christmas Eve vigil.
ReplyDeleteSince 1992, however, time-honored religious traditions and customs are once again observed openly and with relish. Russian Orthodox Christmas (Rozhdestvo) is celebrated on the Julian calendar date of Jan. 7 each year. Russian Christmas Eve is the last meatless meal of Advent as it is in Ukraine, Poland and other Slavic countries. In Russia, this Holy Supper is known as sochevnik (also solchelnik) or Rozhdestvenskyi sochelnik.
ReplyDeleteThe word sochevnik / solchenik derives from the word sochivo, a dish also known as kutya consisting of boiled wheat sweetened with honey. The meal begins only after the first star is spotted in the night sky, in remembrance of the Star of Bethlehem, which announced the impending birth of the Christ Child.
Hay is spread on the floors and tables to represent the Christ Child's manger, and as a way to augur good crops of horse feed for the coming year, in much the same way clucking noises are made to ensure the hens lay a bountiful supply of eggs. A white tablecloth, symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes, covers the table and a tall white candle is placed in the center symbolizing Christ as the light of the world. In some families who eat bread on this night, a large round loaf of Lenten bread, pagach, is placed next to the candle.
Advent is a period of fasting and so Christmas Eve supper is meatless and usually consists of 12 courses in honor of Christ's apostles. In very strict Orthodox families, fish, vegetable oil, and alcohol are not allowed, but in other families, they are permitted, but only red wine, not hard liquor.
ReplyDeleteThe meal begins with the Lord's Prayer, led by the father of the family. A prayer of thanksgiving for all the blessings of the past year is said and then prayers for the good things in the coming year are offered. The mother of the family blesses each person present 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."
After this, if bread is consumed, it is dipped first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey symbolizes the sweetness of life, while garlic symbolizes the bitterness of life. After dinner, the dishes are left unwashed and the Christmas presents are opened. Then the family goes to church, coming home between 2 and 3 a.m. Christmas Day is spent with family and friends, feasting on roasted piglet, drinking, singing and generally making merry.
Kutya or sochivo is also known as kutia, koljivo, colivă, koliva, and more depending on which country you happen to be in. This first-course Christmas Eve pudding of sorts is made with wheatberries, or other grains or legumes like rice, barley or beans, that are sweetened with honey and sometimes augmented with poppy seeds, dried fruits and nuts. The kutya is eaten from a common dish to symbolize unity and, in some families, a spoonful of kutya is thrown up to the ceiling. If it sticks, a plentiful honey harvest can be expected.
DeleteFor some Orthodox Russians, the only beverages allowed on Christmas Eve are nonalcoholic like Russian spiced tea and sbiten, a traditional Russian winter beverage made with fruit jams, honey, cinnamon and flavors of choice. It is typically served steaming hot from a samovar. It can be made alcoholic by substituting red wine for the water when it becomes a type of mulled wine. Another favorite alcoholic beverage for the holidays is a nalivka (a cordial similar to Polish nalewka) made with figs, dates, walnuts, cinnamon, vanilla, cardamom, lemon peel and sugar steeped in cognac. This drink is made at least three weeks before the holidays and often given away as gifts.
ReplyDeleteDessert on Christmas Eve in the strictest Russian Orthodox households is just dried fruits and nuts or a fruit compote known as vzvar, which means "boil up" and is virtually identical to Polish Kompot. This sweet concoction made of dried fruits, like apples, pears, sour cherries, prunes, currants, raspberries, gooseberries and raisins, is mixed with honey and sometimes spices and boiled in water. It's half drink, half stewed fruit. Vzvar is a ritual drink served to celebrate new arrivals, so it symbolizes the birth of the Baby Jesus into the world. Some families serve more elaborate desserts like pryaniki (gingerbread cookies), animal-shaped gingerbread kozuli or kolyadki. Kolyadki are Russian Christmas cookies made, usually, with rye flour and filled with curd cheese. They were traditionally given to strolling Christmas carolers dressed as manger animals who went from door to door in rural villages singing kolyadki.
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