Many Orthodox people are familiar with the tradition of carrying the evening meal to close relatives and godfathers on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, wishing them good evening. However, not everyone knows where this rite comes from, what is its meaning. When is the supper worn and how should it be done correctly? What is usually in a festive holy evening basket, who and to whom should present it? Let's try to figure it out.
Where did the tradition of wearing the supper come from?
The ancient Little Russian ritual of wearing the supper actually has pagan roots. The ritual treat, which was customary to exchange with the closest blood relatives, as well as send to the midwife, symbolized the spiritual unity of families, their disposition towards each other, mutual sympathy and generosity.
Christianity readily adopted this rite. The manifestation of the desire to visit godfathers, dear and close people has become entrenched in the traditions of the Holy Evening on the eve of Christmas, when they wear the supper. This ritual action is not mandatory, but it is welcomed and encouraged by the church.
What is the date of the supper
According to acceptedtraditions, it is customary to carry the supper on the sixth of January - on the eve of the celebration of Orthodox Christmas. Godchildren bring treats to their godparents, spend several hours visiting them, after which they go home to celebrate Christmas at their own family table. It is not forbidden, of course, to visit relatives with gifts and later, on Christmas day itself. And yet, Christmas Eve is supposed to be considered the time when the supper is worn, otherwise it will already be just congratulations to loved ones on the holiday.
Who is supposed to wear the supper?
According to the rules, children should wear the supper. It is supposed to be passed on to close blood relatives and godfathers, and the latter without fail.
When meeting on Christmas Eve, it is customary to greet each other with the words "Christ is born!" and hear the answer "Glory to him!". With this phrase they also enter the house when they carry the supper. The godchildren first treat the godfather, then the godmother, handing them a basket with gifts with the words: "Mom and tato sent a supper. Good evening!".
The Supper is considered a symbolic gratitude to the godparents for taking responsibility, caring to pray for the child and spiritually instruct him. In response, the godparents also thank the children, handing them coins and sweets - pies, nuts, sweets (for having informed), and also in return they give them several ritual dishes.
What do godfathers wear to supper
What does the Yuletide consist ofritual meal? As a rule, what is worn to the godfathers in accordance with the old tradition is kutya, uzvar (uzvar) and bread. Kutya is called porridge, originally prepared from threshed wheat or barley with the addition of honey, poppy seeds, raisins and nuts. It was believed that the more satisfying and richer the Christmas kutya turned out to be, the more prosperity and prosperity there would be in the family in the coming year. Uzvar was a compote made from several types of dried fruits: cherries, apples, plums, pears - a traditional Ukrainian recipe that has hardly changed in our days. Well, not a single important family holiday has ever done without a round fragrant palanica, symbolizing generosity, hospitality and diligence.
It doesn't have to be limited to traditional ritual cuisine. Evenings can be homemade cakes, various dishes from fruits and vegetables. If there are small children in the family to whom the supper is being served, you can put sweets in a basket with a treat. However, in principle, there are no special or mandatory rules regarding holiday gifts - you can please your loved ones with whatever your heart desires.
What is served on the table on the Holy Evening
Holy evening marks the end of Advent. It is supposed that on this day there were twelve Lenten dishes on the festive table - in honor of the twelve apostles who took part in the Last Supper.
Just as among the dishes that are worn at the godfather's supper, kutya and uzvar have always been the main ones on the Christmas table. In addition to them for dinner traditionallythey served cabbage with millet seasoned with vegetable oil, borscht with mushrooms and fish, millet or buckwheat porridge prepared in a special way. Traditionally, a lot of attention was paid to fish dishes: the gifts of the rivers were fried and cooled, they were used as a filling for pies and kulebyak. In addition, a festive meal rarely did without boiled peas or beans, fried mushrooms, cabbage rolls, dumplings, lean pies with various fillings. All the dishes served on the table on Christmas Eve had a magical function - to ensure the well-being of the family for the coming year. Therefore, it was customary to collect a rich table, and they began to prepare treats for the holiday in advance.
Signs and beliefs
Holy evening is traditionally supposed to be celebrated with your own family. If guests are inevitable, then a happy person should be the first to enter the house, blessing all its inhabitants for happiness in the coming year.
Since ancient times, it was believed that Christmas should be celebrated in beautiful clothes, putting new dishes on the table. You can’t be late for the festive table: the violator will have to wander in the far side for the whole next year.
During the festive feast, it was not allowed to jump up abruptly from the table, shout and talk loudly - it was believed that this could scare away luck from the family.
It was customary to leave the dishes with kutya on the table after dinner. In addition, family members left their spoons in a common pot so that at night the souls of their ancestors, who, according to legend, descended to earth that night, could feast on refreshments.
