Ukrainian Christmas Eve Tradition
Ukrainian Christmas Eve is not only very rich in traditional foods prepared freshly that day (today in our busy lifestyle most of us prepare many food items ahead of time), and shared by the family during the Christmas Eve 12-course meatless dinner, but also myriad traditions are practiced before and after the meal.
This holiday was a lot of fun for children in the olden days, especially village children, as they had more freedom to frolic in the straw and hay brought into the home, and strayed over the floor and on the dinner table. This was done to experience the nontraditional environment Mother Mary and Joseph faced that night, as they were searching for a place for Mary to give birth to baby Jesus.
Once the meal was ready, the children were asked to watch the sky for the appearance of the brightest star, which was a sign that Jesus was born. At that time the head of the household, normally the father or the grandfather, would bring in a beautifully arranged sheaf of wheat, called Didukh, and greet the whole family with a special Christmas greeting. The “Didukh” would then be placed in the corner of the dining room.
Nowadays, we usually have a flower arrangement with wheat stalks, or a dainty, miniature sheaf of wheat tied neatly with a red ribbon and displayed in the home.
The above-displayed picture of a miniature Ukrainian Ceramic Vase with Oats stalks is my family replica of this Christmas tradition. These Oats were grown on my Grandfather’s farm in Europe and brought here on my last family visit.
My family in Europe used to make their Didukh for Christmas Eve out of a sheaf of Oats, rather than a sheaf of Wheat. On New Year’s Day the oat grains were removed from the Didukh and the youngest boy in the family would bring them to his grandparents and godparents to greet them with a specil greeting to bring prosperity, health, and good luck, in the New Year. He would be rewarded with tasty baked goods and money. The sheaf remained in our home until the Jordan Water Blessing Day (Epiphany/Theophany), after which time it was sprinkled with the freshly blessed water brought from the church, then fed to the farm animals.
In the city, these traditions were not possible to follow, due to the small living space, so a handful of hay was placed in the middle of the table, or under a freshly pressed white tablecloth, rather than strewn all over the floor.
Kolach, a special bread adorned with a burning candle, takes center stage on the dinner table. A picture of this kolach was taken at a cultural display during a Ukrainian Festival in PA, prepared by a friend of mine.
On the other side of the Kolach is a dish of honey, accompanied by chunks of bread, and peeled cloves of garlic (I use chopped garlic in flaxseed oil). Our family plate also contains a special Christmas Eve Wafer (Oplatek), normally used by Roman Catholics to share on Christmas Eve. These wafers are sent to me by my family members from Europe who follow Roman Catholic traditions, as this unites us all together at least in spirit, on Christmas Eve.
After our prayer before the Christmas Eve meal, this dish is passed around the table to partake and greet eachother with a special greeting “Khrystos Narodyvsia” – Christ Is Born, with an appropriate reply “Slavyty Yoho” – Glorify Him.
Another very important food item that evening is the Kutia. A whole wheat grain dish, cooked and flavored with honey, poppy seeds, walnuts, raisins, or craisins.
For those who are gluten intolerant I have a recipe for gluten-free Kutia.
In the past, the head of the household, would take a spoonful of the Kutia and toss it toward the ceiling, because the more grains reaching and sticking to the ceiling the more bountiful the future crop would be. This tradition died out over the years, for practical reasons of course.
The next dish served is the Christmas Eve Borscht with Vushka.
These special traditional foods are followed by, several different fish dishes, including pickled herrings, a must on Christmas Eve.
Pickled Herrings (made in Canada..:-)….I am not a big fan of herrings, so I do not pickle my own at home)
Mahi Mahi in Veggie Casserole.
Next, you will be served varenyky (pierogi) with various fillings, or very tasty gluten-free varenyky, if that is your preference. These are followed by meatless holubtsi (cabbage rolls) filled with rice/mushroom filling, or buckwheat filling. There is always plenty of very tasty mushroom gravy made out of really flavorful imported dried mushrooms to smother on your holubtsi or verenyky. There also may be a casserole of cabbage with beans, other bean dishes, as well as pickled mushrooms.
Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls – Holubtsi
These could also be filled with cooked buckwheat flavored with sauteed onions, salt, and pepper, or with cooked rice mixed with sauteed mushrooms, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. We use oil for sauteeing since dairy products should not be included in the Holy Supper on Christmas Eve.
The traditional drink with Christmas Eve meal is Uzvar, which is a fruity drink cooked out of various dried fruits and sweetened with sugar or honey. If you are not a big fan of Uzvar, you may opt for compote , which is also a cooked fruit drink out of fresh fruits, or a mix of fresh and dried fruits. I usually sweeten my compote with strawberry or cherry jello powder.
Once all the traditional dishes have been served, the delicious desserts are brought in, which include honey cake, pampushky (ponchyky, paczki), Angel Wings (Verkhuny, Chrusty), and platters of cookies.
Pampushky (homemade donuts) were my mom’s favorite dessert, prepared just before Christmas Eve dinner, so they were very fresh and absolutely delicious to enjoy after the meal.
I have a quicker recipe for doughnuts if you wish to try it.
After dinner, the whole family gathers around the Christmas Tree to sing Christmas Carols (Kolady).
Ukrainians normally do not exchange gifts on Christmas, since they already received gifts from St. Nicholas on December 6th, but in the Diaspora, the children receive small gifts from St. Nicholas, and then additional gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve after dinner, followed by attending the midnight liturgy, which everyone is obligated and encouraged to attend.
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