Christmas
Description:
Christmas Eve, or the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, is celebrated by Orthodox believers on January 6. The name of the holiday - Christmas Eve - comes from the special food prescribed for this day by the church charter - sochiva: soaked and boiled grains of wheat or rice, often with honey, as well as beans, peas and vegetables.
According to tradition, Christmas Eve dinner is generous, but lean, consisting of 12 courses in honor of the twelve apostles. On this day, upon arrival from the temple after the morning service, believers refrain from eating until the first star appears in the sky, which symbolizes the star that rose over Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth.
On the night of January 6-7, Christmas services are held in Orthodox churches.
According to the calendar of the Orthodox confession in Belarus, Christmas celebrates more than 80% of the total faithful population.
Traditionally, from pre-Christian time in Belarus, January 6-7 - First Kolyada - the end of the six-day Pilipovsky fast, the beginning of holidays and evenings. This holiday is known to everyone under the name “Big Kutya”, which was celebrated in honor of the winter solstice (December 24 according to the old style). Later, a significant imprint on the ancient pagan holiday of Kolyada left traditional Christian ideas. The second kutya (Generous or Rich Kutya) was celebrated a week later on the eve of the New Year on December 31 in the old style. The third Kutya completed the holidays of Kolyada on January 6 in the old style.
There were numerous folk signs associated with the weather on Kolyady (Christmas). When, for example, the first day of Kolyad is clear, it will be a poor harvest year, and if it is gloomy, snow is harvestable. If on a carol evening and at night there are many stars in the sky - in summer there will be many mushrooms; if in the other half of the day hail showers - peas will be big, if snow - bees will swarm well.
