Holiday Traditions Growing Up an FSU Gal

[Lily]

Just came home from another public rink in Toronto
 

[mendeleyev]

Christmas Eve, 6 January.

A treasured family tradition is to visit a monastery for the annual Christmas Eve midnight liturgy. A monastery service is a special experience and one that many find spiritually humbling and encouraging at the same time. On Christmas morning we'll return home to a bountiful feast with family and friends, celebrating the new birth of the Saviour.

After the 40 day Nativity fast with no meat, a traditional favourite sitting in the refrigerator is "Herring under a Fur Coat" which is a layered salad with salted herring covered with layers of grated boiled vegetables (potatoes, carrots, beet roots), chopped onions, and mayonnaise. Grated boiled beets covered with mayonnaise and garnished with grated boiled eggs on top gives the salad a rich purple color. This salad is very popular in Eastern Europe and Asia on holidays.

[JayH]

It is that time of the year again--thought it was worth a bump !! Merry Christmas to everyone !!

[jone]

It is a fun thread to revive.

I have felt very blessed to know so many good friends who live in or whose lives originated in Eastern Europe.

[mendeleyev]

On 6 January, Christmas Eve, many families observe what is called the "Holy Supper." This is the final meal of the 40 days of fasting without meat or dairy products. Some larger churches host such a meat for believers.

There are several themes running thru the "The Holy Supper:"

- A white tablecloth reminds the family that Christ was wrapped in cloths at this birth, and the white represents his purity.

- Straw or hay is spread around the table settings as a reminder that the Saviour of the world was born in a humble manger.  Our family puts little bit of straw in a bowl which is passed around the table as each person takes a handful to "decorate" around his/her place setting.

- Three candles in the center call to mind that his birth was at night and likely by candlelight.  The 3 candles represent the fact that with his birth was the idea of the "Trinity."

- There are 12 foods to serve, in a variety of colours, and these represent the 12 Apostles.

- When the family approaches the table they each take a piece of bread and eat it, a symbol that the family will share this meal together as part of a sacred holiday.

- Next everyone takes a small piece of garlic, dips it into honey and eats.  This combination of bitter/sweet is a symbol of how life is, yet a family together can support each other in those times.

- Next the host (or a priest if present) says an Orthodox prayer for the meal.  Then before being seated a small toast of wine is made (the only alcohol during the meal).  Wine is a symbol of Joy in the Christian Scriptures and this is the season of joy.

- Then the host (or a priest if present) sprinkles lightly some church 'holy water' over the gathered food as a blessing.

Traditionally, the "Holy Supper" consists of 12 different foods, symbolic of the 12 Apostles. Although there is also some variation in the foods from place to place and village to village, the following is a good summary of what is typically served.

In some families, the father begins the Christmas meal by leading the family in the Lord's Prayer, a prayer of thanksgiving for the blessings of the past year and for the good things to come in the new year. The head of the family greets those present with "Christ is Born!" - the traditional Russian Christmas greeting - and the family responds with "Glorify Him!" The Mother then draws a cross with honey on each person's forehead, saying a blessing - "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."

The Lenten bread (Pagach) is then broken and shared. The bread is dipped first in honey to symbolize the sweetness of life and then in chopped garlic to symbolize life's bitterness.


The twelve foods often consist of:
 - Mushroom soup with zaprashka; sometimes replaced with Sauerkraut soup
 - Lenten bread ("pagach")
 - Green cabbage leaves stuffed with seasoned sauerkraut, tomatoes, or peppers stuffed with rice/vegs.
 - Pickled herring with marinated onions
 - Baked cod and/or Shrimp (sometimes Salmon)
 - Fresh Apricots, Oranges, Nuts, Figs and Dates
 - Beet and potatoe vinigerette Salad
 - Kidney beans (slow cooked all day) seasoned with shredded potatoes, lots of garlic, salt and pepper to taste
 - Peas or Rice
 - Parsley Potatoes (boiled new potatoes with chopped parsley and margarine)
 - Bobal'ki (small biscuits combined with sauerkraut or poppyseed with honey)
 - Red Borsch

Some parishes allow fish at this meal, others limit the protein to shrimp but not fish.

Our family sometimes enjoys this meal at a women's monastery nearby our Moscow home.

[Lily]

Never heard of some of the dishes listed above ...     

[mendeleyev]

Orthodoxy is a world wide faith and given the русскоговорящая диаспора, is why I used the term often. 

Here are some menu suggestions for the Holy Supper:

http://orthodoxwiki.org/Holy_Supper

http://www.smachno.ua/dir/diets/7284.html

http://kramtp.info/news/16/full/id=13594

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-dish_Christmas_Eve_supper