For many, the day of the Nativity of Christ is even more festive than the New Year. This is especially true for people who profess Orthodoxy or Catholicism. Despite the church roots of the holiday, everyone wants to celebrate it cheerfully. We offer several options on how to do this without breaking traditions.
History of the holiday
In fact, there is no exact date of the birth of Christ in the Holy Scriptures. It was chosen conventionally back in ancient Roman times. Until the 4th century, Christmas was celebrated on January 6, the day of the baptism of Jesus in Jordan in the old style.
Over time, there was some division associated with the change in the calendar. Simply put, the holiday is the same, but due to the different chronology, it falls on different days. Catholic Christmas is celebrated on December 25, and Orthodox Christmas on January 7.
There are very few fundamental differences:
- Catholics observe a less strict fast and, in general, pay more attention to the holiday of Christ’s birth, rather than his resurrection. Also, the date is superimposed on the tradition of expecting gifts from St. Nicholas or Santa Claus. Adults give presents to each other. Catholics have 3 masses (services) on this day.
- Orthodox Christians focus on Easter, not Christmas. Gifts are given mainly to children. On the evening before the holiday, a long and strict fast ends. A traditional 12-course table is set on Holy Eve, but before dinner they starve all day, starting a meal only with the appearance of the first star in the sky. Only one long service is held, which lasts until Christmas morning.
Now the Nativity of Christ in Ukraine is more of a church rather than a family holiday. After the formation of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, it is expected that the Ukrainians will switch to the “European” date, that is, they will also start celebrating on December 25th. But so far, the date has not been officially postponed.
How to celebrate Christmas well with your family
Regardless of which tradition you are in, you can celebrate the holiday in different ways. Most often, families gather on this date, invite relatives and very close friends, godmothers and godchildren.
What not to do:
- sew, knit, weave;
- clean up, wash, repair;
- swear, gossip.
Since ancient times, it was customary to have a rest at Christmas. Usually, the day was devoted to communicating with relatives, going on a visit or spending time with the family. Nowadays, you can go for a walk, go to the cinema or go to the skating rink. Crafts and household tasks remain banned, so you need to sew up outfits or put things in order in advance.
There are several options for how to have a great rest and not break the tradition:
- Get together at home in a narrow circle.
- Throw a party with relatives.
- Spend an evening in a restaurant.
- Go for a walk and finish your meal at home.
- Go on a Christmas trip.
Of course, there are pros and cons to each option. You will have to prepare for the arrival of guests, think about a festive feast. If you go to your friends, you need to choose a gift for the owners of the house. Coming to visit at Christmas empty-handed is a sign of bad taste.
You will need funds for dinner at a restaurant or a walk. And getting all the relatives together can be difficult. In addition, you may simply not agree on tastes for entertainment.
Travellingclean up at Christmas is a very interesting option for friends who communicate with families, or for families with children. These are new impressions, lack of everyday worries, a change of scenery. But even a short weekend requires a lot of preparation and financial investment.
Traditional Christmas table and gifts
Even the most collected person on the eve of long holidays is worried about two questions: what to cook and what to give? In both cases, you want to succeed without spending a lot of time and money. We offer a traditional Christmas menu and presents that will delight almost everyone.
Culinary traditions
Each housewife has her own proven set of dishes to prepare for Christmas. Lenten dishes are part of the table: vegetable salads, pickles, pastries without milk and eggs. Those who have not fasted can prepare their favourite meals. Olivier salad, jellied meat, and other familiar New Year’s delicacies appear on the Christmas table.
In Europe, goose baked with apples is served. Turkey is popular in the USA and Canada. Some cook fish or duck in the oven. In countries with warmer climates, seafood is popular.
And the traditional Christmas table in Ukraine includes 12 meatless dishes:
- Kutya.
- Uzvar.
- The vinaigrette.
- Pickles.
- Lean dumplings with potatoes.
- Cabbage (or lean borscht).
- Cabbage rolls with mushrooms and millet.
- Vegetable stew.
- Fish (allowed in the non-strict fasting variant).
- Pies.
- Fritters.
- Baked apples.
Fruits, sweets and various drinks also appear on the table. In addition to the uzvar, you can make jelly, make homemade mulled wine or punch.
Christmas cookies
They can diversify traditional dishes on the festive table, or they can be put in small boxes and presented to guests.
What you need:
- flour – 300 g;
- sugar – 100 g;
- baking powder – 1 tsp;
- vanillin to taste;
- butter – 150 g;
- egg – 1 pc.
Preparation:
- Mix flour, vanillin, sugar and baking powder in a deep bowl.
- Cut the butter into pieces and add to the dry ingredients.
- Mix everything into crumbs with a mixer or with your hands.
- Add the egg and knead the dough.
- Wrap the dough in foil and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
- Roll out to a thickness of about 0.5 cm and cut out the cookies with themed cookie cutters.
- Bake for about 10 minutes at 180 ° C.
Decoration
For decoration, prepare a thick paste of powdered sugar and lemon juice. Then place it in a pastry bag and decorate the cooled cookies. Another option is to buy ready-made confectionery decorations or powder from the store.
The tradition of decorating a family home
In addition to the traditional spruce, for the Christmas holiday, you can complement the home decor with white flowers – they look delightful in the company of green needles. And also candles in homemade candlesticks, bells, figurines of angels and the main symbol of Christmas – a nativity scene. This is a composition depicting the cave in which Jesus was born, with figures of a baby, the Virgin Mary, Joseph, the Magi and shepherds.