Preparations of kutya for Christmas, customs and rituals of the festive supper. Russian folk holidays

Not an annual rolling holiday in church Orthodox calendar, which falls on April 7, is the Annunciation. But this year there is another event on this day, which this holiday, as it were, overlaps. According to the current Easter calendar, it turns out that April 7 will be Great (Holy) Saturday - the last day of Great Lent on the eve of Easter. What to do with such an overlap of church holidays and what needs to be done, according to the charter.

During a strict fast on the eve of the Resurrection of Christ, there are only a few public holidays, when the fast itself is weakened - you can eat fish. The Annunciation is always on the list of these holidays, but if it happened like this year and what holiday April 7, 2018 is not only the Annunciation, but also falls Holy Saturday for this period, the rules of conduct will be slightly different. We propose to consider each aspect in order.

The first holiday, which has a permanent date of April 7, is associated with the memories of the Mother of God, when she received the Good News from the Holy Spirit. That night, the Archangel Gabriel descended to Mary and said that the Holy Spirit would descend on her and nine months later she would give birth to the Savior.

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Holy Saturday at church calendar- this is not a holiday, but a very important memorable day, when they remember the second day when the crucified body of Jesus Christ was in the tomb. On this day, he descended into hell, and among Orthodox believers this day is often considered a "day of silence." Christ brings the righteous out of hell, talks about the Last Judgment. And already at the night service from Saturday to Sunday they will celebrate big event Easter of Christ.

Both of these events are separated from each other by only thirty-three years, and in each event there is an unearthly Light. Sunday of Christ. Therefore, it is a miracle that the events coincide and thus help to better understand the essence of the birth, life on earth, the death of Christ and his resurrection.

Service in the temple

This year, on the Annunciation on April 7, the Liturgy of John Chrysostom, which is usually laid on this holiday, will not be performed. But there will be the Liturgy of Basil the Great, which is important for Holy Saturday. This liturgy is read only once a year, and on the last day of Lent on the eve of Pascha.

Fish on April 7, 2018 will also not be eaten. Despite the fact that, according to the church charter, it is possible in great post eat fish in Palm Sunday and the Annunciation, but the coincidence of dates with Holy Saturday cancels this rule. On the Saturday before Easter, one must keep the strictest fast and try not to eat until the night service.

What can you eat

In the situation of this year, it will not be possible to set the festive table for the Annunciation. If you don't keep strict post, then you can include cereals and mushrooms, fruits and vegetables in your menu, but you will have to refuse fish, also try not to use vegetable oil. You can drink a little wine, but not for entertainment or to relax, but to strengthen your strength before a long night service and Easter Matins.

Is it possible to bake Easter cakes and cook Easter

We know what Orthodox holiday will be April 7, 2018, and also that it coincided with this year and with the last week of Great Lent. IN church holidays, as a rule, you need to refrain from all work, including not cooking anything. But Holy Saturday, which also fell on April 7 in 2018, is often the housewife's all about household chores and fuss - you need to prepare the table for Easter.

The clergy emphasize that on this Saturday it is possible to bake Easter cakes, even despite the holiday. But it is very important that household chores do not occupy the main place and you must definitely go to the temple with the whole family. Alternatively, Easter cakes can be baked in advance in Clean Thursday or just buy in the store.

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Simply put, Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first new moon, on or immediately after spring equinox. That is, between April 4 and May 8 (March 22 and April 25, old style).

In 2018 Orthodox Easter is April 8th. On this day, believers celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who rose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion.

With the onset of Easter, Lent ends, the longest and strictest of the year. And the most severe trials await those who fast in last week Great Lent, which is called Holy Week.

The Resurrection of Christ is celebrated all week, seven days in a row. Monday and other days of the week are called Bright or Easter. During divine services this week, the Royal Doors of the iconostasis are always open, although they are usually locked at the beginning of the Liturgy. The wide-open gates symbolize the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven, which Christ opened for all people.

Congratulate each other with the exclamation "Christ is Risen!" taken until the feast of the Ascension, which is celebrated 40 days after Easter.

What to cook for Easter 2018

Traditional festive dishes Easter table- these are painted eggs, Easter cake and cottage cheese Easter. The customs associated with these treats originate in antiquity, and the first mention of them can be found in early Christian sources that were not included in the canon.

dyed egg

The story told in ancient texts tells about the meeting of the Roman Emperor Tiberius with the Equal-to-the-Apostles Mary Magdalene, who addressed him with the words "Christ is Risen" and held out an egg (symbolizing the emergence of new life from the "coffin" shell) as a gift.

Mocking Mary Magdalene, with many eyewitnesses, Tiberius exclaimed that chicken eggs are not red, and the dead are not resurrected. At this point, the egg turned bright scarlet. This legend became widely known among Christians, and the custom of dyeing eggs scarlet and giving them to each other eventually became a festive custom and turned into a religious tradition.

Easter cake

The tradition of baking Easter cakes for Easter also came to us from antiquity. Easter cake in our area is called sweet festive bread made from yeast dough. According to legend, after the resurrection of Christ, he began to appear to the apostles during the meal. They started leaving for Christ free place in the center of the table, and put on the table the bread meant for Him.

Over the years, a tradition was born in Byzantium to place bread (in Greek, the word for "bread" sounds "artos") on the table during the celebration of the Resurrection of the Lord, in memory of how Christ shared the bread with the apostles. The bread was then distributed to the poor.

Until now, in the church canon, consecrated on Easter week bread is called "artos", it is placed on the lectern on the first day of Easter and for the entire Bright Week.

A festive bread round shape in Greek is called "kollikion". This is where the name "Kulich" comes from. And when this tradition spread widely, its artos collicion, Easter cake, for the holiday they began to bake in every family.

Curd Easter

If absolutely all Orthodox people prepare colored eggs and Easter cake for the holiday, then cottage cheese Easter is not a universal phenomenon.

This traditional treat is usually given the appearance of a truncated pyramid. Curd Easter symbolizes the Holy Sepulcher, where the Resurrection of Jesus Christ took place. The delicacy is always decorated with the letters "ХВ", which mean "Christ is Risen!".

True, not everywhere cottage cheese Easter is known. In some regions of Russia and Ukraine, "Easter" is called Easter cake, familiar to us. And a dish of cottage cheese is not at all included in the festive folk tradition.

When to come to church for a service on Easter

The church celebrates the Easter service at night. You can come to the temple at any time, and the main events of the holiday unfold after 23.00. Closer to midnight, the Midnight Office is served, and exactly at midnight Paschal Matins begins, "joy about the Resurrection of our Lord from the dead."

Just before midnight, a solemn Annunciation announces the coming of the great minute of the Resurrection of Christ. Quiet singing begins in the altar, gaining strength: "Thy Resurrection, Christ the Savior, the angels sing in heaven, and vouchsafe us on earth with a pure heart Glory to you." At this time, a jubilant Easter chime is pouring from the height of the bell tower.

The procession on Easter night is the procession of the Church towards the resurrected Savior. The procession takes place around the temple with a continuous ringing. Walking around the temple procession stops in front of its closed doors, as if at the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher. Then the priest, holding a cross and a three-candlestick in his hands, makes the sign of the cross with them at closed doors temple, they open, and everyone, rejoicing, enters the church, where all the lamps and lamps are lit, and sing: "Christ is risen from the dead!".

Immediately after Matins, the Easter Liturgy (worship) is served, where the beginning of the Gospel of John is read. On Easter, all those who pray, if possible, partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. Before the end of the liturgy, Easter bread, artos, is consecrated.

After the end of the festive service, Orthodox Christians usually break their fast with the consecrated colored eggs and Easter cakes at the temple or at home.

The history of the celebration of Easter

The word "Passover" originates from the name of the Old Testament holiday of Passover, which was named so from the Hebrew word "Passah" ("passes by") - in remembrance of the ancient event of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt and from Egyptian slavery, when the angel who struck down the Egyptian firstborn, at the sight of the blood of the Passover lamb on the doors of Jewish dwellings, he passed by, leaving them untouched. Another ancient interpretation of the holiday connects it with the consonant Greek word "I suffer."

IN christian church the name "Easter" special meaning and began to denote the transition from death to eternal life with the Savior - from earth to heaven.

This ancient holiday Christian church was established and celebrated in apostolic times. The ancient church, under the name of Easter, combined two memories - about the sufferings and about the Resurrection of Jesus Christ - and dedicated the days preceding and following the Resurrection to its celebration. To designate both parts of the holiday, special names were used - Easter of suffering, or Easter of the Cross, and Easter of the Resurrection.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ testifies that he "is risen as God." It revealed the glory of His Divinity, hidden until then under the cover of humiliation, shameful for that time death on the cross, like the criminals and robbers who were executed with him.

Having risen from the dead, the Savior sanctified, blessed and approved the general resurrection of all people who, according to Christian doctrine, will also rise from the dead on the universal day of resurrection, as an ear grows from a seed.

In the first centuries of Christianity, Easter was celebrated in different churches in different time. In the East, in the churches of Asia Minor, it was celebrated on the 14th day of Nisan (March-April), no matter what day of the week this number fell on. The Western Church celebrated Easter on the first Sunday after the spring full moon. An attempt to establish agreement between the churches on this issue was made under St. Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna, in the middle of the 2nd century. The First Ecumenical Council of 325 decided to celebrate Easter everywhere at the same time.

This continued until the 16th century, when the unity of Western and Eastern Christians in the celebration of Holy Pascha and other holidays was broken by the calendar reform of Pope Gregory XIII.

Love is coming soon family celebration- Nativity. It's time to think about what to cook for this wonderful holiday and compose.

However, no matter how interesting and tasty dishes you plan, remember that there are two traditional Christmas dishes that must be present on the festive table - these are kutya and.

In today's article, I want to talk about the symbolism, traditions, and secrets of cooking.

Kutia: types and purpose

Kutia is a traditional ritual porridge, which is most often served at a wake, but it is also put on the table on New Year(according to the old style), for Epiphany, and, of course, for Christmas at Holy Evening. Also, kutya is an invariable dish during Great Lent, it is customary to cook it on the days of commemoration of the dead.

This dish has many cooking recipes, as well as names. IN different regions, kutya is usually called differently: sat, kolivo, sochivo, eve, etc. And these are not random names, each of them has its own symbolism.

The most common name: kutia is of ancient Greek origin (koukia or kukkia) and is translated as boiled grain.

Sochivo has an Old Slavic beginning and stands for “juice” or “ooze”, satiety is of the same origin and means “food” or “food”.

The oldest name for kutya is kolivo - it has a connection with the custom ancient world make funeral offerings from grain as well as kolibo fruit.

Also, the names sochivo and kolivo determined the type of kutya, depending on the amount of liquid in its composition: semi-liquid kutya was called sochivo, and crumbly kutya was called koliv.

If we talk about the traditional, correct kutya, then this is sochivo: semi-liquid kutya made from wheat and honey.

In general, kutya is of two types: lean (hungry) and humble (generous, rich).

It was customary to eat lenten kutya on Christmas Eve: Christmas and Epiphany, which is why it was called accordingly - juicy. Such kutya could also be rich: with the addition of various ingredients. It is Lenten kutya that has ritual significance.

On christenings, as well as other holidays (for example, before the New Year), they ate a different kind of kutya - modest or otherwise - generous (it was usually cooked in milk, they also added a large number of oils).

It was customary to put a hungry kutya on the table on the days of commemoration, such a kutya was called a koliva, and consisted of boiled grain, as well as a sweetener.

Symbolism of kutya

It is no coincidence that Kutya is an indispensable dish at birth, as well as commemoration, among the peoples inhabiting Eastern Europe. In ancient times, it was believed that the birth of a baby reveals the line between the living and the world of the dead, therefore on Christmas Eve, as usual, they not only rejoiced at the appearance of Christ, but also remembered their dead ancestors.

Therefore, all the ingredients of kutia are symbolic: grains of cereals (mostly wheat was used) - symbolize the fertile land, as well as the resurrection and eternal life, poppy milk and honey - abundance on earth, as well as life in paradise, raisins - well-being, nuts - health, and all porridge - procreation.

Christmas kutya was mainly associated with harvest and prosperity, i.e. it was believed that the more satisfying and tastier it was, the greater the harvest and prosperity in the family.

Christmas kutia - traditions

It was customary to start and end a meal on Holy Evening with a spoon of kutia, while people exchanged good wishes and also remembered the deceased relatives.

Lenten kutya was usually served at Christmas, since the Christmas fast lasted until Christmas Eve. According to tradition, all family members necessarily ate kutya, and they also treated livestock with it so that it would not get sick and bring forth offspring.

Kutya was always worn to older family members who lived separately, as well as godfathers. In addition, there was another tradition: the owner of the house threw the last spoonful of kutia up, and counted how many grains from the dish would stick to the ceiling - so many sheaves of bread should be in the new year.

It was customary to put spikelets under a bowl of Christmas kutya, and then store them whole year like a guardian. A bowl of Christmas treats was also left for the souls of deceased relatives.

Secrets of cooking delicious kutya

How to cook kutya? In order to make kutia truly tasty, you need to know its essential ingredients, as well as be able to cook them correctly. Further in the article will be discussed exactly about this.

First, let's deal with the ingredients of kutya. The right kutya always consists of three components: base, dressing and various additives. Let's dwell on this in more detail ...

Kutia base

Kutya can be prepared from a variety of grains and cereals. The correct kutya is prepared from grains of wheat. But in different regions barley, barley, rice, oats and even buckwheat are also used for this purpose.

If you follow the traditions of cooking kutia, then wheat or other whole grains must be crushed in a mortar with a small amount of water before, and also separated from the chaff.

After that, it must be boiled in the oven for a long time (up to three days). IN modern conditions, cooking kutya according to traditions will not work - you will have to use a more familiar oven or stove.

In order to reduce the cooking time, wheat or other cereals can be pre-soaked. To prepare kutya, they should be well boiled and soft, with a slightly white tint.

Today, it is very popular. This, of course, is a departure from tradition, but it is easier to prepare and it is also quite tasty.

Some people think that rice kutya is a funeral dish, it's true, but it can also be cooked on Christmas Eve.

True, for this kutya, you need to properly cook rice.

For this you need:

• take one and a half cups of boiling water for a glass of rice cereal;
• fill the rice with liquid, cover the pan tightly and put on gas;
• cook the cereal for 3 minutes. on a big fire;
• then 6 minutes - cook on medium;
• and finally, another 3 min. - on low fire;
• after that, within 12 minutes. rice should be infused under the lid, steamed.

Of course, you can initially steam rice for kutya. The main thing is that the base for kutya be soft and crumbly at the same time.

For a modest kutya, the grain base can be brewed in milk, but it must be remembered that not all cereals in it can boil soft. Also, a generous kutya is sometimes prepared with a mixture of water and milk.

Traditional dressings for kutia

It was customary to put milk from poppy seeds, hazelnuts or Greek nuts (or a mixture), or from almonds to Lenten kutya on Christmas Eve. Skoromnaya kutya was seasoned with milk, butter or cream.

To prepare poppy milk, it is steamed and crushed in a mortar; for the same purpose, it can be scrolled through a meat grinder several times until a white liquid begins to stand out.

Milk based on nuts is prepared in the same way: first, pour boiling water over the nuts, then grind them in a mortar, or grind them in a meat grinder, you can also use a blender for this - as a result of these actions, a white liquid should be released from them.

The traditional dressing for kutya is also liquid honey, or dressing from honey (sat). For its preparation, honey is dissolved in warm boiled water.

In Ukraine, kutya was also prepared with a knot. To prepare kutya, if desired, you can also use jam diluted with water, or sugar syrup.

Other components of kutya

In kutya, you can put a variety of chopped dried fruits - in a steamed or boiled state, fruits and berries - frozen, or from jam and compotes, poppy seeds, nuts, spices and spices.

Also, sometimes marmalade and lollipops are added to kutya (but this rare cases and, of course, a departure from tradition).

How to cook kutya: useful tips

1. So that the groats for kutya do not burn, choose a pan with a thick bottom, and preferably a cast iron one.
2. After you have combined all the components of kutia, it must be heated for about 10 minutes, best of all in a clay pot.
3. Too thick kutya can be diluted. For this purpose, boiled chilled water, an uzvar or a decoction of cereals are used.
4. Raisins in kutya can swell and lose their taste, so if you cook kutya for future use, raisins must be added as they are eaten.
5. Kutya should not be stored for too long, as honey tends to ferment. For the same reason, it is not recommended to put in kutya fresh fruits. If you will not serve kutia immediately, then it is better to add honey just before serving.

That's all. I hope these tips will help you in preparing this traditional Christmas dish, and your kutya will be the most delicious.

Have a delicious Christmas table and Merry Christmas!

Products for kutya are peeled grains: wheat, barley, rice, and sweet additives: earlier to eat - honey with water, and today candied fruits, nuts, raisins and honey.

The dish has pagan roots. Funeral kutya was placed on the table as a treat for the dead to honor their ancestors. It was believed that this way you can attract success and happiness to the house for the whole year. But despite the non-pagan roots, kutia has taken root in the Orthodox culinary tradition and is blessed in the church, symbolizing the unity of the living and the dead in common immortality.

Customs and traditions associated with kutya

The name of the dish is of Greek origin: in Byzantium, this word was called a funeral treat of boiled wheat. Together with others Christian traditions The custom of cooking kutya came to the Slavs, where it took root for many centuries.

Sweet porridge with honey and nuts symbolizes prosperity, abundance, fertility, health and well-being, so it was put on the table according to big holidays. It was believed that the richer the dish turned out (more satisfying and with a large number of additives), the more successful the year would be. It is with kutya that it is customary to begin the Christmas meal and end with it too. According to the established tradition, all family members and, in addition to them, pets and livestock should taste the dish - this will protect them from diseases and give them good health.

Lenten kutya is prepared on Christmas Eve, because fasting is still going on at this time. For her, you can not use any products of animal origin - no butter, no milk, no cream. On Christmas, it is customary to treat relatives living separately, friends, and neighbors with their kutya. How more people try it, the more benefits it promises in the future. In a separate bowl, kutya is left for the dead ancestors, who, according to beliefs, protect the house.
Kutya is brought to the temple to consecrate it, but if this is not possible, you can sprinkle the dish with holy water yourself.

Types of kutya: sweet and savory, kolivo and juicy, lean and “rich”

Despite the common name, kutya is not one, but several dishes with common ground. On Christmas Eve, kutya is put on the table with an abundance of sweet additives, honey, nuts, and raisins. Before Christmas, completing the fast, she looks more like a delicacy than a memorial dish. On Epiphany, the number of ingredients is traditionally less, so it is not so sweet.
On significant holidays that do not fall on fasting, they prepare a generous kutya, in which they put a large amount of heavy cream, butter, milk and other additives.

In addition to the composition, different kutya and different consistency. Steep kutya - kolivo, outwardly resembles friable sweet porridge. The semi-liquid dish is called sochivo, it is customary to eat it with spoons. This type of kutya got its name due to the fact that one of its components is "juice" or lean milk obtained from nuts, poppy or hemp.

Composition of kutya: ingredients required and optional

The basis

The basis of the dish is boiled whole grains of wheat, barley, pearl barley, oats, rice, buckwheat and others. To separate all the excess, the grits are first crushed in a mortar, adding a little water there. After the grain is soaked and then boiled. The base of the kutya should be soft, so it is better to overexpose it on the stove than to remove it ahead of time.

Wheat is the traditional basis of kutya, but in Lately Rice is becoming more and more popular. Yes, this is a noticeable departure from tradition, but it goes well with honey, raisins and nuts. The rice dish is usually served at the wake, but it is quite possible to prepare it for Christmas. If rice is boiled in milk, kutya will no longer be lean, and it cannot be served on Christmas Eve, but during other holidays it will become a table decoration.

Refueling

The second component of classic kutya is dressing. For a lean dish, milk from nuts, poppy seeds, almonds is used, and for a quick one - cream, butter, milk.

Nut or poppy milk is prepared by grinding the base in a mortar, grinding in a meat grinder or blender until a liquid appears white color. This will be juicy, it will replace milk in kutia. In addition to juicy, almost every recipe contains honey or syt. In some kutya recipes, dried fruit compote, fruit drink or sugar syrup is used as a dressing.

Other Ingredients

Nuts, raisins, dried fruits, candied fruits, steamed poppy seeds, marmalade, spices, jam are put in kutya. Dried fruits are pre-soaked. Fresh fruit is rarely used because long-term storage they can ferment in the porridge, ruining it. If you already include fruits, then it is better just before eating, so that they retain their taste and texture.

Kutya recipes

Funeral kutya

This dish - essential attribute commemoration or holidays, where it is customary to honor the dead ancestors.

Ingredients:

• a glass of rice;
• 2 glasses of water;
• salt;
• sugar;
• 50 grams of raisins;
• 2 tablespoons of honey;
• 50 grams of candied fruits or marmalade sweets.

Rinse the rice, then boil it into a crumbly, not sticky porridge. Add sugar, salt and honey. Steam raisins in hot water for 10 minutes to soften, then pat dry. Now raisins and rice can be combined. Before serving the finished kutia on the table, it is laid out on a plate in a slide, decorating with marmalade or candied fruits.

Christmas kutia

They cook it at Christmas time, take it to church for consecration and treat relatives and close people before Christmas. Christmas kutya symbolizes fertility, wealth and prosperity throughout the year.

Ingredients:

• sweets to taste (preferably marmalade);
• 100 grams of raisins;
• a glass of pre-peeled wheat;
• berry compote (you can cook it from dried fruits);
• 2 tablespoons of honey;
• 50 grams of candied fruits;
• nuts for decoration.

If there is no wheat, then rice is also suitable for kutya. Pour the cereal with cool water, boil until tender. Pour the compote into the porridge and mix the mass well: it should turn out to be semi-liquid, like a traditional dish that were placed on the table. The consistency of the dish depends on the amount of compote: if someone wants a cool kutya, then quite a bit is enough - for taste, if liquid is required, one or two glasses are poured. Lastly, put sweets, honey, raisins, candied fruits in kutya and garnish with nuts.

rich kutia

Ingredients:

• 4 cups of wheat groats;
• ½ cup sugar;
• ½ cup chopped dried apricots;
• ½ cup poppy;
• ½ cup chopped prunes;
• raisins, nuts;
• cognac to taste;
• honey to taste.

First, boil the grains, and soak the poppy seeds in hot water for a few minutes. Then strain and rub the poppy with granulated sugar. In another bowl, soak prunes, raisins and dried apricots for 20 minutes (also in hot water). Mix chopped dried fruits with nuts, poppy seeds and wheat. At the very end, add some honey and any brandy for taste.

The subtleties of cooking, storing and serving kutya

Grains, cereals are best boiled in a bowl with a thick bottom. In thin-walled cereals, it can burn and spoil the taste of the dish.

After connecting all the components of the kutya, heat for another 10 minutes. Ideally - in a clay pot in the oven, but you can also in a saucepan on the stove, and in a slow cooker.
Thick kutya is diluted with a small amount of compote, grain water or warm water, then it will acquire the desired consistency and not lose its taste.

If you need to prepare a dish for the future for several days in advance, raisins are added before serving, since when stored in kutya, it will quickly lose its taste. Honey and fresh fruits can ferment, they are also not recommended to be put into porridge ahead of time.

Traditionally, on January 6, godchildren wear their godparents supper - kutya. This is one of the Christmas traditions that have been revered by Christians since ancient times. Thus, mercy is emphasized, which enjoins Christians to help their neighbor.

The feast of the Nativity of Christ has special meaning for people who profess the Christian faith. It is customary to celebrate it “richly” and the housewives know that there should be 12 dishes on the table. In addition, there are other traditions and rituals that are passed down from generation to generation.

Kutia at Christmas when they wear what they say what to cook: the history of this holiday and rituals dedicated to the Nativity of Christ

Quite a long time ago, when our ancestors worshiped various deities, on this day they had the Korochuna holiday. On this day they greeted the sun, asked the gods good harvest next year, the offspring of livestock and health. People believed that during this period they were all endowed with miraculous power, That's why, this holiday always awaited with special trepidation. The advent of Christianity endowed ancient traditions with new content, Christian ideals, ideas of truth, love, forgiveness of the Word, generosity, perfection.

According to Holy Scripture, Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. At that moment, when the baby was born, a star lit up in the sky, which showed the Magi the way to him. Having walked in the indicated direction, they found a barn in which the Virgin Mary was with Jesus Christ in her arms.

Christmas itself is celebrated on January 7, but on Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve), it is customary for the whole family to gather at the festive table. The meal is started after the ascent of the first star in the sky.

Christmas is a holiday that carries goodness and faith in a bright future, it fills the souls of every person with the brightest colors.

Kutya at Christmas when they wear, what they say, what to cook: when they bring supper to godparents

They carry the supper to their godparents on Christmas Eve. It is customary to pronounce the following words: Good evening, Holy Evening! Father and mother betrayed you the supper. Traditionally, godparents receive their godchildren and give gifts.

Kutya for Christmas when they wear what they say what to cook: what to cook on the festive table, kutya recipes

Christmas is preceded by a 40-day fast. Also festive dinner should consist of lenten dishes, which should be at least twelve. This number symbolizes the number of Christ's Apostles.

Traditionally, they prepare pies with different fillings, uzvar, lean cabbage rolls, fish dishes and, of course, kutya (it is also called kolyvo, kanun, sochivo). Each housewife has her own special recipe for preparing the main holiday dish with which the meal should begin. Below are the most original recipes which anyone can easily use.

Rice kutya with almonds and dried apricots. To prepare rice kutya, you must first boil the rice by adding a pinch of salt to the water. TO cooked rice add crushed poppy seeds, almond crumbs and finely chopped dried apricots. Season everything with honey or sugar to taste.

Kutya with marmalade. Wash pearl barley and boil for 1.5-2 hours. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add raisins. After to ready porridge add crushed nuts, honey and uzvar. Sprinkle with marmalade before serving.

Kutya from wheat. Wheat must be washed, soaked in cold water for 3 hours, then rinse again and boil until tender for two hours. Then you need to add raisins to the porridge, salt and cook for another 30 minutes, then discard in a colander. Honey and walnuts are added to kutya.