How to wear an evening meal. What do godchildren wear on Christmas godparents. Kutia for Christmas - how to cook it correctly, a recipe with a photo What does the godson bring to the godfather for Christmas

16.11.2014

Kutya, or kutya, is one of the most traditional Christmas dishes, along with broth (kutya is made with compote cooked on the basis of dried fruits), kalachi, jelly, cabbage, and dumplings. Dishes have their own subcategories: those served on Christmas Eve - they are lenten, and dishes served on the most beautiful and bright Christmas holiday - fast dishes. Kutia is indispensable in the days of Great Lent and in mournful days - on memorial days.

Kutia is a word with Greek roots and means approximately the following - “boiled wheat”. Kutya, by the way, in ancient world was also associated with the cult of remembrance of the dead. This dish has many names - and sat, and kolivo, and juicy, and eve. In a word, there are enough names, as well as the recipes for preparing this dish. So, rich kutya is cooked directly on the long-awaited Christmas Eve (this is January 6 with us), generous kutya is a traditional dish for the New Year, and hungry kutya is an indisputable element of the feast on the frosty Epiphany holidays.

Depending on the predominance of the amount of liquid, kutia may turn out to be liquidish or thicker. The grain used in the preparation of kutia is a symbol of eternal life, abundance. Honey is identified with health, family and domestic well-being, spiritual bliss. Nuts and poppy - elements of fertility, prosperity. The richer the Christmas kutya (here we mean its satiety and deliciousness), the higher the family's prosperity in the coming year.

The traditional Christmas meal begins with kutya on the eve of the holiday. Even eat exact time- with the first star. They finish the meal with a spoonful of kutia, exchanging memories and wishes about relatives and friends who have gone to another world. Every member of the family should try Kutya, even pets and livestock are treated to this dish so that they do not get sick and regularly bring offspring to the household. Kutya is carried to neighbors, godparents and other relatives, if the distance allows.

According to an old custom, the owner of the house threw the remaining kutya up from the spoon. How many grains stuck to the ceiling, so many sheaves of bread were expected in the coming year. In our time, this can be timed to something important to you. If you put several spikelets of wheat under a bowl of kutya, then they can be stored for a whole year as a talisman. At night, you should definitely leave a bowl of kutya for the souls of the dead.

The basis of kutya are cereals and whole grains. Refueling for the Christmas kutya will be lean milk, poppy seeds, nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts or their assorted. For a quick kutya, you can use cream dressing, butter or milk. Traditionally, kutya is flavored with liquid honey. It is placed in a container, put in a bowl and dissolved in warm water, in no case in boiling water.

You can enrich kutya with jam, and marmalade, and compote, and in special cases with candy! All sorts of herbs and spices to help.

You will need

• To prepare kutya:
• - 1.5 tbsp. wheat, rice or other cereals;
• - 3 tbsp. l honey;
• - 0.75 st. poppy;
• - 0.5 st. walnuts;
• - 0.5 st. raisins;
• - knot of dried fruits;
• - sugar.
• For transporting kutia:
• - food containers or other utensils.

Instruction

To join this interesting one, cook kutya, which belongs to lenten dishes. This dish recalls when people intending to be baptized on Christmas fasted in preparation for this sacrament, and then ate honey as a symbol of the sweetness of spiritual gifts.

Arrange portions of kutya in separate jars or other dishes. It is convenient to use food containers. Although, probably, clay or ceramic pots will serve as the most suitable dishes, corresponding to the atmosphere of tradition.

Arrange in advance with your people (if you have them) about your visit on January 6, when it is customary to wear the supper. Take them kutya and congratulate them on the feast of the Nativity of Christ. In keeping with this tradition, it is customary to exchange gifts. It doesn’t matter if you can’t visit everyone who is accepted. You can just congratulate them on the holiday or call on another day.

Children are also included in this tradition. Previously, children in the villages wore a supper to grandparents, aunts and uncles, godparents and even a midwife. They sang special songs praising Christmas and Christ, and received sweets and coins as a token of gratitude. With the modern way of life, it is hardly possible to do it the way it was done before. Just try to get the idea of ​​this custom and help your child take the supper to the godfather, for example, the next day or during the Christmas holidays. Learn with him the words that are customary to say to godparents when presenting kutia: “Good evening, Holy Evening! Father and mother betrayed you the supper.

It will be very good and useful if you decide on Christmas Eve to take kutya to one of the people who are not all right, try to support them and provide all possible assistance. After all, this is the very “salt” of the custom: Christmas should be joyful for everyone! The customs of Christian holidays, as it were, remind us that at least on these days we must take care not only of ourselves and our loved ones, but also of other people in need. And that will make it better for us. Psychologists confirm: a person feels happy helping the weaker, making certain sacrifices for the benefit of others. Of course, these impulses must come from the very heart.

Strictly speaking, any tradition associated with religious holidays remains only a dead rite, if the person who observes it does not understand its spiritual meaning and simply does it “like everyone else”. Carrying the supper to godparents, relatives or needy people in itself does not bring you closer to God and does not make you morally more perfect, does not bring any spiritual “bonuses”. Only in combination with sincere faith and love for these people, your act acquires a special value and makes you a little better, kinder, more merciful. Perhaps this is the most important rule in the custom of wearing the supper.

Winter is the time for real miracles. At this time of the year, not only a lot of entertainment: skiing and skating, snowball fights, but also a large number of interesting holidays that are difficult to deprive of attention. A special place is occupied by the Nativity of Christ. It will be discussed further.

Christmas is one of the oldest church holidays, which is celebrated on a large scale. Many rituals and customs are associated with it, which are steadily observed from year to year. The most common and beloved by the people are carols and the wearing of the supper. People take this very seriously. Because the traditions of the celebration strengthen the spiritual value and family ties, but not everyone in our time knows all the subtleties and rules of carols. How to wear a supper and carol? What should be done about this? About this and much more in order.

The offering of supper is rooted in paganism, it entered Christianity due to its special significance for Orthodox residents. People believed that this strengthens the desire to visit their friends, relatives and godparents, strengthens bonds. Many ask the question: what date is the supper? According to custom, this takes place on the evening of January 6, on Christmas Eve. Children bring treats to their godparents, wish them a Merry Christmas. At the same time, they receive gifts and sweets in return.

Main dishes for the evening

What dish should be given when the supper is worn to the godparents? Of course, kutya and bread.

Christmas kutya is a porridge made from wheat or any other cereal with the addition of honey, poppy seeds and nuts. It is the main dish of this day. And bread has always had a special meaning at all times. Cooking kutya from rice is not allowed - this dish has a funeral character. The purpose of this holiday is also the desire to support your neighbor. Since ancient times, wealthy peasants have helped their less well-to-do neighbors in this way. And the application of the supper is associated with baptism. First of all, the supper is brought to the godparents, thereby showing love and respect for them.

Rules

How to wear a supper? On January 6, it is customary to pay a visit to your godparents, congratulating them on the feast of the Nativity of Christ and treating them to kutya. At the same time, gifts must be exchanged. If for some reason the visit could not be made, you can simply congratulate them and come another day. This will not be considered a sin if the reason is really serious, and loved ones will not hold a grudge against you. Many in our time have a reasonable question: to whom is the supper for Christmas? Of course, first of all to the godfather, then to the godmother. And then the visiting mode can be arranged in any order. You can visit not only relatives, but also friends and just acquaintances.

This holiday reputed to be family. Therefore, children often participate in it. In the villages, they dress up in unusual costumes and, accompanied by adults, wear a supper to godparents, grandparents, and just neighbors. In some areas, only children under the age of seven can take part in this, in the rest - until the age of majority.

Key words

Few people know what they say when they wear the supper. These words play an important role. Because without them, luck will turn away from the family. So what do they say when they wear the January 6th supper? When offering to the godfather, one should say: “Good evening, Holy evening! Father and mother handed it to you! Then give the person kutya or bread. What should you say when you wear a supper? If she rushes to relatives and friends, you need to say: “Christ is born!”, And in response they should say: “We praise him!”.

What is allowed and prohibited to do on January 6?

On the day when they wear the supper and carol, it is forbidden to marry and work. Usually this only applies to household chores that can be transferred, such as cleaning, tailoring and other chores. It is allowed to perform only the work that is necessary for the neighbor. But personal interests on this day should be left for later.

As for marriage, here the ban is due to the fact that at this time divine services are held, people take communion, and, accordingly, fast, but not from food, but from carnal pleasures. Therefore, the sacrament of the wedding for believers cannot be performed.

When should pm be brought? The number of dishes on the festive table

An important role is played by the time of bringing the supper. According to the church schedule, visiting relatives and friends should be in the afternoon, until four o'clock in the evening. At exactly 4:00 p.m., services begin, and after them, people go home to enjoy a family dinner.

The evening meal should consist of twelve courses, preferably lean. This number symbolizes the number of apostles - one treat for each. A prerequisite is the presence on the table of kutya, pies, uzvar, pancakes, porridge and dumplings, the filling and execution of which can be very diverse.

After the end of the meal, you cannot remove kutya and bread from the table - according to an old belief, spirits come to celebrate the Holy Supper at night. It is also advisable to leave a clean towel and a carafe of water on the table. Alcohol is prohibited on this day. But you can sip a little red wine.

Signs for Christmas

There are also many signs and superstitions associated with the celebration of Christmas. So, for example, it is necessary to celebrate this event in a narrow family circle. But if the arrival of guests cannot be avoided, then the most prominent man is invited to the table first. According to the sign, he will bring good luck and material well-being to the house. Since we are talking about a celebration, accordingly, at the table it is not allowed to be poorly dressed (that is, dirty, torn), speak loudly, use swear words and be late for the start of the celebration.

Carol week and carols

Supper is not the only custom at Christmas. From December 22 to January 7, Kolyada week is announced (in our time, the date has been changed to January 7 to 19). This holiday got its name from the ancient name Kolyada. According to legend, that was the name of the goddess of fertility and a good harvest in old Russia.

She helped people by giving birth to a new sun for them to replace the old one, eaten by a snake. There are two types of carols - pagan and Christian. The former are held for sowing and its successful development, while the latter celebrate the advent of Christmas.

To carol, or simply to be generous, meant to have fun and visit all acquaintances and friends. On one of these days, but mainly on the night of January 6, people put on all the best and most beautiful, and with songs and dances, went to the houses of their neighbors. The songs were performed in a joking manner, and did not differ in any way from folklore jokes and ditties. Examples of songs for Kolyada:

Kolyada, Kolyada,

Come on in the gate

We will meet you

Sing, shout and dance!

Open up the gates

Let me eat the pie

And good luck then

We wish you well!

The sun has come out, the shadow has fallen

The day is longer and peas

We wish you with all our heart

Eat all year round!

The costumes were things worn inside out and animal masks. True, then lovers of terrible vestments had to plunge three times into the hole in order to wash off someone else's mask.

Orthodox carolers often carried the Star of Bethlehem with them, as a sign of worship of Christ, the pagans wore the star Alatyr.

It was customary to exchange gifts not only when they were carrying a supper, but also when caroling. According to tradition, those who came were presented with sweets, bread and coins, and carolers wished the owner all kinds of blessings and wealth. No one dared to miss this holiday. After all, it symbolizes the period of the winter solstice, when the day becomes longer than the night. There is a sign that the more “carolers” enter the house, the more successful the year will be. The symbol of Christmas carol week is a goat, as the personification of a rich harvest.

After the adoption of Christianity, church ministers tried to ban the celebration of Kolyada. But the triumph sunk deep into the soul of the peasants, and they were again allowed to be generous. This is not surprising, because people not only had fun and made others laugh, but also gave warmth and love to relatives and friends.

Many unmarried girls are waiting for this holiday not only for fun, but also for the sake of fortune-telling. On Christmas Eve, young ladies get together to find out the name, height and physique of their future husband. After all, this time is considered "magic" and favorable for divination.

traditional food

As well as during the bringing of supper, carols have their own traditional dishes. Usually, small buns with a sweet or meat filling were baked to treat those who came.

Also on the table were: kutia, borscht, uzvar and taratuta (vinaigrette). Very often they baked cookies in the form of animals, so that livestock would not get sick and get lost in the forests. However, it was possible to eat all these dishes only with the appearance of the first star in the sky. You can not drink alcohol at this time, but you can drink a little wine.

caroling rules

There are also caroling rules. There are few of them, but in the old days they were carried out strictly. So, caroling can only be done by a group of people, the minimum number is three people. The most active of them in the old days was called a star - for a loud voice and energy. Before you begin to praise the holiday and sing songs, you need to ask permission for these actions from the landlord.

Usually carolers are rarely refused. But if nevertheless this happened, then you can’t continue, but you can try your luck in the next house. However, there is a sign according to which it is impossible not to open the door to those who came during Kolyada - the year will be bad and unsuccessful.

Carols are always held on the street, or under the windows of the house. Only one of the generous group can enter the house, and only by invitation. Also, you can't take anything. The host must put all sweets in a special bag with a bell. You can’t sew clothes and shoes - a sick child may be born in the future.

Signs for Christmas week

Many signs and superstitions are associated with Kolyadnaya week. So, for example, on this day it was necessary to turn off all the lights and light new ones, as a symbol of the birth of a new sun. To make the year a good one, they knocked on the table with shoes, and shook off the snow from the trees. Close attention was paid to the weather. If it snows, then the harvest will rise rich, and if the sky is starry, the whole year will be warm.

On the second day after the festival, it was necessary to distribute debts, if any, otherwise there would be no income in the family.

A small conclusion

Unfortunately, in our time, many have forgotten about these holidays, and some do not know about them at all, depriving themselves of the pleasure of having fun and bringing joy to other people. Carols and supper offerings are not only a tribute to traditions, but also a sign of respect and love for loved ones, and, of course, for Jesus Christ. Of course, at the moment it is more difficult to comply with all the rules and customs than in the old days, but it is quite possible to offer supper to godparents and relatives. The main thing is that it was from a pure heart and with all my heart.

Children will not only enjoy caroling, but it will also be useful - a day in the fresh air with games has not harmed anyone, but they will be completely delighted with costumes and sweets. It would be a wonderful act to bring kutya to a person who has had a misfortune or misfortune. After all, the most important thing in this holiday is that everything is good for everyone.

1. At Christmas time they sang carols and schedrovkas. In the evening around Christmas, the children carried kutya around the yards: “Having sent dad and mats, here you are in the evening.” The hosts should try kutia and give money or sweets for it. Adults went dressed up at Christmas time: they dressed up in turned-out fur coats, women - in men, men - in women. They sang: "Shchedrik-padrik, give me a dumpling."

On New Year's Eve early in the morning only peasants went to sow. They took with them seeds from pockets, and wheat from pockets. They went into the house and threw wheat, seeds or millet into the holy corner, saying: “This, viyu, I sing.” The girls were guessing at Christmas time.

X. Indychiy (Kosyachenko P.T. 1929) VSU AKTLF 2003.

2. People dressed up as gypsies, in turned-out fur coats, went to Christmas time to carol. The children walk around the yards with kutya at Christmas, for which they were given money. The children said: "Sending dad and mats, on-te you in the evening." The hosts should try three spoonfuls of porridge and commemorate their dead parents.

At Christmas they went to be generous: “Aunt, sho cooked, sho pekla ...”

Both married women and unmarried girls went to Melanka (January 13), they sang: “Melanya the preboga-ta gave a cross, gold for the church.” They were given something - bacon or something else.

In the morning on New Year's Eve, only the guys went to sprinkle. They came very early, sat on the threshold. At the same time, the owners said: “Schaub the chickens were fruitful and the roosters were Schaub.” The guys then sprinkled with wheat and sentenced sowing. The guys were given money for sowing.

At Christmas time they gathered for games, played balalaikas and harmonicas there. They played “rings”: the leader quietly gives someone a ring, and the second player must guess who has it. If he guessed it, he kisses the one who had it.

The girls wondered: on New Year's Eve they made a well out of matches and put it near the pillow at night. Which guy comes in a dream to drink water - that is the future groom; threw a boot through the gate; wrote on pieces of paper male names, interfered with them and pulled, what name you pull out - that's what the groom will be called.

At Christmas time, guys remove the gate or gate in the house where some girl lives and hide it. It was such fun.

It was impossible to spin hemp at Christmas time, only wool.

X. Indychiy (Ivanovskaya A.T., born in 1915) VSU AKTLF 2003.

3. One boy came early in the morning to sprinkle on the New Year. He scattered wheat, various grains: “Ilya walked to Vasylya.” They gave money for sowing.

X. Indychiy (Mantulina V.M.) VSU AKTLF 2003.

4. At Christmas, small children carried kutya around the yards: “Would you like to be generous? - Be generous. And then they start different choruses there.

Not only married, but also unmarried girls went to Melanka to be generous. For this they were given pies, eggs, apples.

With. Krasnoselovka (Ocheretyanaya M.G., born in 1929, Solodovnikova O.G., born in 1918, Zatsepilova M.S., born in 1930)

VSU AKTLF 2003.

5. At Christmas time they rode horses with bells. It was supposed to woo before Christmas. And on Christmas, the betrothed girl was rolled separately. Ride from the mountains.

On Epiphany, a hole was cut in the shape of a square or a circle. Ride the young on horseback. With. Krasnoselovka (Provotorova O.A., born in 1914, Maleva V.N., born in 1927) VSU AKTLF 2003.

6. On New Year equipped, dressed in white flowery scarves, shouted avseni: “Good evening, good afternoon, we will shout avseni to you. Our pan has the whole yard on the platform, rejoice God, rejoice, God.

Guys and girls went to sing avseni. They rode horses, the horses were tied with white ribbons, they embroidered capes on horses, they beat out the edges (teeth) on capes. On the first horses they carried a young woman, there were bells. They rode around the village on horseback with an accordion.

With. Krasnoflotskoye (Maslova R.A., born in 1939) VSU AKTLF 2003.

7. On the night before Epiphany, crosses were placed on windows and doors. Even before Baptism, they were guessing. Young people used mirrors to tell fortunes about the bride or groom. Fortune telling on bulbs: on 12 bulbs they predicted the weather in each month of the new year.

With. Krasnoflotskoye (Mukhorkina M.S., born in 1936) VSU AKTLF 2003.

8. An ice-hole in the form of a cross was cut down on Epiphany. Pigeons were released and guns fired.

9. In the evening around Christmas, both boys and girls of 10-13 years old wore kutya around the yards. The hosts had to try the kutya, and for this they gave the children gifts. When they brought kutia, they said: “They brought you an evening meal.”

Only boys of 16 years old went to sprinkle, the girls did not go. They went into the yard and asked: “Can I graze?” And tell them, "Please." Then they go into the house, approach the icons and say: “Give birth, God, wheat and all sorts of pastures ...” For sprinkling, the owners gave gifts.

X. Mironovka (P.F. Bogomolova, born in 1923) VSU AKTLF 2003.

10. At Christmas, children wore kutya: “Having sent dad and mats, Nata vecheryu for you.” Hosts should try one or two tablespoons of porridge. Children were given money and candy for this.

Some guys of 15-16 years old went to sprinkle on New Year's Eve. They came early in the morning, sprinkled with peas. The guys were given money and gingerbread for this - ladies and horses.

They went from house to house to Melanka, they sang: “Milania is rich, she gave the church a rod, gold ...”

Only married women went to Melanka from house to house. The owners gave them for melanki a polyanytsi (bread), a piece of bacon, sausages. The women carried sleds with them, on which they piled what they were given.

Only the girls went to be generous: “Shchedrovunka was generous, she stood as a pid, sho, aunt, you baked - nesi mine to vikna.”

With. Sands (Kurochkina P.D. born in 1936, Krakhmaleva P.A. born in 1913, Grebennikova E.N. born in 1919) VSU AKTLF 2003.

11. At Christmas, children wore kutya around the yards. The hosts should try the porridge and give the children sweets, cookies - horses, gingerbread. Konikov was baked only at Christmas. They went generously to Christmas time, they were mummers.

Unmarried lads went to sow. Come in and sprinkle wheat on the image, while they say: “For happiness, for health, for the New Year.” They came early in the morning. With. Sands (Polyashchenko E.Ya., born in 1917) VSU AKTLF 2003.

12. For Christmas, the table was prepared “as someone lived” (if rich, a rich table, if poor, poor). We went generously, it was called Generous Evening or Good Evening. Mostly children walked around the yards and carried kutya (kutya was prepared by old people). The owner of the house had to eat three spoons, "in honor of giving some alms to the yak." Basically asked for fat. At the same time, they sang such a generous song: “Rich Milania, give this house shine, give a piece of bacon so that your daughter dances.” If they didn’t give anything, then they said something nasty to the owner.

The New Year was celebrated on January 14th. There was a custom - Sprinklers. Early in the morning, with the dawn, they went into the house and sprinkled the floor with various seeds with the words: “For happiness, for health, for the New Year, give birth, God, zhito, pashanytsu and all kinds of porridge, a bull and a calf.”

There were guesses. They brought a chicken into the house, put a cup of water in front of it, poured grain and put a mirror. If the chicken drank water, then the husband would be a drunkard, if she pecked at the grain - a hard worker, looked in the mirror - a dandy. They also took a loaf and at night, at 12 o’clock, they went out the gate and asked: “Dolya, in which direction should I get married?” From where the first sound was heard, from there the husband will be. They approached the gates at night and threw a shoe through them. In which direction he lay down with his nose, from there the husband will be.

With. Old Kriusha (Bozhkova A.P., born in 1929) VSU AKTLF 2003.

13. At Christmas time they went to be generous: “Generous evening, good evening.” Those who went generously were given bread and bacon for the generous. There were older women and men.

They baked cookies - konykov, young ladies.

With. Staromelovaya (Fedenko A.M., born in 1921) VSU AKTLF 2003.

14. The girls wore kutya. Single guys went to sprinkle.

On the morning of the Old New Year, the children went to Virshov: “Virshov, Virshov, I’m up to tebe. Open the chest, take out the piglet.

With. Staromelovaya (Poor T.I., born in 1938, Usikova N.N., born in 1940) VSU AKTLF 2003.

15. Children of 6-7 years old wore kutya around the yards around Christmas: “Do you need kutya?” The owners will try the porridge and give a gingerbread or candy for it.

They went generously on New Year's Eve: "I'll get up early, I'll look to the east."

Both children and adults went to church in the evening on New Year's Eve. On New Year's morning they sprinkled with wheat: "I sow, I wind, I sing."

Married women walked around the yards to Melanka.

With. Staromelovaya (Semenenko M.N., born in 1918) VSU AKTLF 2003.

16. At Christmas, both children and adults wear kutya. The hosts gave sweets and gingerbread to children for kutya, and adults were given pours or money. Kutya was made with barley.

On New Year's morning, only guys went to sprinkle. They scattered the grain - wheat. On New Year's morning both children and adults went to sing. For this they were given gingerbread, sweets, money.

Women were generous. Under Melanka, only women walked around the yards. With. Staromelovaya (Malyovanny V.A., born in 1925) VSU AKTLF 2003.

17. Sprinkle early in the morning on New Year's Eve, only boys of ten years old went. Come, seem: "Happy New Year, with new happiness" - pour. They throw wheat for a bite.

We went to sing at Christmas time.

With. Staromelovaya (Shevtsova A.S., born in 1917) VSU AKTLF 2003.

18. At Christmas, children carried kutya home. Kutya was cooked from rice and crushed barley.

Only boys went to sprinkle early in the morning on New Year's Eve.

With. Staromelovaya (Kosyachenko E.S., born in 1926) VSU AKTLF 2003.

19. At Christmas, people boiled jellied meat, chopped and smoked chickens. On Holy Evening (January 6) they wore kutya. They went into the house and said: “Can I come to you? Mother with a folder was sent. Have a bite!” For kutya they gave ists: pies, sweets, gut (homemade sausage). Both adults and children walked, glorified Christ: “Your Christmas, Christ God.”

Near the village there were ponds and a river. At Epiphany, Jordan was made on them and the consecrated water from it was used all year round as healing. On this holiday, they rode on ice (a sieve smeared with cow dung froze, covered with water, froze again and served as a sleigh) and played games.

For games, they gathered in an orphan's house or rented a room from a widow. They played Christmas games, sang and danced, guessed with a ring (they collected rings from everyone and pulled them out to the song, which was said in the song, it should have happened to the owner of the ring). One of the games was called "buckles". All the girls sat in one circle, the guys in the next circle. One of them took the girl by the hand - “Are you selling?” If the answer was positive, then he took him away, if it was negative, then he was beaten with a buckle from his belt three times.

Generous on New Year's Eve. The guys scattered wheat grains, shouted: “I sow, I sow, I sow, I congratulate you on the New Year. God bless you."

On Epiphany, they drew a cross on the doors with chalk and signed: "For God is with you."

With. Fomenkovo ​​(Kobtseva N.D., born in 1930) VSU AKTLF 2003.

20. Generous people entered the house or courtyard and said: “Generous evening, good evening! Shall you be gracious? Shchedrovochka was generous, she started beating the window, give us trishka, what God sent! or: "Give me a pie without legs, so as not to run away", "Give me a gut (homemade sausage), otherwise I'll take off the lid."

If people refused, then they were told something like: "Oh, greedy cattle." With. Fomenkovo ​​(Kobtseva N.D., born in 1930) VSU AKTLF 2003.

The feast of the Nativity of Christ is one of the greatest Christian holidays, which the Church celebrates especially solemnly. All people pay special attention to the Christmas holiday, trying to observe customs and traditions on this day. The carrying of the supper is one of the traditions of the Christmas holidays. But do we wear the supper properly? How does the church feel about this? And what does this well-known tradition give us? About this and many other things, the journalist of the First City Newspaper was told by Archpriest of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Father Andrey Bobrik (pictured).

- Is it obligatory to wear an eveningYu,or is it optional?

Bearing the supper is a tradition of our people, its origins are not connected with Orthodoxy. In Orthodoxy, on the 6th, it is obligatory to go to worship. The Supper is more of an established tradition of our people, taken from paganism. The reason why Christianity adopted this tradition is a spiritual value that has been developed in people for many years. They put something very important into it. Therefore, in Christianity, the bearing of the supper refers more to the manifestation of a person’s desire to visit his relatives, godparents, and especially important people.

No, it's not a sin. Most likely, you need to consider whether you offend your loved ones by this. Visiting your relatives who are close in the norms of Christian morality is welcomed and encouraged. But if you really can’t, then you should reschedule the visit or explain the situation. It is important here not to harm another person, so that your loved ones understand you and do not hold a grudge.

- Who exactly decided to wear the eveningYuand up to what age?

According to tradition, the children bring suppers to their godfathers: first to the godfather, then to the godmother. They bring the supper in gratitude for taking on the responsibility of teaching and praying for the child. And godparents, in turn, give gifts to the child. According to the logic of reason, we can say that it is customary to wear suppers when you are still a child. When a person becomes more independent, then this tradition is less obligatory. You can also say that in each region in its own way. On the western Ukraine, for example, it is customary to wear a supper until the age of 7, until the child goes to school.

- When can you start wearing suppers and until what time?

According to tradition, the supper should be carried on January 6, the eve of Christmas. Children bring the supper to their godparents, communicate for several hours, and then go to their homes to celebrate Christmas at the family table. After Christmas, this can already be considered Christmas greetings, and visiting relatives depends on human desire.

- And if the godparents are in different families or even in different cities?

If this is possible and your godparents live in the same city, then it is advisable to do everything on the 6th, during the day, before Christmas dinner. But when your godparents live, for example, in another city, there is no opportunity to go. Then after the 6th, you can get together and go to congratulate them. It's called "bringing the supper," but it's actually a Merry Christmas greeting.

- Are there any special words with which you need to enter the house?

Yes, there are certain words with which one should come to the house, and which should be spoken when meeting. At the liturgy, the priest addresses the parishioners with the words: "Christ is born!" All people answer: "Praise him!". These are the words to greet the person on your path. On the day of the Baptism of the Lord, on January 19, when people meet, they greet each other in other words: “Christ is baptized!”, And they answer this: “In the Jordan River!”

- What do you need to bring with you? What is the supper?

Experience is more connected with tradition, so there is no need to bring special and obligatory things. Each region is different. But if we analyze the traditions of all regions, we can say that the most important thing is kutya and bread. Bread has always had a special meaning. And since there are children in the family, it is also customary to bring and give sweets.

- Is it possible to draw such a conclusion that it is necessary to bring what you can?

Yes, definitely. If a person does not have the opportunity, then no one obliges to bring a lot of products. The main thing in this tradition is the attention and desire to visit loved ones.

And what special traditions exist during Christmas time? Perhaps there are restrictions? For example, many people know that it is impossible to work during Christmas time. There is also a ban on marriage.

People have always worked, and a person must fulfill his duties. But some household chores that you can do without - should be moved. The period of Christmas time is called so because people glorify the Nativity of Christ. And for us this is of particular importance, because salvation has come into this world - a person has received the hope that he can go to heaven. Therefore, people rejoiced that the one who would conquer evil and death had come. Work that helps another person is allowed. If you need to sew something, then it is better to refrain and do it after the holidays. But if a person comes to you and he has nothing else to wear, then, of course, in this case you must help. You must always think and understand - where is a good deed, and where is the satisfaction of personal interest.

During Christmas time, as you noticed, it is forbidden to perform the sacrament of marriage. This is due to the fact that people during this period are at services and receive communion. There is a certain preparation for communion. A person observes a kind of post. But fasting is not from food, but from carnal pleasures. And since the wedding presupposes this, accordingly, marriage is prohibited during the Christmas season.

- How to deal with superstitions?

Only negative. Literally translated, superstition is a vain belief. We build our own future, and faith in vain things leads us astray. A person cannot be happy when he is afraid. And faith in all sorts of vain things is based on fear. Some people are afraid when they spill salt on the table, they believe that there will be a quarrel or misfortune. But if you think about it, during the preparation for the holidays, we try to do everything on time - to have time to get ready and not forget anything. During this period, a person becomes less attentive and this leads to sloppiness or less carefulness. Also, we can say that when a person believes in something, he puts it above himself. That is, it turns out that a person puts vain and insignificant coincidences of circumstances above himself, believing in them. The Lord said that laws and commandments are for people, and not vice versa. I feel sorry for people who believe in superstition, because they cannot take all the joy from this life - they are unhappy in fear of this faith.

How to deal with divination? People, especially young girls - this can be seen from our Ukrainian literature - were especially reverent about this period of the year, knowing that they would finally be able to find out the future, find out the name of the betrothed and more.

It is definitely negative. If a person does this, he cannot be called a Christian. At its core, this man is a pagan. The Lord directly forbade guessing. And for this there is a direct punishment - it is death. If worship is the glorification of God, then divination is the glorification of the devil. You can't even mix Christian holidays with fortune-telling. This is the moment when Christianity begins to be considered magic. It's not magic. Christ did not perform magic - he brought life. Christianity is life in the truth of understanding. The performance of witchcraft rituals during the period of great Christian holidays is a sin that is not forgiven for many more generations to come.

Christian holidays during the Christmas holidays:

16:00 - worship

After the service, people go home for a family dinner.

Irina Kotsyubenko