Russian Holy Supper
Did you know that Christmas used to be banned in Russia? After the 1917 Revolution Christmas was banned. Not until 75 years later, in 1992, was Christmas allowed to be openly celebrated.
Christmas is rooted in the Russian Orthodox faith, around the Christmas Eve fast and meal. The fasts lasts until the evening worship service or the first star appears in the sky. The dinner that follows is called the Holy Meal, in which meat is not allowed. However, Kutya, a type of porridge, is the primary dish.
Kutya is made of grains for hope and poppy seed for happiness and peace.
The Holy Supper is in honor is the Christ Child and includes a white table cloth symbolic of Christ’s swaddling, Hay for poverty, A white candle for “the Light of the World”, and a large loaf of bread, “pagach” for the Bread of Life”.
The meal begins with the Lord’s Prayer, led by the father of the family. The Mother of the family blesses each person present with honey in the form of a cross on the forehead.
Following this, everyone partakes of the bread, dipping it first in honey and then in chopped garlic. Honey is symbolic of the sweetness of life, and garlic of the bitterness. The “Holy Supper” is then eaten (see below for details). After dinner, no dishes are washed and the Christmas presents are opened. Then the family goes to Church, coming home between 2 and 3 am.
Tags: bread_of_life, christmas_eve, christ_child, first_star, kutya, loaf_of_bread, pagach, russian_orthodox_faith, swaddling, table_cloth
2 opinions for Russian Holy Supper
Hevel
Dec 15, 2007 at 11:50 am
My youngest brother was adopted from Russia, so because of him my family always celebrated two Christmases: the western one and then the Russian Orthodox one on January 6th and 7th.
One of my SILs was born in the Soviet Union and made the aliyah to Israel in the early 1990s. While both my brother and she are Modern Orthodox Jews, thus they don’t celebrate Christmas, they decorate a tree and have a big party with a festive meal with Ded Moroz and Snegurochka visiting the children and bringing presents at New Year’s instead of Chanukah.
In some areas of Russia it is customary to eat walnuts and apples with the honey after coming home from church, or so I learnt in class.
Marcie
Dec 15, 2007 at 10:07 pm
I don’t know much about the Russian Orthodox because AJ was only two. I do know that he knew who Ded Moroz was because when I tried to explain Santa he perked right up when I said that name. His expression was so funny. They celebrated in the orphanage and had Ded Moroz visit once a year with small gifts of fruit and small gifts from people who had donated.
I also know they had him baptized. We did not rebaptize him because of this.
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