This is the core holiday for Ukrainians as they are Christians. Since it is the centerpiece of the faith, people created numerous customs and traditions both in the festivities and food. Here are the main customs you should know about this holiday in this country.
Ukrainian Christmas food tradition
Celebration of the Eve starts with having a special “holy supper” or as it’s called in Ukraine – “sviata vechera”. According to traditions, “didukh” is supposed to be on the table. “Didukh” is the last sheaf of wheat. It serves as a reminder of the harvest God blessed the family with in the year ending as well as a reminder of the manger Christ was born in.
Sviata vechera in Ukraine starts when the first star appears on the sky. This is a symbol of three wise men that followed a star to see a new-born King Jesus.
Traditional Christmas dinner in Ukraine usually consists of 12 dishes. The first one and the most important one is “kutia”, which is sweet rice-grain soup. Following the traditions, one should start his dinner with kutia and then proceed to the rest of the dishes. Among other dishes present during this holiday there are those not containing eggs, meat and milk. Traditionally, Ukrainians make uzvar, fried fish, borshch, fried cabbage with mushrooms, holubtsi with rice and carrots, millet porridge with mushrooms, beet salad with hering, pickles and onion salad, beans pancakes, hot dressing with garlic, pepper, dill, and tomato paste, as well as boiled potatoes with garlic and oil.
Main Ukrainian Christmas custom – kolyada
After the sviata vechera comes the biggest custom known as “kolyada” (caroling). The whole family starts singing authentic songs including “Carol of the Bells”, which is an interpretation of the Ukrainian “Shchedryk”.
Caroling can also be a part of a whole dramatic holiday narrating that young people and Christian organizations members dressed up in special costumes take from home to home, sometimes while collecting donations for the churches.
How to say “Merry Christmas” in Ukrainian
Ukrainians have their own unique greeting they only use on Christmas Eve. They say “Congratulations on the Christ’s birth!” which in their language sounds like “Z Rizdvom Hrystovym”. If you want to write it in Slavic letters, then it goes like this: “З Різдвом Христовим!”
Now you know the main traditions of this beautiful country, their festivities customs and even how to say “Merry Christmas!” in their language. The only thing left is to come to Ukraine around this time in winter and celebrate this amazing holiday with people who highly value it. We promise that this is really an unforgettable feeling to celebrate Christmas in Ukraine and an experience you will remember for a long time!
