Christmas

Celebrated on 7 January, Christmas (rus. Rozhdestvo) is an excellent chance to see rites of the Orthodox Church. On the Christmas Eve, families join at the table for a festive dinner. Twelve fasting dishes must be served with kutia (boiled wheat, poppy seeds and honey, sometimes with rise and raisins) as the lead-meal. Don’t be surprised to see many kids in streets with small bags of grain on Christmas Eve. It is an old tradition. They go houses, say rhymes and throw the seed around the place (called Posyevaniye). This is a wish of prosperity and merry Christmas. You are expected to give sweets or some money in return.

Many people attend divine services in local churches and have some water blessed by a priest.

Christmas is an official holiday in Ukraine.

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