"It is impossible until the first star": on Christmas Eve it is customary to abstain from food until the evening. History and traditions of the New Year's star

On January 7, the Orthodox around the world ends the Advent fast. It ends with great joy - on this day in the city of Bethlehem the Savior of the world Jesus Christ was born. Traditionally, the Orthodox, unlike representatives of the Catholic Church, pay more attention to inner peace and spiritual contemplation of the joy of the holiday than to its external paraphernalia, but Orthodox Christmas is also imbued with its beautiful traditions.

The 40-day Advent fast and intense prayer brought Orthodox people closer to the great celebration. However, the ancient Christians did not know him; for them, the Resurrection of Christ overshadowed Christmas. At the end of the III - beginning of the IV centuries, Christians began to celebrate Christmas and the Epiphany of the Savior on the same day - January 6 according to the Julian calendar. By the way, this tradition is preserved by the Armenian Apostolic Church. And only in the middle of the 4th century did the feast of the Nativity separate from Epiphany and began to be celebrated by the Roman Church on December 25 according to the Julian calendar. According to references in the annals, Russia first began to celebrate the day of the Nativity of Christ in the 10th century.

At present, together with the Russian Orthodox Church, Christmas on the night of January 6-7 is celebrated by the Jerusalem, Serbian and Georgian Orthodox Churches, as well as Athos monasteries, Eastern Rite Catholics (in particular, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and some Protestants living according to the Julian calendar. All the other 11 Local Orthodox Churches of the world celebrate Christmas, like Catholics, on the night of December 24-25, since they use the so-called "New Julian" calendar, which so far coincides with the Gregorian calendar used by Catholics.

It is believed that it is on the night before Christmas that two forces dominate: good and evil. Whichever person adjoined, she worked wonders with him. One invited to carol and glorify the birth of Christ at the festive table, and the other gathered witches for the Sabbath. In the evening, a carol (wicket) went from house to house in the villages - disguised guys in turned-out fur coats and with animal masks on their faces. Magnified the owners, not sparing generous words. Signs: "If the weather is snowy on Christmas Eve, there will be a harvest for bread." It was believed that on this day, the last before Christmas, snowfall is a sure sign of the prosperity of the economy in the new year. And if it's frosty that day, there will be advice and love in the family. Of course, these signs and prejudices are just an "echo" of pagan celebrations and traditions that have nothing to do with the essence of the great Christian holiday.

“The feast of the Nativity of Christ is one of the days when, with the greatest depth and joy, we experience a meeting with God. Before this solemn and marvelous day, the world and God were separated by sin, and a person, no matter how eager he was to meet God, could not fulfill it on his own, without Him. And God, in His immeasurable love, in His mercy, became a man, He passed the line that separated a fallen man from eternal life and from eternal joy,” Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh said in one of his sermons. On Christmas Eve, Christmas time begins - two weeks of winter holidays that continue until Epiphany, which is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on January 19th.

The day of intensive preparation for the feast of the Nativity of Christ is considered to be Christmas Eve - the eve of the great holiday, which comes on January 7 for Orthodox Christians. According to strict rules, believers are advised to refuse food until the first star. Only when the first star appears - the symbol of the star of Bethlehem - can you taste sochivo (a lean dish that is most often prepared from wheat or rice with honey and fruits). Hence the name of this day - Christmas Eve.

Christmas Eve was quietly celebrated with family at a pre-holiday candlelight dinner. Twelve dishes were always served on the table, and they sat at the table in an even number. If there were an odd number of guests, then one free device was set on the table. Before sitting at the table, it was sprinkled with hay - in memory of the den and the manger in which Christ was born. The name Christmas Eve came from the custom to cook the so-called sochivo - "wheat grains soaked in water." Sochiv was also customary to call any lean food.

The holiday continued the next morning - folk festivals with songs, dances and round dances. The whole country participated in the "Christmas Games" - from ordinary people to court nobles.

Note that for a long time in Russia there was still some mixture of Christianity and paganism that came from Byzantium. Therefore, in those years, fortune-telling was especially common at Christmas. Mostly, young girls guessed at their groom. Fortune-telling with a boot consisted in the fact that the boot was removed from the left foot and thrown over the fence. Then they looked in which direction the cape of the boot was directed, and looked for the groom in that direction. If the boot fell with its nose to its own fence, this meant that the groom was not expected in the coming year. At the same time, the tradition of guessing on wax was born. Melted wax was dripped into a large container of water and the future was determined by the figures in the reflection.

Other rituals of divination that existed in those years: by ashes, by a shoe, by a mirror, by candles, by a ring, by a key and a book, by snow, by a towel, by a comb, by an onion, by a barking dog and even by a horse.
Ordinary peasants also had a ritual of “sowing”: the shepherds went around the houses, congratulated everyone on the holiday and threw a handful of oats into each house, saying: “For the living, for the fruitful and for health” or “I sow, I sow with ardent wheat, oats, buckwheat on calves, on lambs and on all peasants!
In Russia, the rite of caroling was also born. Young people dressed up and went to neighboring houses, singing Christmas carols. In each house, such guests were greeted with festive treats and gifts. The texts of the carols were dominated by the theme of the birth of Jesus Christ. Others were associated with biblical stories, others praised the owner of the house and his family. In the old days, it was customary to wish also a prosperous harvest next year.

Gradually, with the rooting of Christianity in Russia, the traditions of dressing up, guessing and congratulating everyone you meet on the summer solstice have sunk into summer, giving way to simple congratulations and holiday songs. In many villages and villages of the Russian provinces, the tradition of singing carols has been preserved to this day.

In general, Christmas is celebrated for three days: January 7, 8, and 9. Our ancestors celebrated them like this: on the first day of the hostess - the wives stay at home, and the men go from house to house and congratulate their relatives and friends. Tables are set throughout the day. Everything is already modest (not lean) on the table. Usually this is: a herring for a snack, then soup, chicken, ham, potatoes, salads, vodka, wine, etc. For sweet kutia, strudel, cake, compote and tea or coffee. The guests and the hostess sit down at the table for half an hour, eat a little something and then say goodbye and the guest goes to other acquaintances. Be sure to visit all relatives, then good friends, especially older and older ones. Gifts are not brought these days. On the second day of Christmas, it is supposed that wives visit guests, and husbands sit at home, although this was not particularly practiced in pre-revolutionary times. Everyone went to each other's families. However, this tradition has survived to this day. You just need to take gifts with you and exclaim at a party: Merry Christmas!

Based on materials from For-ua.com, Sus@nin, Orthodoxy in the Holy Land.

Almost every person is familiar with such a custom as decorating a New Year tree with a star. But few people think why and why it is customary to decorate the top of a festive spruce with it. The New Year's star is an invariable attribute of the New Year, a New Year's ritual, which has already been celebrated for more than one century.

The history of the New Year's star

In fact, this is not just a custom, but a sign gesture, a tribute to the memory of a great event that happened more than 2000 years ago. Of course, we are talking about the birth of Jesus Christ. It so happened that the New Year is celebrated in European traditions almost at the same time as Christmas, and it does not matter at all whether this is an Orthodox or Catholic holiday. For Catholics, Christmas is on December 25th, and for Orthodox Christians, on January 7th. According to the old style, Christmas was always celebrated before January 1, so throughout the Christian world they decorated the Christmas tree with a special toy - a star.

This star is called the Bethlehem star. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and the magi who were present at this event saw this symbol right above the birthplace of the Savior. From that moment on, the eight-pointed star became the symbol of his Christmas, and later the New Year.

Christmas Star Traditions

The first and most important tradition is to decorate the top of the Christmas tree with a New Year's star, thus symbolizing the appearance of that very iconic star in the sky during Christmas. This tradition is respected in all European countries and Catholic Orthodox cultures around the world.

As you know, the Magi brought their gifts to the birthday of the baby Jesus, symbolizing their respect for God and for the prophecy associated with Christ. That is why the rite and tradition of putting gifts under a Christmas tree, on which a star flaunts, is not accidental. This symbolizes the offering of gifts to God himself. Thus, the New Year's eight-pointed star reminds us of one of the most important moments in world history and the history of Christianity in particular.

The New Year's star symbolizes the fulfillment of prophecy and universal joy. Therefore, among people of a non-religious warehouse, this symbol is associated with well-being, brings love and brings people together. We wish the New Year's star to give you good, happiness and love. Show respect for ancient traditions and don't forget to press the buttons and

Christmas Eve is the day, or rather, the eve, on the eve of the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.

The last day of the four-week Advent fast, a day during which Christians traditionally abstain from eating until the first star appears. This tradition is connected with the historical legend about the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem, which announced to the magi about the birth of Christ.

The very name "Christmas Eve" comes from the word "sochivo" - this was the name of a special rice or wheat porridge with honey, nuts and raisins. It is such lean food that is intended for this day, as well as vegetables, peas, beans, fish, compote. After all, Christmas Eve is a solemn feast with an invariably defined ritual, both in terms of organization, time and procedure, and in terms of dishes and food.

Christmas Eve Traditions

Since ancient times in Russia, many good traditions have been associated with the last day of Advent. In village huts, it was customary to cover the floor with hay, and the table with straw, on top of which a snow-white tablecloth was laid. This was done as a reminder that our Savior was born in a sheep barn, and not in a royal chamber.

Another tradition is carols. From a small box - "nativity scene" (translated from the Slavic "cave"), they arranged an impromptu puppet theater in which actions were played out on a Christmas theme. In the evening they walked around the village with a nativity scene, congratulating the neighbors.

The guys "dressed up" - dressed in fur coats turned inside out, put on animal masks on their faces, and sang Christmas carols.

It is on Christmas Eve, according to popular belief, that two forces dominate - the power of good and the power of evil. The power of good invited people to carol or listen to carols of others and treat them with sweets, glorify the birth of Christ at the fast evening table. The power of evil gathered a coven of witches, raging in their impotence, and pulled them to fortune-telling.

Various rites of divination by a shoe, by a mirror, by ashes, by a ring, by an onion or by a dog's bark have sunk into oblivion, with the rooting of Christianity.

No wonder they say that wishes come true on Christmas Eve. So maybe it's not worth reviving stupid pagan fortune-telling, but simply, on the night before Christmas, look at the sky and try to see a shooting star. And if you are lucky, and you will see a shooting star on this Christmas night, ask the born Christ to fulfill your cherished desire.

Do not miss this time, otherwise you will have to wait another whole year. Miracles often happen on the night of Christmas!
On the table on Christmas Eve there should be twelve Lenten dishes - according to the number of the first apostles. The meal should be started in the evening, after the evening service and the appearance of the first star. Until then, no food or drink is consumed throughout the day.

Only the next day, on the very feast of the Nativity of Christ, on January 7, after the solemn Liturgy, meat dishes are allowed.

After Christmas Eve, Christmas time begins. Continuing until Epiphany (January 19) two weeks of winter holidays.

Dishes for Christmas Eve

The first obligatory dish on Christmas Eve is sochivo - a grain of bread soaked in water, honey, broth or gravy. Until the end of the 19th century, the Eastern Slavs had rye as this grain, later, mainly wheat, and the wealthy people had rice.
Also, obligatory dishes in the Christmas Eve ritual feast are baked fish, preferably in its entirety (you can replace it with boiled fish), and a thick broth from whole or halves of various fruits (pears, apples, plums, apricots, figs, quince, raisins). The broth differs from the usual compote in a higher concentration. In addition to the broth, berry jelly is also boiled.

The full Christmas Eve menu is as follows:

1. Sochivo.
2. Rice or wheat kutya with raisins.
3. Baked or boiled whole fish.
4. Boil or compote from whole fruits or sour berry jelly.

The number of dishes can be expanded to twelve, and the remaining dishes can be nuts, vegetables, meatless pies and gingerbread. The symbolism of such a table is the birth of Jesus Christ. Grain soaked in water - as a symbol of the beginning of life, germination. Compote from whole fruits or fruits processed into liquid jelly - symbolize the full maturation of life and its end.

These two dishes - the first and the last - are symbols of birth and death.

And all together, the dishes are a reminder of the grains and fruits brought to Christ by the Magi on the day of His birth.
The Christmas Eve meal is a symbolic ritual of the birth of Jesus Christ.

It should be a quiet and modest pre-holiday dinner, which should be held in the family circle, without long gatherings at the table and empty talk. Christmas celebrations will begin the next day.

Notes for Christmas Eve

Snowstorm on Christmas Eve - to early foliage.
Snowy weather on Christmas Eve - to the grain harvest in the new year.
It was not recommended to sweep rubbish from the hut precisely in the period from Christmas Eve to January 14. Collected in a heap, the garbage had to be burned in the yard.
Peasant children on Christmas Eve climbed under the table and "poked" like chickens - so that the hens would be good.
Greed and stinginess are absolutely not for this time - this is the time of preparation for the great holiday, the preparation of purchases and gifts.
Starting from Christmas Eve, winter turns to frost, and the sun turns to summer.
After the onset of Christmas Eve, after the evening church service on that day, it is impossible to do household chores. It is understandable - after all, one of the most important holidays, which is celebrated for three days, is about to come, writes the magazine InFlora.ru.

What does it mean to fast until the first star? How to fast on this day sick? Is it obligatory to attend the night Liturgy on Christmas and be at the service on the evening of the Feast? Should you celebrate Christmas with your family? Can a prayerful mood be maintained at a festive feast?

January 6 - Evening Christmas, or Christmas Eve- last day Christmas Lent, eve Christmas.

On this day, Orthodox Christians especially prepare for the upcoming holiday, the whole day is filled with a special festive mood. On the morning of Christmas Eve, at the end of the Liturgy and the vespers following it, a candle is brought to the center of the church and the priests sing a troparion in front of it. Christmas.

Services and Christmas Eve post have a number of features, so it is these days that many questions come to our site about how to conduct Christmas Eve.

Answered by Archpriest Alexander

- Father Alexander, the most frequently asked question by our readers is how to fast on Christmas Eve, until what time should one refrain from eating food? What does "post to the first star" mean? Is the measure of abstinence the same for those who work and those who do not work on this day? How long is fasting before communion?

The Typikon prescribes fasting until the end of Vespers. However, the Vespers service is connected with the Liturgy, it is served in the morning, and therefore we fast until the moment when a candle is brought into the center of the church and the troparion to the Nativity of Christ is sung in front of the candle.

It is obvious that people in the temple are fasting, many commune on this day. It would be good if those who cannot be in the service in the temple, who work, honor this day with a more strict fast. We remember that, according to the Russian proverb, "A full belly is deaf to prayer." Therefore, a more strict fast prepares us for the coming joy of the holiday.

Those who take communion at the night Liturgy, according to church tradition, eat food for the last time at least six hours before the time of Communion, or from about 6 pm. And here the point is not in a specific number of hours, that you need to fast for 8 hours and not a minute less, but in the fact that a certain border is established, a measure of abstinence that helps us to comply with the measure.

Father, many questions come from sick people who cannot fast, asking what they should do?

Sick people, of course, must fast to the extent that this is consistent with the intake of medicines and with the prescriptions of doctors.

This is not about putting a weak person in a hospital, but about strengthening a person spiritually.

Illness is already a difficult post and a feat. And here a person should already try to determine the measure of fasting according to his own strength. Any thing can be brought to the point of absurdity. For example, imagine that a priest who comes to give communion to a dying person asks when the person last ate?!

As a rule, believers try to celebrate the Nativity of Christ at the nightly festive liturgy. But in many churches, the Vespers and Liturgy are also served at the usual time - 5 pm and in the morning. In this regard, people often ask, is it not a sin for a young man, not weak, without children, to go to the service not at night, but in the morning?

To visit a night service or a morning one - you need to watch it according to your strength. Meeting the holiday at night is, of course, a special joy: both spiritual and spiritual. There are very few such services a year; in most parish churches, night liturgies are served only at Christmas and Easter- especially solemn services are traditionally performed at night. But for example, on Athos, Sunday vigils are served at night. Still, there are not so many such services, just over 60 per year. The Church so establishes, taking into account human capabilities: the number of night vigils in the year is limited.

Solemn night services contribute to a deeper prayerful experience and perception of the Holiday.

- The festive Liturgy is over, the festive feast begins. Here we are asked two questions. First, is it possible to celebrate Christmas first in the parish, and not immediately arrange a family celebration?

Christian joy is fundamentally different from pagan joy: from unrestraint and fall, fury and revelry, from shamelessness and depravity.

The Apostle Paul commanded us toAlways rejoice. Incessantlypray. In everything give thanks to the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). If we meet the holiday with joy, prayer and gratitude to God, then we fulfill the apostolic covenant.

If a person feels that after a noisy celebration he is losing his fertile mood, then perhaps he should sit down at the table for a while, leave earlier, retaining spiritual joy.

– Is it obligatory to attend the evening service on the very day of the holiday - the evening of the Christmas holiday?

- This is a must! But, after the night service, you need to restore strength. Not everyone, due to age, health and spiritual level, is able to go to the temple and take part in the service. But we must remember that the Lord rewards for every effort that a person makes for Him.

The evening service on this day is not long, especially spiritual, solemn and joyful, the Great Prokeimenon is proclaimed at it, so, of course, it’s good if you can visit it.

Hearing the words: “So, fasting, mother. You can't get to the first star. We are waiting, sir, ”- many today will remember the continuation advertising slogan of a bank that no longer exists. For religious people, this phrase is filled with a completely different meaning - the expectation of the appearance in the sky of the Bethlehem star, which, according to legend, announced the birth of Christ to the Magi.

Astronomers have their own explanation for this celestial phenomenon and consider the appearance of a “star in the east” to be the result of a coincidence of rare astronomical and astrological events. The prophetic star also left a trace in material culture: interiors were decorated with images of stars, stars still adorn the tops of Christmas trees, women knit and embroider eight-pointed stars in the ornaments of their needlework. It is believed that the star brings prosperity and happiness and establishes a connection between the spiritual and material world.

Lenten traditions

Today is Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas. On this day, the four-week Christmas fast ends, and religious traditions forbid believers to eat before dark and the first star appears. Many traditions and special rituals have long been associated with this day.

The name "Christmas Eve" was given to the day before Christmas by a special food - juicy - rice or wheat porridge with honey, nuts and raisins. She was the first obligatory dish of dinner on the eve of the holiday. Sochivo is a grain of bread soaked in water, honey, broth or gravy, it symbolized germination, the beginning of life. The Eastern Slavs had this grain until the end of the 19th century, rye, later wheat, and wealthy people had rice.

Sochi from wheat. How to cook?

Ingredients: you will need 1 cup of wheat grains, 100 g of poppy seeds, 2-3 tablespoons of poppy seeds, 140 g of walnut kernels.

Cooking method: Sort out the wheat, rinse thoroughly. Soak the grain for two to three hours in cold water. Then recline in a colander or cheesecloth, drain the water and transfer the wheat to the pan. Pour clean water in a ratio of 1:3, lightly salt, cook over low heat for two hours or put in the oven, where to simmer at 180`C until soft. While the wheat is cooking, pour the poppy seeds with boiling water. Drain the water from the wheat in which it was boiled. Save a little broth and dilute honey in it. Sprinkle wheat with honey water.

Drain the water from the poppy seeds, grind the swollen poppy seeds in a mortar or scroll through a meat grinder with a fine grate several times. Chop nuts, fry in a dry frying pan. Mix wheat, poppy seeds and nuts, let it brew a little. Sochivo is ready.

Also obligatory dishes in the ritual feast of Christmas Eve are baked fish and a thick broth of whole or halved fruits. The broth differs from compote in a more saturated concentration, it symbolizes the full maturation of life and its end. Sochivo and vzvar or jelly are symbols of birth and death.

The menu can be supplemented with dishes from vegetables and legumes. The number of dishes of the pre-Christmas dinner can be up to twelve. All together they serve as a reminder of the grains and fruits brought to Christ by the Magi on the day of his birth.

Believers start dinner after the evening service and the appearance of the first star. Prior to this, no food or drink is consumed throughout the day. Meat dishes appear on the table of fasting people only after the solemn liturgy on the Day of the Nativity of Christ.

The table for the meal was prepared in a special way - it was lined with straw, and covered with a bleached tablecloth on top. This referred believers to the legend that Christ was born in a sheepshed on straw. The believers' Christmas Eve dinner is a quiet family meal, without long gatherings and empty table talk.

Game rituals

Another Christmas tradition is carols. From a small box - a den - they arranged an improvised puppet theater in which they acted out actions on a Christmas theme. In the evening they walked around the village with a nativity scene, congratulating the neighbors.

Young people "dressed up" - they put on sheepskin coats with fur outside, hid their faces under animal masks and sang Christmas carols.

Virgin Mary

Christmas - An angel has arrived.

He flew across the sky, singing songs to people:

All people rejoice, celebrate this day

Today is Christmas!

I'm flying from God, I brought joy to you,

That Christ was born in a poor den.

Hurry up

Meet the newborn baby.

Shepherds from the East came first,

In a manger on the straw the Baby was found.

Stood, wept, glorified Christ

And His Holy Mother.

And the Magi, seeing a bright star,

They came to worship God and the King.

They bowed to God, they gave gifts to the Tsar:

Gold, myrrh and Lebanon.

And Herod, rebellious, learned about Christ,

Soldiers sent to kill all babies.

Babies killed, swords blunted

But Christ was in Egypt.

We have sinned a lot, Savior before You.

We are all sinful people, You are the only Saint.

Forgive our sins, give us forgiveness.

Today is Christmas!

It was believed that on Christmas night the forces of good and evil meet. Good forces invited to carol or treat the artists with sweets, glorify the birth of Christ at the fast evening table. Evil forces gathered a coven of witches, raging in their impotence, and pulled people to fortune-telling.

Fortune-telling rites with the rooting of Christianity have lost their relevance, but many people know about various ways to look into the future. It happens that in our days, divination by a shoe, a mirror, ashes, a ring, an onion or a dog's barking make fortunetellers hold their breath. It is believed that wishes made on the night before Christmas have many chances to come true.

Christmas divination by candlelight are done as follows:

it is necessary to take the remains of wax or paraffin from white candles, multi-colored and festive candles will not work. Put the wax in a metal bowl, melt over high heat and quickly pour into cold water. The figure, which at the same time is formed from the frozen wax and tells about the future.

Interpretation of figures:

if the drops of wax harden in the form of a house, this means that in the near future you will have a new household, and the girl will have a groom;

if the figure is shapeless, then the future promises trouble;

if you see a tree, then pay attention to the direction of its branches: they stretch upwards - joy is close, if they lean to the bottom - there will be boredom, melancholy and sadness;

a candle or ring predicts a close wedding;

if a pancake fell to the bottom, then the girl's girlhood will drag on.

After Christmas Eve until the feast of Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 19, Christmas weeks continue. Greed and stinginess are absolutely not for this time - this is the time of preparing gifts and purchases.

Signs for Christmas

Our ancestors did not welcome fortune-telling, but they watched the signs. It was believed that a snowstorm on Christmas Eve - to early foliage, snow on Christmas Eve - to the grain harvest in the new year.

Peasant children on Christmas Eve climbed under the table and "poked" like chickens - so that the hens lay well.

Starting from Christmas Eve, winter turns to frost, and the sun turns to summer.

The weather this year follows folk signs. Regardless of whether you decide to join folk traditions or not, we wish you happiness, health, prosperity and bright stars on your way!