Eve of the Nativity of Christ (Christmas Eve)

January 6 – Christmas Eve for Eastern Christians This day ends the Nativity Fast Christmas Eve is the Eve of the Nativity of Christ, one of the most important Christian holidays, established in honor of the birth of Jesus Christ On the night of Christmas, a particularly solemn night service is served in the Temples, which turns into the morning Liturgy, with its end ending the 40-day Philippian fast It is assumed that Christmas Eve got its name from the main dish - sochiva, eaten on the strictest day of fasting Sochivo - boiled grains of wheat or rice, seasoned with honey or soaked in water On Christmas Eve, one meal is allowed after the evening service Traditionally, the resolution to it is the appearance of the first star in the evening sky The custom was established in honor of the Star of Bethlehem, which notified the Magi of the birth of the Infant Christ On this day, Christians, having seen the first heavenly light, gather with the whole family at the festive table Cover it with a clean white tablecloth A bunch of hay is placed in memory of the manger where Christ was born Sochivo is considered a festive dish, but not the only one; even wine and vegetable oil, fruit and berry infusions are allowed to be consumed 12 dishes are placed on the table according to the number of apostles The main thing is that all food is lean On Christmas Eve, it is customary for Christians to give gifts to children, in memory of the acts of the Magi who presented gifts to the infant Christ Installing and decorating the fir tree is also a tribute to the events associated with the birth of the Infant of God According to legend, fir branches saved the baby from the cruel reprisal of the King of the Jews At the end of the family meal and the presentation of all gifts, the adult generation usually goes to serve in the Temple Young people have the right to start a fun activity - carols You can celebrate, have fun, and sing carols for the next 12 days; they are called Christmastide, holy days and continue until Epiphany Christmas Eve on January 18 Christmas Eve before Christmas is the eve of a Christian holiday Time that can and should be used to cleanse the soul and thoughts; fortunately, there are 40 days of Philip’s fast from November 28 to January 6 The family nature of the day and the significance of the subsequent holiday gives parents the opportunity to form spiritual and moral values ​​in their children, teach virtue, discipline, patience and selflessness The more sincere the desire of adults to become purer and nobler in soul, the more likely it is that children will follow the example of their parents, and family values ​​will become a priority for them in life, charity is not just empty words, but necessary needs