Celebration

For many people, Christmas is the main and favorite holiday. Children and adults are in anticipation of this holiday, because on this day magical everywhere.

I like the Christmas atmosphere, because all the houses are decorated, music is played everywhere, people are in a good mood waiting for the holiday, buying gifts and hurrying somewhere. If we're lucky with the weather, everyone tries to spend as much time outside as possible, playing snowballs, making a snowman or sledding.

In Ukraine, Christmas was previously celebrated on January 7, but the last year it is celebrated on December 25, as in Canada. The celebration is still a little different in these two countries. Before Christmas Eve, mothers cook a traditional dish kutya, and children learn thematic poems about Christmas or about kutya. When Christmas Eve comes and the first star in the sky, the children go with the adults to visit other family members, where they recite the poems they have learned and treat the hosts to kutya. The hosts give gifts in gratitude and treat them with cookies and desserts. When I was little, my sister and I used to go to grandparents, aunts and uncles and godparents. Some children also visit their neighbors. After the guests, the family gathers at the table, where there should be 12 dishes as a symbol of the 12 apostles. It is important to try each dish, but we can't eat everything this evening.

At Christmas, families go to church service, and then gather again at the table. Also, after the holiday, people continue to celebrate for another 12 days. It's a time of fortune-telling and a variety of entertainment.

For me, Christmas is a family holiday. That's why I try to spend as much time as possible with my family and I am lucky every year to have my family around me on this occasion.

I am providing Kutya recipe below of you would like to try it.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of Wheat
• 4 glasses of Water
• 50 g of Butter
• 2-3 tbsp. of Honey
• 2 tbsp. of Poppy
• 1 handful of Walnuts
• 100 g of dried apricots
• 1 handful of Raisins
• 1 Lemon (zest and juice)
• 1 cm of Ginger root

Directions:

Pour wheat with 4 glasses of water overnight to swell. In the morning, drain the water and add 4 new glasses of water. Cook over low heat for 30-60 minutes until done. If after the wheat is completely ready there is some water left, then it needs to be drained. Add 50 g of butter to the warm porridge, so the taste of wheat will be more intense. Cut dried apricots into small cubes. If you have very hard dried apricots, you can pre-steam them in boiling water for 5 minutes. Add diced dried apricots and a handful of raisins to the porridge. Then add poppy seeds and finely grated ginger root. After this add a handful of chopped walnuts and stir the porridge until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Wash the lemon well and dry. Grate the lemon zest on a fine grater. Add honey and grated lemon zest to the kutya. And finally add 1-2 tbsp. l. lemon juice and mix well again. Leave the kutya in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to steep.

Enjoy your meal!