One of the most important and joyous Christian holidays - Nativity of Christ - is celebrated by the Orthodox Church on January 7. The celebration begins the day before, on Christmas Eve. This is the last day of the Nativity Fast, so the festive evening meal begins with the traditional lenten dish of wheat or rice with honey and nuts - sochi, from which the name of this day comes. On the eve of Christmas, Christians are filled with a special, elevated spiritual mood, preparing for the great holiday.
Instructions
Step 1
Attend one, and if you feel a greater spiritual need - all the services that are held in the temple on this day and Christmas night. This contributes to a deeper experience of the joy of the upcoming holiday, strengthens the prayer mood and enriches the perception of this solemn event for Christians.
Step 2
Try to fast on Christmas Eve. It should not be as strict as on the previous days of the Nativity Fast, especially during its last week. By tradition, many Christians fast on this day "until the first star." This is a pious custom, not prescribed by the charter of the Church, but it is associated with the special course of the church service on Christmas Eve: fasting continues until the moment of the Liturgy, when a candle is brought out to the center of the church and the troparion to the Nativity of Christ is sung.
Step 3
Decorate your home with Christmas wreaths and fresh sprigs. Since you most likely have already decorated the tree for the New Year, make a special decoration for Christmas to emphasize the specialness and importance of this holy holiday. Place Christmas gifts under the tree.
Step 4
Prepare a festive table. According to tradition, on Christmas Eve, dinner should consist of twelve lenten dishes - according to the number of the Holy Apostles. The main symbol of the meal is sochivo, made from boiled grains of wheat or other cereals with the addition of nuts, honey and dried fruits.
Step 5
The meal on Christmas Eve is non-alcoholic, a brew is served on the table as a drink - a special compote of coarsely chopped fruits and jam from whole berries. Also a must is a whole fish dish, preferably baked. Meat dishes are allowed to be placed on the table only with the onset of Christmas - January 7th.
Step 6
The festive dinner should be of a prayer nature: before and during the meal, special thanksgiving prayers are read. At the table, they only talk about godly things, and also remember the gospel story of the birth of Jesus. It is also customary to ask each other for forgiveness on Christmas Eve.
Step 7
If you have the desire and opportunity, make a charitable contribution to an organization that helps orphans, large families or people with various diseases. You can also bring gifts in person, for example to an orphanage or nursing home. However, in order to avoid misunderstandings, discuss in advance with representatives of these institutions what requirements the items or products you donated should meet.
Step 8
Earlier, on Christmas Eve, children went from house to house with carol songs praising the Infant Christ. Grateful owners gave the kids sweet gifts. You can try to renew this tradition, but, of course, taking into account modern realities - not every person will be sympathetic to such children's fun. Therefore, children's singing of carols is best left for those close and familiar to you.
Step 9
A much more relevant, modern and edifying holiday entertainment on Christmas Eve can be a children's staging of a Christmas story in the tradition of an old nativity scene - an improvised miniature puppet theater. Tell the children this idea in advance and help them prepare the necessary props, prescribe roles.
