Sochelnik Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is known as Sochelnik in Russian. For those Russians that keep time with the old style method using the Julian calendar, Christmas Eve is celebrated thirteen days after December twenty-fourth, on January sixth.

This was the case with my family and I ended up providing explanations to my classmates as to why I differed from them. Eventually, they understood.

We’d have to buy our Christmas tree at the latest by Christmas Eve on December twenty-fourth and it would stand decorated until the official celebration in January.

The Nativity festivities began in the evening and it was customary to delay eating dinner until after the first star appeared in the night sky, after we attended church services. The star was symbolic of the Star of Bethlehem and my Babushka always reminded me of this important aspect. As soon as darkness would begin to descend, I’d run outside to get a glimpse of the sky, search for that first star and proceed to run back and forth from the house giving updates. Eventually it appeared with a plethora of others, glittering in the sky and was matched on earth by the thousands of lights that decorated homes and trees alike. It was beautiful and magical.

As we drove to church, my sister and I would play a game and count Christmas and holiday decorations along the way: she on her side of the car, and me on mine.

The Nativity church services -- Royal Hours, Vespers and the All Night Vigil -- were beautiful: many readings from the Old Testament, accompanied by the singing of Christmas hymns by both the choir and clergy in Church Slavonic. In fact, you will not find any musical instruments except for voices singing in the Russian Orthodox church!

“Christ is born -- glorify Him!” is one of the phrases that Russians greet each other with after services. Another is “S Prazdnicom” or “With the Holiday.”

As the case with other nationalities such as the Italians, Polish, Ukrainians, the food served at the Christmas Eve meal is meat free because of the Christmas Lent or fast. The meal itself is referred to as the Holy Supper, honoring Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Hay is traditionally placed under a white tablecloth in remembrance of the manger where Jesus was humbly born amongst the animals, the cows, the sheep, the goats, the chickens and the roosters. Honestly, it was hard to find hay in northern New Jersey in the middle of winter so we didn’t have any at our table.

Many traditional foods are served at this meal, including kutiya, made with buckwheat groats, honey and poppy seeds. Some prepare and eat twelve different foods, which represent the twelve Apostles.

As the years passed, unfortunately, many of the traditions faded with the departure of my Babushka, aunts and uncles. My family still celebrates and sometimes we even partake in our unique holiday ritual of taking off our shoes and socks and running through the snow after consuming ice cold shots of Rumple Minze or peppermint schnapps.

The Russians have their own version of a Christmas Eve tale and the Russian -- Ukrainian writer Nikolai Gogol penned the story in the series of short stories entitled “Evenings on a Farm Near Dikanka.” The tale aptly titled “The Night Before Christmas” takes place in the Ukraine on Christmas Eve as a witch flies through the dark night sky and steals the moon while the devil wreaks much havoc.

You’ll be relieved to know that never did I see a witch or vedma flying through the air as I anxiously awaited the arrival of Ded Moroz -- Grandfather Frost -- the Russian version of Santa Claus.

Besides, I was always very good and would be thrilled with all of the wonderful gifts he left for me.