No wonder that Christmas is one of the most cherished and long-awaited holidays in Russia. Unlike many other countries it’s celebrated on the 7th of January, in accordance with the Orthodox calendar. Initially this day was linked with many folk customs. Some areas still keep up with the tradition of carols’ singing and masking on the night of January 6th. Traditional meal for Christmas in Russia is kutya. It’s sweet and delicious rice with raisins and dried fruits. From old times till now people are used to treating their relatives and neighbors with this dish. It is natural to sing carols in honor of Jesus Christ on this night. Since ancient times young girls used to practice divination during the Yuletide. It means they gathered together and did various manipulations to foresee the future. In some villages it was widespread to put up a straw stack in the yard and burn it. All the relatives would stand around the straw and watch it burn. It was believed that the dead ancestors returned for a moment to warm up by the fire, kindled by their descendents. In return they bestowed fertility to the living. In the past, Russian farmers had several other traditions. For example, it was considered a bad omen if the first footer on Christmas was a woman. It meant that all the women in this family would have health problems during the year. Another tradition was to clean the house on this day, to wash in the bath and to set a clean tablecloth for the year to bring good harvest. The main meal on Christmas table included roasted pork and other meat dishes, such as goose with apples, roasted poultry, lamb, fish, etc. There were also pancakes, casseroles, pies with various fillings. Basically, it was a large and important feast for every Russian family and it still is
