Stahlke Adoption

Christmas Eve, Part II

The meal started with a table prayer by the bishop. If the Christmas Eve meal is done at home, however, the father says grace. The bishop ended his prayer with the exclamation, “Krystos rodyvsya” (“Christ is born”), to which the guests responded, “Slavite yoho” (“Let us praise him”). The bishop then said "Christ is born," but very few people, including the Stahlke table, knew the English response. Now I know, for next year.

Our kids were raring to eat, but there was more preparatory ritual to watch. Three candles on a center table were lit in turn by the bishop, then the consul general, and finally, the pastor of the church. The candles symbolize Jesus, the light of the world. Next to the candles stood a kolach, or set of three beautiful bread rings, stacked one on top of another. The three rings symbolize both the Trinity (3 rings) and eternity (a circle). Also on the table was a didukh, or sheaf of hay, which represents the manger where Jesus lay.

For an image of a kolach, see:
http://www.ukrainianclassickitchen.ca/images/photos/Kolach-1.jpg

posted by Stahlkes @ 6:23 PM