06 January 2010 → Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas Eve 6 January
Christmas Eve gets Christians ready for Great Feast and is held in strict fasting. The fast typically lasts until the first star appears on 6 January. The dinner that follows is very much a celebration. Kutya, a type of porridge, is the primary dish. It is very symbolic with its ingredients being various grains for hope and honey and poppy seed for happiness and peace.
All of the food is served in an unusually festive and anticipatory manner and style. The Russians call this meal: "The Holy Supper." The family gathers around the table to honor the coming Christ Child. A white table-cloth, symbolic of Christ's swaddling clothes, covers the table. Hay is brought forth as a reminder of the poverty of the Cave where Jesus was born.
The believers also attend divine services at the cathedrals and churches across the country to get spiritually ready for one of the greatest Christian holidays – the Nativity of Christ.
Services in honor of Christmas will be held on the eve and on Christmas day in all Orthodox churches of Belarus
Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus will conduct an all-night service which will start at 18h00 in the Holy Spirit Cathedral.
An evening service in the Minsk cathedral will be broadcast by First National TV Cannel from 21h55 to 23h55.
In the morning all the Belarusian Orthodox churches will hold divine services. The Holy Spirit Cathedral of Minsk will host the Masses at 7am and at 10am. The last Mass will be said by Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk Filaret, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus. On 7 January, the Holy Spirit Cathedral will host the Morning Divine Service. State officials and foreign diplomats have been invited to take part in the Service.
The Orthodox World celebrates the Nativity of Christ (Christmas) for eleven days. The people call this period Svyatki or Kolyady. Although, Kolyady is a pagan ceremony, it is widely used by the Eastern Slavs during the Christmas celebrations. Performing the ceremony, the young people in fancy outfits move from house to house. They sing songs and receive gifts. The principal character of the Kolyady ceremony is the goat which is an ancient symbol of fertility.
News provided by Agency «BelTA»
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