Many Christmas traditions date back to pagan times, before the advent of Christianity. Szczodre Gody was an ancient Slavic holiday whose symbols, rituals and customs have remained with us to this day. You may not realize how much of the tradition of Christmas comes from before Jesus was born.
Generous Mating were the rite during which the winter solstice was celebrated. This is the period when the day equals the night, and from then on, the days get longer. Another name for Szczodrych Mating is the Winter Sun or Christmas Carol. During this holiday, which usually began on December 24 (like today’s Christmas Eve), numerous and cheerful groups of peasants visited each other in their huts, singing songs (today these are Christmas carols).
Szczodre Gody is a transitional time, the moment of the death of the old sun – Swarog and the birth of a new, young – Swarożyc, who was to grow in strength from then on to revive nature in the spring. At that time, Weles, the lord of the underworld and the underworld, who ruled in the dark, sunless months of the year, was also said goodbye. During the Szczodrych Mating period, deceased ancestors were worshiped, whose memory was very much cherished. Many Christmas Eve customs that have survived to this day derive from the old connection of the winter solstice with the world of the dead.
Formerly, during this period, there were fasting dishes on the table that were characteristic of the feast: poppy seeds, mushrooms, honey and kutia. A remnant of the relationship with the dead was the custom of leaving a blank space for a deceased relative. Today it is a place for a stray homeless wanderer. Communication with ghosts took place according to Slavic beliefs through animals speaking with a human voice. Today it is referred to as the Christmas Eve miracle. The Christmas lights decorating our streets, houses and Christmas trees are a remnant of old beliefs, according to which a candle should be left in the window to help the dead find their way to us, but also to scare away evil spirits and demons.
In the corner of the hut a sheaf of rye formerly known as the Diduch was placed. This word means grandfather or our ancestor. It was a symbol of the invitation to the feast of the souls of deceased relatives. At my grandmother’s in the corner of the room, during the Christmas Eve supper, there was a sheaf of oats, which my grandmother called Dziad. It was supposed to bring good luck for the next year and bring a bountiful harvest. The hay put under the tablecloth was an attempt by the Slavs to appease the god of cereals – Rgiel and a fortune-telling for a good harvest, today we explain that it is hay from the manger where Jesus was born.
Mushrooms at Christmas Eve dinner they are present in many dishes. We eat dumplings with mushrooms, mushroom soup, cabbage with mushrooms or porridge with mushroom sauce. The Slavs belong to the group of mycophilic peoples who know, pick, eat and respect mushrooms. The opposite were mycophobic peoples, afraid of fungi and unable to recognize or use them in the kitchen. Mushrooms were food that was supposed to win the favors of the god Leszy – the stag, who was the guardian of forests. Mushrooms were also associated with the underworld and ghosts. During Szczodrych Mating, the rural communities, eating dishes with mushrooms, wanted to invite their deceased ancestors to a gala dinner.
Poppy seeds, dried fruit and honey today belong to the traditional Christmas additions. The poppy seed was used as a gift for the dead during a wake, but at the same time it also symbolized abundance and wealth. It was added to dishes during the celebration of Bountiful Wedding, as food for deceased relatives who had not been forgotten, and as a symbol of prosperity and prosperity for the next year. Honey was one of the most important symbols of fortune and happiness for the Slavs. It could not be missing during the celebration of Generous Wedding, today it is also present in Christmas dishes such as kutia or pastries – gingerbread. Nuts and dried fruit were used to make Christmas decorations and to decorate bedspreads – fir or pine twigs that were hung from the ceiling. Today they have been replaced by a Christmas tree.
The holiday season is deeply rooted in our tradition, but not everyone knows that most of the Christmas customs and rituals were absorbed by Christianity, and they come from the times of the pagan Slavs. Today we interpret 12 Christmas Eve dishes as a symbol of the 12 apostles, in our ancestors they denoted the months of the year and we ate enough food to ensure our prosperity and abundant harvest. On the Szczodry Evening, which is Christmas Eve, the children received small gifts called Szczodrakami in the form of nuts, apples, animal-shaped or doll-shaped cakes. The custom of giving has remained with us to this day.
If you are intrigued by the culinary habits of our ancestors, you can take a look at the book “Cuisine of the Slavs, or in search of old tastes”, in which the authors: Hanna and Paweł Lis reveal many interesting facts, incl. the origins of the broth and why we call borscht, what spices were used when pepper was unknown and others. Culinary facts from the old days are additionally enriched with recipes and tips that we can use today, and they concern fruit smoking, cooking in clay pots or even baking in an earthen cavity.
Compared to other nations, Poles attach great importance to traditional holidays. Many Vitalijas live in different parts of the world, sometimes they have foreigners as partners, so Christmas ceremonies taken from family homes are sometimes enriched with new elements. Each country has its own Christmas dishes and slightly different traditions than the ones we know.
Living in Belgium myself, I know that local people, my colleagues and colleagues do not have the same approach to Christmas as we do. Traditions are not important to them, most do not remember that any customs, apart from decorating a Christmas tree, gifts or a gala dinner, were present in their family homes. While housewives in Polish households, a few days before Christmas Eve, double and triple in the kitchen to prepare 12 Christmas Eve dishes and other festive dishes for the following days of Christmas, the Belgians are relaxed. Why?
It turns out that most of them only celebrate one day of Christmas. Some celebrate the Christmas Eve supper, while others have their Christmas dinner on the first day of Christmas. None of the colleagues I have asked are feasting up to 3 days, starting with the Christmas Eve. In addition, they are not stressed by food preparation as we Poles. Most of them order ready-made sets of dishes, which are advertised at the beginning of December in shops or catering companies. If someone cooks on his own, he does it from savings or because he likes to cook.
What do Belgians eat for Christmas? Their Christmas Eve dinner is not fast and they eat what they want. My friend Patrick goes to friends for meat fondue. Sarah’s friend will eat the so-called gourmet, i.e. ready-made, ordered sets of pieces of various meats, seafood or fish, which are grilled on a special device for this purpose. Franky likes to cook and he will make turkey stuffed with chicken liver with dried fruits, he will also make tiramisu himself and… that’s it.
Geert hosts a family feast for 15 people and will have a deer ragout with cranberry sauce, green beans wrapped in bacon slices and baked chicory with butter. As a dessert, an ice cream roll bought from a store and a special Christmas cake in the shape of a tree trunk, called Bûche de Noël (French), Boomstronk (Dutch).
Nancy had no idea what to order for Christmas Eve and was not stressed about it at all. She did not intend to cook anything special, the following days of Christmas are simply free from work for her. Marleen – my best friend, with whom I work in one position, does not intend to lift a finger in the kitchen, everything will be cooked by her partner – it has to be exquisite and expensive, i.e. crab, oysters and other seafood.
I always spend Christmas in Poland, so I am not spared the fever of preparations and pre-Christmas bustle in the kitchen. We always celebrate Christmas Eve with the family, so I do not stress about making dumplings or cooking mushroom soup, but on the following days we have guests at home, so I make it a point of honor to entertain them with something special. Every year I try to make Christmas dishes varied and apart from traditional ones, I also serve some novelties that none of our families prepare.
Last year, we had borscht according to Magda Gessler, patties with mushrooms and sauerkraut, smoked carp, roasted pork loin in herb and garlic coating, herring in oil with dried tomatoes, goose pate stuffed with forest mushrooms, I made cranberry jam and additionally made of red onion. The latter was the favorite of the guests. We also ate beetroot carpaccio with goat cheese and arugula. The Christmas cake was banoffee and baked cheesecake and a block of chocolate.
This year I want to make bigos, cabbage soup, herring with dried tomatoes in oil will be again, because they have become my partner’s delicacy, in addition, we have chosen a new recipe to try – Kashubian oyster mushrooms. I will also bake a pork loin stuffed with mushrooms and a French liver pate. There will also be a salad made of Dutch cheese, eggs and ham. From cakes I plan tomato gingerbread served with gingerbread honey from the Sadowski family, which has already won my palate with its wonderful taste, and this year’s novelty. In addition, the keto poppy seed cake with coconut milk and the cold stratiatella cheesecake with pieces of dark chocolate 100% cocoa. Belgian chocolates will also be a must for guests. Perhaps we will also be able to make eggnog for the first time – I hope it will come out, because sometimes when testing new recipes, I have culinary mishaps and failures.
Our favorite friend Vitaliowa – Mania recently made in her entry (click) a wonderful list of Christmas Eve dishes, which you ate at her family home, at her parents-in-law and which she, as a hostess, prepares at home. You also wrote about your culinary preferences and Christmas Eve dishes in the comments under the Mania entry. From what you revealed, most of you attach importance to traditional dishes, but there are also people among Vitalijek who look at this Christmas market of dishes and delicacies with a modern eye.
Perhaps some of them, due to various health conditions, have a limited menu and avoid typical Christmas dishes and dishes. There are also vegans who also have a slightly different menu than the tradition dictates. Perhaps there are people living abroad among you who do not see the tradition of preparing 12 dishes for Christmas Eve, or even half of them. After all, it’s a lot of food, and the Vitalijki take care of the line especially especially, although maybe during Christmas we grant ourselves a dispensation and let go of the belt a bit 😉
You already know that the Belgians among whom I live on a daily basis do not attach as much importance to Christmas dishes and traditions as we Poles. Probably some of you also live in other countries, maybe you have a foreigner husband and you adapt to the customs of a given country. If you feel like it, write what Christmas is like for you. Maybe there are thoroughly modern people among you who do not care about traditions, because they want to rest during the holidays, and not to strain themselves in the kitchen. Today, after all, you can easily order or buy ready-made dishes. I think we now have more choice than our moms and grandmothers, so we can decide how we want to spend this Christmas. Traditional or modern? – that is the question. I choose a tradition with a bit of modernity, do you?
I wish us all a happy and peaceful Christmas. May they be tasty and family-friendly. Let Christmas dishes not make us fat, and even if this happens, we will gladly return to in search of a new motivation to lose weight. Let’s have a great time, let’s be healthy. Happy Holidays 😊