Christmas post

The centuries-old tradition of short-term fasting has brought and continues to bring considerable benefit to the body and spirit of the believing person. To each of the four posts established by the church, the people gave their name, which characterizes them additionally: Christmas fasting - cold, Petrovsky - hungry, fasting Great and Assumption - post-gourmand. Periods between fasts were usually characterized by holidays, fun, feasts, weddings. So, for example, after harvesting, the time came for rest from hard work, which was accompanied by weddings, parties, feasts with abundant fast food. The coming Christmas Eve is also rich in such mass events. And just the Christmas post between these two periods turned out to be more than appropriate.

It lasts exactly forty days. It is also named Filippovskim, since the highland always falls on the day of the commemoration of the holy Apostle Philip (November 27). In strictness, the Christmas post is close to Petrov. On Wednesday, Monday and Friday you can not eat fish or even vegetable oil, and after the day of Nikolai Mirlikiy, which is celebrated on December 19, fish can only be eaten on Saturdays and Sundays. Even more demanding to eat food are between December 20 and January 2, apogee this severity reaches on Christmas Eve (January 6) - the last day of fasting - when you can not eat anything until the appearance of the first star in the sky.

The life of previous generations was regulated by Domostroi, a set of rules that advised the diligent owner to procure provisions for the whole year. In the list of mandatory products were vegetables, fruits (dried and fresh), fish (frozen and dried), pickles, jam, mushrooms, syrups, drinks, cereals, nuts, flour, honey. It turned out that the Christmas post fell just at the time when all the stocks were made, heavy work was done, the daily work vanity was over. That is, people could live measuredly, calmly, could plan their days, devote time to prayer, fasting, virtuous deeds (for example, the reception of pilgrims), pilgrimage.

The food in the Christmas post consisted of bread, usually coarse, from vegetables (salted and fresh), dried and fresh fruits, porridges that were cooked on the water without the addition of butter, jam, nuts, mushrooms, berries and honey.

Recipes that have survived to this day belong to the time of the Baptism of Kievan Rus, not earlier, because before that it was not customary to write them down, they were passed orally from generation to generation, from generation to generation. Some of the famous lean dishes are of Greek origin. In the Christmas fast, food was scarce, as the set of products used in cooking was drastically reduced, so they tried to somehow diversify it. For example, to cook a common vinaigrette with the addition of salted herring. For a couple of large potatoes, one carrot, one beet, two pickles, the onion head is enough for one herring. The fish must first be soaked in the brewed tea. From the first dishes, vegetable soups with cereals, with mushrooms, cabbage soup were most often cooked. In our day, you can cook and lean borscht.

Unusual, but very delicious turns ear with pelmeni and fish minced meat. First you need to boil a pound of fish with onions and spices. While it will be cooked, it is necessary to add pelmeni. The dough is prepared from 200 g of flour, salt and 65 ml of water. Before styling ravioli, it should stand for half an hour. For minced meat you need to pass through a meat grinder 370 g of fish fillets and onions, add salt, spices, mix. Formed dumplings boil in water with the addition of salt, then catch with a noise squatter on the plates and pour pre-cooked soup.

The second dishes can be supplemented with lean yeast pancakes made of wheat or buckwheat flour. The dessert was traditionally served with a useful and delicious brew of dried berries and fruits. Also prepared such an interesting drink, as lean milk from ground nuts with the addition of honey (or sugar) and water.

Moderation in food is, of course, good and necessary, but still the rigor of fasting should be more about the soul and spirit of man. And this, above all, is especially diligent prayer, repentance, pure thoughts, confirmed by good deeds.