Вопрос V. January 1-New Year's Day

Like all other countries holidays in Belarus are celebrated with great warmth and gusto. Everyone likes holidays and I want to tell you about some of them and their especial celebration in Belarus. New Year traditions in Belarus include rites and ceremonies, which are expressions of purification, purgation, invigoration and jubilation of the soul over the renewal of life. Lavish parties are thrown on New Year's Eve night with showers of champagne. People exchange New Year gifts and wishes at the stroke of midnight. Houses are decorated and fireworks are lit to mark the beginning of a New Year.

Straw is the most important aspect of the various New Year Traditions in Belarus. Straw is used for parts of the fortune telling that takes place between Christmas and New Year. Adults draw straws from the Christmas table to foresee their future in the coming year. Christmas carolers, clothes, wishes and treats are all Belarusian traditions intended to bring good luck and fortune to people during the New Year..

January 7-Orthodox Christmas

The ritual of Christmas is therefore closely tied with the folk holiday of Kalyady, with people not only going to church, but also observing rituals of pagan origin, with both traditions fused into a single fest. In the present Belarusian language the word Kaliady describes the whole period of Christmas celebrations. Belarusian Kaliady is a folk holiday, which has its roots in the pre-Christian time. It is connected with the winter solstice, when the day begins to grow longer, and the year turns toward the summer.

The main idea of Kalyady ritual of the pre-Christian time was to precipitate the spring and ensure the rich harvest through certain rituals. In every family, three "Kutsia" (sacral suppers) should be served during Kalyady.

The first one, Lenten (or Great) Kutsia is celebrated on the evening before Christmas. The table is full of Lenten dishes - herrings, all kinds of pancakes, fish and mushrooms, oatmeal kisel (a dessert made of fruit, berries and potato starch and sometimes served with milk). The dish served last is Kutsia itself- porridge with honey, poppy seeds, nuts and raisins.

The Rich (also known as Fat, Generous) Kutsia is served on the New Year's Eve. During this evening one finds on the table Kustia porridge with butter and fried bacon, as well as various meat dishes.

Another Lenten (also called Hungry) Kutsia is served right before Epiphany - that is why it is sometimes called Water Kutsia.

Kaliady are also used for telling fortunes, especially by young unmarried women, eager. The fortune telling is done in all kinds of ways.

December 25—Catholic Christmas

Catholic Christmas is one of the most popular Christmas in the world, I think. It is celebrated in Western Europe, the USA, Australia, some Eastern countries and may be in Africa.

I'm not a Catholic so I have never celebrated this holiday, but I'll try to explain how people in Belarus used to celebrate it.

On the 24^th of December, the Christmas Eve, people usually maintain a strict fast. So, in the evening supper includes fish, vegetables or fruit. Meat is prohibited. But when the first star appears in the sky, you can eat it. The main dish are: some kind of meat, salads, sweets, cookies or just a traditional Belarusian snack, like tomatoes with cheese, onion, eggs in stuffing.

In this day people usually go to the church, decorate with toys or garland fir tree. There is also interesting tradition "Kalyada", which means that little children visit the nearest houses, sing songs or just wish happy Christmas, and people give them sweets or cookies for this. This tradition is similar to Halloween.

Catholic Christmas in Belarus is a family holiday, when people become closer, they apologize and forgive, support each other and enjoy this wonderful day!