They cooked sochivo, or kutya, from wheat, peas, rice, peeled barley, seasoned with honey, poppy seed, hemp, sunflower or other vegetable oil. Grain was a symbol of resurrection life, and honey or sweet seasoning meant the sweetness of the future blessed life.

How to prepare sochivo (kolivo, kutya): a glass of wheat grains, 100 grams of poppy seeds, 100 grams of walnut kernels, one to three tablespoons of honey, sugar to taste.

Wheat grains need to be crushed in a wooden mortar with a wooden pestle, periodically adding a little warm water so that the wheat shell comes off. The kernel is then separated from the husk by sifting and washing. The usual crumbly lean liquid porridge is cooked in water from pure grains, cooled, and sweetened to taste.

Separately, grind the poppy seeds to obtain poppy milk, add honey, mix everything and add to the wheat. If the porridge is thick, it can be diluted with chilled boiled water. At the end crushed walnut kernels are added.

Kolivo (crumbly kutia). In the photo - made from wheat grains with honey and raisins.

Sometimes succulently prepared from rice, but the rice should be prepared specially - pour 1.5 cups of boiling water over a glass of rice, cover the pan tightly with a lid, cook the rice for three minutes high fire, six - on medium, three - on small. Do not open the lid for another 12 minutes, allowing the rice to steam. The ratio of all components for Sochi is maintained. Sometimes raisins are added, but this is not necessary. For sweetening, it is better to use only honey.

Wheat kutia with honey. Pour whole grains of hulled wheat or wheat cereal cold water, cook until softened and drain in a colander. Dilute 200 grams of honey with four glasses of water, pour in the wheat, put on low heat, bring to a boil and cool.

Sochivo (semi-liquid kutia). In the photo - with poppy seed milk, honey and nuts.

Rice kutia. Sort 500 grams of rice, rinse, add cold water, bring to a boil, drain in a sieve or colander and rinse with cold water. Then pour the rice again with plenty of cold water and cook until done, without disturbing. Drain the water and cool the rice. Grind sweet almonds scalded with boiling water, add granulated sugar, stir, dilute with a small amount of water and add to rice. Mix everything, add 200 grams of washed and scalded raisins, cinnamon and mix thoroughly again. Place on a large plate and sprinkle with powdered sugar to taste. Serve fruit jelly separately.

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The central dish of the table is kutia.

Kolevo in Orthodoxy is a symbol of the Christmas holidays. Each nation and nationality has its own unique recipes for preparing Christmas kutia.

When and where did kutia appear in Russia?

In Orthodoxy, kolivo did not appear immediately. Its homeland is Greece, which found meaning in every object.

Initially, this dish was prepared as a funeral dish in countries where there is a cult of worship of the dead.

Christianity arose when the world lived according to pagan laws. Many rituals of that time have taken root to this day, only their meaning has changed.

In Russia, kolivo has become a symbol of life and wealth; it is used for weddings and children’s baptisms.

Boiled wheat seasoned with poppy seeds and honey was called kutia in Greece.

How is it connected with the birth of the God of gods, the King of kings, the Savior of mankind?

Just as Jesus gave people eternal life through faith in Him after renouncing the sins of this world, so the grain is a symbol of fertility, which, dying in the spring, gives life to many ears of corn.

A person who eats kolivo symbolically joins the eternal cycle of life, being reborn through faith in Jesus

• Good eternal life, a sweet stay in paradise is associated with honey.
• Poppy symbolizes prosperity and fertility, tranquility and many bounties.

Every housewife tries to holidays prepare the richest and most satisfying kutya to attract wealth and prosperity to the house.

Varieties of Coliva

Every Christmas holiday, be it Christmas Eve, Christmas or Epiphany, the Orthodox celebrate at the table, the “queen” of which is Kolivo.

Depending on the holiday, the time of the Nativity Fast and the rules of the Church, there are several types of kutya:

• rich, served on New Year and Christmas Eve;
• generous differs from rich only in the method of pouring poppy seeds; in this case, it is filled with hot milk;
• hungry, as a rule, is prepared for the evening before Epiphany from grains, a small amount of raisins and sweetener.

Read about New Year's holidays:

Kolivo always has grain as its basis.

On the night before Christmas, they eat rich kutya, to which many ingredients are added, but it is strictly forbidden to use fast foods such as milk, cream or butter.

The Christmas main dish is truly generous in terms of the number of ingredients and the method of preparation, sochiva, which is another name for kutya. Sochivo differs from koliv only in the presence of liquid, which means a juicier dish.

Important! Despite the fact that Lent has already ended, the dinner before Epiphany is strictly limited in the choice of products; only lean grains and only grains and sweets are prepared.

Christmas kutia

Folk traditions associated with Sochivo

The main Christmas dish, filled with symbols, is associated with many folk traditions.

• During the holiday, the owner of the house took a full spoon of sochiv and threw it to the ceiling. All family members carefully counted the grains stuck to the top. The more grains left on the ceiling, the richer the harvest will be. Each grain stuck to the ceiling is a symbol of the sheaf that God will give in the coming year.
• Spikelets placed under a bowl of koliv were considered a talisman for the home. They were kept for a whole year, until the next holidays.
• Some owners believed so much in the healing power of soch that they fed it to their pets so that they would get sick less and give good offspring.
• At night, a little kutya was left on the table in memory of deceased relatives.
• Children always took kolivo in the evening to their grandparents living separately and to their godparents.

More recipes for Orthodox cuisine:

The basis of kolev is grain; each locality uses its own component:

• wheat;
• pearl barley;
• barley and others.

Each cereal has its own cooking secrets.

• The rice will turn out crumbly if you add water in a ratio of 1:2. Boil for 3 - 4 minutes over high heat, then reduce to medium. Cook the porridge for another 6 minutes. Cook on low for the last 5 - 10 minutes. After this, turn off the heat and leave the rice to steam. Kolivo from rice is mainly prepared for Epiphany; only raisins and a little honey are added to it.
• It is advisable to soak wheat, pearl barley and barley overnight to reduce the cooking time, and pour until tender. If there is still water left in the porridge after it is fully cooked, you can drain it.

Each experienced housewife has her own recipe for how to cook Christmas kutya.

Kolivo will turn out juicy and rich in sweetness if, immediately after cooking, hot porridge is poured with almost boiling uzvar so that it covers the grains. Add a little sugar, cover and leave to evaporate.

If there is no uzvar, then you can dilute any jam in boiling water, but in this case, do not add sugar.

It is prohibited to add honey to a hot mixture; when heated, the healing elixir becomes a carcinogen.

While the porridge is gaining sweetness and juiciness, a dressing is prepared from the following ingredients:

• washed raisins,
• ground poppy seeds;
• chopped nuts;
• small pieces of dried fruit left over from preparing uzvar.

At Christmas, poppy seeds are allowed to be poured with hot milk, and in other cases, boiling water is used to remove the bitterness.

After the porridge has cooled to 30 - 40 degrees, add all the ingredients, honey and mix everything thoroughly and wrap again until it cools completely. Then each component of the koliva will be filled with the taste of its “neighbor.”

Advice! Do not cook the juice for future use; this dish may ferment when left in long time in the warmth.

Watch the video about Christmas celebration

Kutia is a traditional Christmas main dish made from boiled wheat, adding honey and poppy seeds. Kutya symbolizes sacrifice to God, because wheat with honey is a sacred part of the holy supper. The poppy symbolizes martyrdom, innocently shed blood. Honey is a symbol of God's word and purity.

Kutia is the main dish on the table, with which it is customary to start the meal. The housewife must carry the pot of kutia. Read the history, symbolism of kutya and its types in our material.

History of Kutya

The origin of the word "kutya" dates back to Ancient Greece and literally translates as “boiled grain.” In Greece and Ukraine, the dish was originally associated with the traditional worship of the dead, and was served on the table on the eve of all religious holidays. Kutya was always present on the table at Christmas, Epiphany and other Orthodox holidays.

Symbolism of Kutya

The main component of kutya is grain, which is a symbol of eternal life and rebirth, belief in the immortality of the soul and its reincarnation. Just like a seed that falls into the ground and is reborn, so the human spirit is reborn in a new body after burial. Grain is able to “sleep” for a long time, preserving life within itself, and then revive it again with the arrival of spring.

What is kutya: history and its types

By eating kutya, a person becomes part of the endless cycle of life. Sprouted grains are often added to kutya, which are a symbol of eternal life. Poppy seeds or nut kernels in kutya mean fertility. By adding these products, a person programs himself for wealth, generosity and abundance for the whole family. It is because of this that kutya is often prepared at weddings and at the birth or christening of children. Honey in Sochiva symbolizes pleasure and sweet life, but not earthly, but eternal, which awaits a person in the Kingdom of Heaven. They say it's good afterlife so great and beautiful that they exceed your wildest dreams and expectations.

Types of kutya

For each holiday there is a separate cooking method. Kutia can be semi-liquid or crumbly, it all depends on the amount of liquid. There are three types of cooking kutia:

– rich kutya (lenten kutya with different ingredients, which is prepared on Christmas Eve);

– generous kutia (before the New Year, a savory dish with the addition of butter, cream or milk);

– hungry kutia (at Epiphany, the dish mainly consists of a grain base and sweetener).

Secrets of cooking kutia

Kutya is cooked from a variety of cereals and grains: wheat, pearl barley, barley, rice, oats and even buckwheat. Wheat or other whole grains are pounded in a mortar with water added. After this, it must be cooked in the oven. Wheat and cereals must be soaked to reduce cooking time. They should boil well and become soft.

During Lent (and not only) on certain days in the temple, believers are treated to special dishes. Each of them follows a certain tradition, has its own history, symbolism and, of course, cooking technology. And our story will be about one of the most common dishes, which is called kolivo.

First holiday

Parishioners are given the opportunity to taste koliva Orthodox churches already in the first week of Lent. On Friday morning, after reading the prayer behind the pulpit at the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, the clergy performs a prayer service to the Great Martyr Fyodor Tiron, whose memory is celebrated the next day, and the rite of blessing the koliva.

What is so remarkable about this saint, that in his honor believers are given consecrated, festively decorated, and, moreover, very tasty dish? In addition to living a righteous life and martyrdom St. Feodor is responsible for the miraculous salvation of Christians from the evil machinations of the pagans and, in fact, if not the invention of a culinary masterpiece, then its spread throughout the Christian world.

Saint Theodore, who lived in the city of Amasia, in the Pontic region (Asia Minor), during the reign of the fierce hater of Christians, ruler Maximilian (286-305), was a warrior and bore the nickname Tyrone, which in Latin means “recruit.” For refusing to sacrifice to idols and to renounce the Lord, the holy warrior suffered a lot: he was imprisoned, starved, terribly tortured and finally killed, sentenced
to burning. The Great Martyr Fyodor loved God so much, was strong in spirit and fearless that the believers had no doubt: before their eyes a true warrior of Christ was executed. According to legend, his remains, untouched by fire, were buried with honor in her house in the city of Euchait by a certain Eusebia, who also professed the One God. Later the relics were transferred to Constantinople, and the head to Gaeta (Italy).

Fifty years have passed since the death of the martyr. The empire that Saint Theodore served was slowly becoming Christian, but this did not suit everyone in the highest political circles. Julian the Apostate (361-363), the last pagan Roman emperor, intended to revive pagan traditions in the state, and at the same time offend Christians. Moreover, an opportunity came up - it began Lent. The ruler ordered that all food supplies in the markets be sprinkled with blood sacrificed to idols and that the act be kept secret, especially from believers. “The first Christians fasted very strictly; in the first week they ate practically nothing. On Sunday, their first serious meal awaited them. Just imagine what a blow it would be for them to taste contaminated foods during Lent,” says Bishop Pachomius of Pokrovsk and Nicholas.

Then the martyr Theodore appeared in a night vision to the Archbishop of Constantinople Eudoxius to warn and strengthen the people. The saint ordered those who were fasting not to buy anything at the marketplace and instead to prepare kolivo or kutya. According to legend, the archbishop asked the saint in bewilderment what kolivo was and how to prepare it, because in Constantinople they had never heard of such a dish. In response, the martyr explained that in the city where he was buried, this is what they call boiled wheat with honey and fruit.

Since then, the miraculous appearance of the saint has become a holiday for Orthodox Church, and kolivo is its integral element. Nevertheless, prayers for the consecration of kutya have reached us, dating back to the 9th-10th and 12th centuries, which gives us the right to assert that the tradition of bringing kolivo as a keepsake is relatively late. Historians have recorded the custom of serving cereals and fruits in Ancient Greece, that is, in the pre-Christian era. Another indication, only this time the exact date- IV century, there is in Balsamon’s interpretation of the 4th Apostolic Canon, which says that kolivo is brought to the altar in honor of the Lord’s holidays (Christmas and Epiphany Christmas Eve), in memory of saints and on the days of remembrance of the dead ( parents' Saturdays, Radonitsa).

The consecration and eating of koliv in memory of the holy ascetics and all the dead in general is an echo of the ancient meals or suppers of love that were held in ancient times. Christian Church on the days of the death of the martyrs and ordinary people. “We celebrate the day of death because those who seem to die do not die,” wrote the Greek Christian philosopher Origen Adamant in his writings.

About eternal life

So what is kolivo or kutya? As the rector of St. Andrew's Church in the city of Marx, Archpriest Valery Gensitsky, explains, this is a traditional ritual dish, the main element of the holy supper or Christmas Eve before the Nativity of Christ and the Epiphany of the Lord. Also, according to tradition, it begins with kutya funeral dinner on the third day, ninth day, fortieth day, and also on the anniversary of a person’s death. Usually the priest blesses the kutya during the funeral service (requiem or lithium). If relatives want members of the church clergy and parishioners to prayerfully remember the deceased, then they can leave a kolivo on the funeral table (eve).

The tradition of consuming kolivo came to Rus' from Byzantium, along with Orthodox faith. WITH Greek language“kolivo” or “kutya” literally translates as “boiled wheat.” Wheat grains are the main ingredient of the dish, without which there cannot be kolivo kolivom. However, nowadays the most common recipe for the same dish, only made from rice. This is explained by historical fact and people's love. It's no secret that housewives always strive for convenience and simplicity, especially when it comes to the kitchen. So, “Saracenic millet” or rice, brought to Russia by Peter I, met all these requirements. “The rice is very soft and cooks easily and quickly. It’s not surprising that he was given preference,” says Father Valery. As a result, from the rich recipe for coliva, with cinnamon, honey, fruits, nuts, and most importantly - wheat, literally only the name remained. Boiled rice with raisins began to be served to the table.

Meanwhile, in the Orthodox Church nothing is empty, everything is endowed deep meaning and it matters. This also applies to coliva. A dish prepared from wheat grains expresses the faith of the living in the resurrection of the dead for better life. Grains symbolize rebirth, renewal, death for the sake of resurrection. Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; and if he dies, he will bear much fruit (John 12:24), says the Holy Scripture. In addition, it is the grain of wheat that is one of the common symbols in the Savior’s sermons and parables. Honey and sweet fruits mean that after the resurrection the righteous will enjoy future eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven.

And decorating a koliva is a separate story, in which both artistic taste and the expression of religious feelings are intertwined. For example, in Greece and on Mount Athos, the presentation of traditional food was elevated to the level of art, as well as cooking. On holidays, fasting or days of remembrance of the dead, lay people bring huge trays with decorated kutia to the temple. With the help of candied fruits, nuts and grains, craftsmen easily make inscriptions, “draw” crosses and even the faces of saints. This also makes sense. “We must bring God the best we have. And, first of all, it is not He who needs this, but us, in order to join the shrine, express our involvement in the Church, feel unity with brothers and sisters, and serve each other,” says Bishop Pachomius.

At home

You can and should cook Kolivo yourself. Finding recipes is not difficult, but it is difficult to choose from such an abundance. However, you can cook it differently each time, or you can use the recipe according to which they prepare kolivo in Holy Trinity cathedral Pokrovsk (Engels). Lyubov Petrovna Korobkova introduces us to him:

“To prepare 30-35 servings of coliva we will need 500 g of wheat, 500 g of wheat cereal, a loaf white bread, 300 g of raisins, 300 g of hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts, 6 tablespoons of sesame seeds, a kilogram of powdered sugar and a standard package of cinnamon.

We cook wheat grits in a proportion of 1/4 at the rate of one part cereal to 4 parts water. Bring to a boil and keep on low heat for 30 minutes, then remove from heat and let the cereal brew for 30 minutes. Then we thoroughly wash the cereal, drain it through a colander, place it on a cotton towel and let it dry.

Cook the wheat for approximately 2 hours, until the grain is half-open, observing the proportions indicated for wheat groats. Place on a cotton towel and let dry.

Dry crackers from a loaf of white bread until golden brown. Fry sesame seeds and nuts in a frying pan. Grind nuts and crackers through a meat grinder.

Then mix the cereal with breadcrumbs, add wheat, raisins, sesame, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Place the resulting mass on a dish and decorate it to your liking with candied fruits, nuts or any other confectionery decorations.

Delicious and real kolivo is ready!”

We remember every year, although more than 1600 years have passed since the day when the Christians of Constantinople were saved from the atrocity plotted against their faith. And the consecration of the koliva remains a significant component of this holiday. But how important is this ritual for us? Why have so many traditions of distant centuries been transferred into the modern life of the Church? Has our Orthodox faith become overgrown with all sorts of rituals?

ABOUT practical aspects ancient traditions, the attractive power of church rituals, the search for reasons and the choice of a person - Archpriest Vladimir Puchkov, cleric of the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in the city of Vinnitsa, Chief Editor newspaper "Orthodox Vinnytsia".

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Archpriest Vladimir Puchkov

The Church lives by a simple principle - it never cancels anything. An example is the canons: a certain council adopts some rule, for example, in the 4th century, a century or two passes, and another council adopts another rule concerning the same subject, but with a slightly different content - sometimes the exact opposite. However, no one can cancel the previous rule.

In the same way, many have been preserved: they once had a certain meaning, but over time they lost it. But since the traditions themselves were already several centuries old, it turned out to be a pity to cancel them.

This is what happened with godparents, for example. Initially, the receiver served as a guarantor for the newcomer. When a person came to a church community with the desire to be baptized, he was not immediately baptized. The newcomer was prepared for a long time, but before that, someone had to guarantee that this person really came for the sake of Christ, and not for some mercantile reasons or for some other reason.

When in the 4th century the Church ceased to be persecuted and many began to be baptized, sometimes entire families, it was already difficult to vouch for individual people. There was no longer a need for recipients as guarantors. But a whole tradition has already formed. And the emphasis shifted - now the godfather’s responsibility was not to help a person prepare for baptism, but to take care of the already baptized. Thus, the tradition was preserved, but its original meaning was lost.

The same thing is observed with the consecration of the koliva. For a moment, the Church experienced this event as truly very significant. , a time of special abstinence. And then Emperor Julian commands that the blood of sacrificial animals be secretly sprinkled on food in the market, so that Christians will become defiled, without wanting it or knowing it.

Then a miracle happens - and especially if you think about through whom the Lord acted. The martyr Theodore Tiron, as is known, appeared to the bishop. But this bishop was an Arian - there was no Orthodox bishop in the city. Moreover, Eudoxius was also a man, to put it mildly, of not a very pious life. Professor Bolotov writes about him: “ an unattractive man, who in his sermons reached the point of vulgarity and farce, who changed his beliefs like no other».

A martyr appears to such a person only because, due to his position, many will hear him.

And Christians get out of the situation in a simple way - they boil wheat and eat it with honey.

Of course, this event was significant for the Church. The providence of God was revealed to them - and it was not about stopping some serious and obvious crime, but about exposing an underlying, secret and vile plan. And the Lord even exposed him and showed how He cares for Christians, not disdaining for this purpose an openly unworthy person - and the absence of worthy ones did not become a hindrance.

Quick Lenten dish

Of course, in these times, colivo itself means little. After all, what is kolivo? This is a lean dish that can be prepared quickly. In our country, kutya on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ is now almost sacralized, giving it a special meaning. But the meaning is simple and purely practical: in the monasteries the service of the Nativity Vigil ended in the evening, the brethren ate nothing all day, and soon they need to go to the All-Night Vigil of Nativity. Therefore, they prepared something that did not require much time - they boiled wheat and ate it with honey.

It was simply a fast, meatless dish.

But today they are quickly prepared Lenten dishes a lot, and they cook faster than kolivo. Therefore, the practical meaning of koliv has disappeared. All that remains is a centuries-old tradition. And despite the fact that it has lost its relevance, this tradition is dear to many people, for them it is part of church life, “it has always been this way.”

So it is with koliv – this tradition has simply grown into the life of the Church. This is the first statutory prayer service in Lent, and the blessing of food in the absence of a holiday, and a good reason to deliver an interesting lesson. And it’s simple - it’s written in the Triodion to serve, which means you have to serve.

It's very hard to leave

– Why does our Church observe traditions whose meaning has long been lost?

– We keep traditions simply because we keep them. They no longer have any practical meaning. There is much in the Church that has long lost its original practical meaning. For example, priestly vestments are an apron, armlets, a belt and a cloak. But over time, they lost their original purpose and became beautiful liturgical clothes. Today no one thinks that the stole is an apron.

Or the precedence of a deacon with a candle to the censing priest. At first they served in the catacombs, where it was dark and it was difficult to easily walk without light.

Now the floors in our churches are so smooth that you can ride on them. And yet, the deacon still precedes the priest with a candle.

The basis of many rituals is a purely practical point. But the practical component was forgotten, but the ritual, because it is beautiful, remained. And when a tradition is many centuries old, it is always very difficult to part with it.

Help people understand what's important

– But hasn’t church life overgrown with rituals beyond measure over so many centuries?

– Where is the criterion for determining the measure? The Church has what constitutes the basis of its life - the Gospel and the Eucharist. Everything else can be taken away, but our Church will still remain the Church of Christ. There are important things, and there are secondary ones.

But then a man from the street comes to church, picks up the Gospel - will he understand it right away? And try to immediately explain to him what it is - will everything be clear to him? If a person is experienced in knowledge, with higher education– maybe it will be easier for him. How can I explain this to my grandmother, for example, or to an illiterate person?! But our churches were filled with literate people only in the twentieth century. Before this, in the temples there were mainly simple people who could barely read.

Nobles and educated officials attended the Liturgy, as a rule, several dozen people, no more. In ancient times, this ratio was even more not in favor of the literate. It was impossible to say: here is the Gospel - read it. Or: take communion and don’t overthink it. And, of course, over time, the Church, so to speak, acquired auxiliary means that helped these people understand the main thing.

One of the most simple examples– icon. It is not without reason that it is called “theology in colors.” The same, for example, Rublev’s Trinity can be literally “read”. A ten-minute story about what, how and why is depicted on this icon can reveal a sufficient number of theological truths both to a church-going Christian and to a neophyte who has crossed the threshold of the temple for the first time.

Of course, a person who has reached a certain spiritual height may not need all these rituals. But are there so many highly spiritual people in our churches?

So is it any wonder that the Church’s main attention is not paid to those who understand everything at a glance and at a glance?

There are many rituals in the Church, primarily so that the Church, in its essence and main thing, is understandable not only to educated and spiritual people. In the end, educated and spiritual people grow out of ordinary people, who once needed icons, rituals and much more to understand elementary things.

Man no longer needs Christ - he needs ritual

– But now it is rituals that become the main thing for many–people come to church to bless Easter cakes, eggs, willows, and water.

– Let’s first separate sanctification and blessing. If we consecrate water, then we cannot literally say that we consecrate Easter cakes. This is just a blessing for tasting what we denied ourselves during Lent. The fast is over, the holiday has arrived, and a blessing is timed to coincide with it. Hence its solemnity. But after the blessing, neither the egg nor the willow becomes a shrine. Therefore, by the way, I completely do not understand the concern of some Orthodox Christians about where to put the shells from easter egg or an apple core.

– But the absolute majority of people baptized in Orthodoxy believe that eggs, willows, and apples become consecrated objects after sprinkling with holy water. And people who come to churches on Easter, Epiphany and other holidays only to sprinkle food, bouquets and water - they come for consecration, and not for blessing!

- That's the trouble. But when non-church people think this way, it’s not so bad. However, unfortunately, many of our conscientious parishioners are not alien to this. And all because in the minds of some people a certain substitution occurs: a person no longer needs Christ - he needs a ritual. This can be compared to how Small child learning to walk.

There is no way to do without a walker, but if, having learned to walk, he does not want to part with the walker, we risk being crippled.

The life of the Church is rooted in. By coming together to celebrate the Eucharist, scattered Christians come together and represent the Church. By participating in the Eucharist, we unite with Christ and partake of the reality of the Kingdom of God. When the Eucharist fades into the background in the consciousness of a Christian, then Christ fades into the background with it.

The tradition of outrageously rare communion

How often do we receive communion? It’s good if once a week or two, but how many? Mostly once every few months, if not a couple of times a year. And this is also almost a tradition. And it was formed a long time ago. Back in synodal times, when the Church, in essence, was a ministry of confession, and a spirit of formalism reigned in many areas of its life. Officials were required to take communion at least once a year, which they did. Over time, this norm, if I may say so, spread to other church people. If someone took communion every post, that was already very commendable. This is how the tradition of not just rare, but outrageously rare communion arose. Communion has ceased to be perceived as a norm of life, as a vital necessity.

Then the revolution broke out, Soviet times came, with their forced godlessness. And the tradition of outrageously rare communion acquired an aura of “pre-revolutionary”ness, especially since it suited the new time too. Time passed, generations changed. In the seventies, rarely taking communion was the norm; in the nineties, this tradition even began to be defended in books and articles. Is it any wonder that in the first place for many, many all this time there were rituals - prayer services, memorial services, twigs, willows and eggs.

I’m not saying that everyone in the Church has always had people who understood the primacy of the Eucharist. Open the book “Eucharist. The Sacrament of the Kingdom” by Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann, and you will understand this without further ado. But always a certain number of people focused primarily on the ritual.

There's no need to come up with reasons

– How can an Orthodox Christian correctly relate to the many rituals in our Church?

- Calmly. On the one hand, some rituals have changed beyond recognition, others have not lost their original meaning. For example, the tradition of greeting the Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem with palm or willow branches in one’s hands is remarkable in its own way. Since the Church not only remembers the holiday, reproduces it, but experiences it in its entirety, as if it were taking place right now, and not some time ago, then, of course, we meet Christ in the temple with twigs too. But to the question of what to do with the consecrated willow, I admit, I myself don’t know how to answer.

On the other hand, for the non-church and ignorant, churching often begins with a ritual. The need to consecrate the willow is another reason to visit the temple. However, when smart enough people see Orthodoxy purely from the ritual side, this is more than annoying.

And man is designed in such a way that he always wants to explain everything. And always, no matter what he experiences, no matter what problems he solves, he wants to get to the bottom of the reason. Like Venedikt Erofeev: “I know many of God’s plans.”

So, the only thing you shouldn’t do is come up with your own interpretations of rituals and expect something extraordinary from them. Otherwise, some people get to the point where they begin to see the causes of serious life troubles in the prayer of the fortieth day that was not read a quarter of a century ago. Life principle“find a reason for everything” is bad because, without finding reasons, a person easily comes up with them. It is important to remember that church rituals are not intended for this.

There is a time and place for everything

– So is it necessary in the Church to revise old traditions - to cancel or modify something?

Yes and no. It is vitally important for us to place the Eucharist, and with it Christ, in first place in the mass church consciousness. And this will inevitably entail a weakening of attention to rituals in general.

However, the Church is a rather conservative structure, so no revolutionary changes in it will lead to good consequences. Any, even the most necessary changes in the Church must take place evolutionarily. That is, it is necessary to understand that this is always a long process, the basis of which is explanation, clarification, etc.

The Church is constantly being replenished with new people - churchgoers of different ages, growing children, young people. And these people need to be given the correct concept of the centrality of the Gospel in the life of the Church, to make it clear that the core of Orthodoxy is. And if these believers become carriers of precisely such values, over time some changes will naturally begin to occur. No one will abolish rituals, no one will fight them - it’s just that in the minds of church people, rituals will take the place they should occupy, but nothing more.

Prepared Marina Bogdanova