On the Christmas Eve the strict 40-day post comes to the end. At the holiday table it is allowed to break the fast and again to eat ferial dishes. But the church charter orders to begin a meal with a kolivo.
By tradition on an orthodox Christmas table by all means there has to be a kolivo – a ceremonial dish from different types of grain and whole grains with addition of honey, nuts, raisin, poppy. In different places the kolivo was called sochivy, сытью, eve, kolivy and most often prepared for a funeral table.
Ingredients of a kolivo have a certain symbolical value: grain – abundance and eternal life, honey – health and family wellbeing, nuts and poppy – wealth and fertility. In old times there was a belief that the more tasty and sytny the kolivo, the will be higher prosperity in family and the harvest is richer.
Any grain and grains, including pearl barley, barley, oats, buckwheat, but tradition are suitable for preparation of a kolivo provides wheat in quality of the main component, and today most often use rice. A wheaten and rice kolivo have some features of preparation, at the same time concerning set and quantity of products it is possible to follow the classical recipe, but it is quite allowed to define structure and proportions on the taste. For a kolivo from wheat take 400 g of grain, 100 g of honey, 200 g of poppy, 200 g of the peeled walnuts. Touch wheat, well wash out, fill up in boiled water, bring to the boil, cast away on a sieve and drench with cold water. Then shift grain in a clay pot or in a pan, fill in with water and boil. Cover ware and put in an oven for an uprevaniye. Periodically check readiness of grain and when it becomes soft, take out and cool. Wash with boiled water poppy, rinse with cold water. Istolkite kernels in a mortar until white, mix with honey and wheat. Add small cut walnuts to the last turn. To weld a rice kolivo, 400 g of grain, 200 g of raisin, 100 g of honey and cinnamon are required. Touch and wash out rice, fill in with cold water, bring to the boil, cast away on a sieve and again well wash out. Again fill in grain with cold water and you cook until ready, without mixing, at the end merge the remained liquid. Part honey with water in the ratio 1:2, add to rice, mix with raisin and cinnamon. When giving the kolivo can be strewed with icing sugar or ground nuts.