One of the main holidays for Christians is the Baptism of the Lord. It is also called the Epiphany. It is believed that it was on this day that John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan. Supporters of the Orthodox Christian faith celebrate this holiday on January 19. The Epiphany: how to celebrate, what to cook on this day, what beliefs are associated with it … You will learn all this by reading this article.
About the holiday
All four evangelists mention baptism in their revelations. But this holiday received the name of the Epiphany due to the fact that during the baptism of John the Forerunner of Jesus in the holy waters of the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a snow-white dove. This is written in the Gospel of Luke. After a dove descended from heaven, in the midst of a roar there came the voice of God, who proclaimed Jesus as his beloved son. Today, Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany on January 19, but Catholics continue to celebrate this holiday on January 6. Naturally, any housewife on the eve of the holiday is interested in what is being prepared for Epiphany, January 19. After all, we are used to the fact that each church holiday has its own special traditions, which in most cases are associated with the preparation of a particular dish.
Celebration
If you follow all the rules, then the holiday of Epiphany or Baptism should be celebrated for 8 days, 4 of which are pre-festivities, and the remaining 4 - after-festivities. And these days it is not so important what to prepare for the feast of Epiphany, more importantly, the fact that the Epiphany blessed water is “life-giving” and helps to cure many ailments. By the way, it is generally accepted that in Epiphany even tap water is special. If it is not possible to go to the temple to get water, then you can drink a glass of it from the tap, and only after a while (at least half an hour) after that you can have breakfast. But the blessed baptismal water brought from the temple should be consumed on a spoon on an empty stomach. In the homes of believers, such water is stored in a red corner. By the way, if you are interested in what is being prepared for Epiphany, on January 19, then you need to eat Lenten dishes on Christmas Eve, but on the holiday itself - that's all you want. Nevertheless, there are some dishes whose presence on the festive table is not only desirable, but also necessary, for example, a completely fried pig.
January 19 - Epiphany: menu of the holiday and festive table
So, the main dishes on Christmas Eve should be fasting, for example, kutya, fasting pies, cookies, uzvar, cakes, jelly, etc. These foods should be on the pre-holiday table, either seven, or nine or twelve. In old times, as a rule, they washed down with a pattern. Cookies had the shape of crosses, pancakes were made from wheat or oats, then molded dumplings with potatoes, cherries, etc. Another fasting dish on Christmas Eve is stuffed cabbage without eating meat, that is, rice with vegetables and borscht are used instead of filling beans. In Ukraine that day baked loaves - karachuns. At the same time, people not only ate these dishes, but also fed livestock with them.
Kutya - sympathetically
This is what the housewives are preparing for Epiphany (January 19). We will tell you the recipe and cooking method in this chapter.
Essential Products
- refined wheat - 100-200 grams;
- honey - two tablespoons;
- poppy - 50 g;
- dried fruits or candied fruits - 1 handful;
- walnuts, cashews, almonds (kernels), etc. - 1 cup.
Cooking method
1. Soak the wheat grains, pouring them with cold boiled water. After a few hours, drain the excess water, add water again and put on the stove to cook.
2. After the water in the pan boils, reduce the heat and cook for about 40 minutes.
3. Rinse the poppy, pour boiling water and leave it to swell aside, do the same with dried fruits.
4. After the wheat is boiled, put it in a colander and let the water drain.
5. Grate the swollen poppy in a mortar or in a blender until a milky mass forms.
6. Nuts, if necessary, should be slightly fried (without adding oil) in a pan, and honey should be diluted with warm water until a thick syrup is formed.
7. Dried fruits cut into small pieces.
8. Mix all the ingredients in a deep bowl. At the end, pour all the honey sauce.
9. Put the kutia on a festive dish and decorate with whole dried fruits.
Epiphany cookies - “Cross”
Of course, one of the main treats on the baptismal table are cookies in the shape of a cross. To prepare them, you need the following ingredients: flour (a quarter kilogram), one egg, half a packet of butter and half a glass of granulated sugar, as well as salt and vanilla on the tip of the knife. All ingredients need to be mixed and knead elastic dough. Then roll it on a table into a layer and cut into strips, and form crosses from them, decorate the middle with a nut or candied fruit. Oven in the oven until golden hue.
National Signs for January 19 - Baptism of the Lord
The people have many signs that are associated with the feast of Baptism. Here are some of them. If the clouds in the sky are blue at noon - this means that the coming year will be fruitful. The same means if the night in the Epiphany is flaking snow. But if it is cloudless and the stars shine brightly, then the year ahead is a lean one. If you hear dogs barking that night, it also means that hunters will be lucky this year. If a blizzard broke out on Epiphany night, this means that the winter will be long and will continue for another 3 months. But if there will be a full moon at Baptism, then in the spring you need to wait for the flood.
