How to Serve a Traditional Carpatho-Rusyn Holy Supper

Holy Supper is a beautiful Christmas tradition observed by Carpatho-Rusyn's of the Eastern Rite Catholic and Orthodox religions. Holy Supper, also known as "Svjatyj Vecer" is celebrated on Jan. 6th, Christmas Eve on the Julian calendar. The twelve courses include the toast, garlic and honey, mushrooms, dried lima beans, potatoes, prunes, peroghi, fish, bobalki, poplanik, kolachki and cabbage rolls. This Christmas Eve dinner tradition continues today in America.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Early Preparations

1. Buy fresh mushrooms a month or two before Holy Supper, slice in half and string on heavy thread. Hang in a warm, dry place. The longer they are dried, the better their flavor.
2. Clean the house from top to bottom, a few days before Christmas Eve. On the morning of Christmas Eve, clean the kitchen or dining room where the dinner will be served, scrubbing the floor especially well.
3. Buy straw or hay for the dinner table and keep it in a clean area.
4. Prepare those foods that can be made a day or two ahead of time, especially the breads. Poplonik is the round bread for the center of the table, symbolizing Christ. Bobalki is made from the same dough as the poplonik, but with honey and poppy seed. Kolachki is a nut roll made of sweet dough and ground walnuts. Cabbage rolls are made by frying sauerkraut with onions, filling placed in the center of a 4 x 4 piece of dough and rolled up.
5. Cover and soak mushrooms in water overnight. Also soak dried prunes and wash and soak beans overnight in plenty of water.

Christmas Eve Day

6. Make fillings for peroghi and set aside to cool. Make dough for peroghi and fill with desired fillings. Seal them carefully.
7. Dredge mild white fish in flour and fry in lots of oil, only until brown, not done. Set aside to finish baking just before dinner. Add diced onions to the oil and brown; save half of this for the potatoes. Sprinkle flour over the remaining onions and oil to thicken and brown slowly. This is a seasoning used in most of the dishes called zaprashka.
8. Prepare the mushroom-sauerkraut soup; strain one glass of mushroom juice and save. Wash and drain mushrooms, then chop finely. Place mushrooms, strained juice and juice from one can of sauerkraut in large pot. Season with salt, pepper and an ounce of oil. Add water to cover mushrooms by 3 inches. Bring to a fast boil, add zaprashka, reduce heat, cover and simmer 3 hours.
9. Cook lima beans in water used to soak them; boil small potatoes in jackets and peel when cooled.
10. Slowly cook prunes until thickened.
11. Place peeled potatoes in a baking dish and season with salt. Pour reserved oil and onions from zaprashka over the potatoes and bake until brown; approximately an hour before dinner.
12. Bake the previously browned fish on a cookie sheet approximately thirty minutes before dinner.
13. Chop a few cloves of garlic finely; place on a plate that has pure honey on the other half of the plate.

Holy Supper

14. Place clean hay under the table and in the corners of the room.
15. Lay a pure white tablecloth and place the poplonik in the center of the table. Place a white candle in the center of the poplonik symbolizing Christ as the light of the world.
16. Add the food dishes, placing straw under a few dishes. Set the table with dishes and silverware. Make one extra setting for loved ones that have died who will also be participating, and leave them a few leftovers.
17. Pour one shot of whiskey for each adult and place at their setting.
18. Call everyone to the table. The grandfather or eldest male says the Christmas proclamation of "Radujsia zemle, radujsia. Syn Bozhyj narodyvsia/Joy, Earth, Joy. The Son of God was born." The family answers, "Dobryj vechir, Sviaty vechir. Dobrym liudiam na zdorovja./Good evening, Holy evening. To good people for good health."
19. Carrying honey on a plate, the grandmother or eldest female goes to each person, dips her finger in honey and makes the sign of the cross on their forehead. This assures the whole family will have a sweet and blessed year.
20. Raise the whiskey glasses for the traditional toast "strong as garlic, pure as honey" and everyone has a taste of whiskey, including children. For children, parents just dip their finger in the whiskey and place it on the child's tongue.
21. Pass the plate of garlic and honey. Everyone must taste the garlic and honey and say "strong as garlic, pure as honey" then pass it to the next person. Dinner can begin after everyone has tasted the whiskey, honey and garlic. Everyone must at least taste every dish.

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