FMI - For Mama's Information

The History of Solstice Celebrations and A Ukranian New Year

As the holidays grow nearer and the economic news and our days grown darker, we can take solace in the coming solstice and return of the sun. The winter solstice is the day with the shortest day-light hours and longest dark night. In reading about the history of the solstice, I learned that the customs of this time of year come from stories of a great battle between darkness and light, with light winning. I discovered that the Romans celebrated Saturnalia from December 17th to 24th by putting all work aside and focusing instead on feasting and gambling. The usual social order was reversed during these days with masters waiting on their servants (hmmm... I wonder if Natasha would go for this idea?).

Saturnalia is named after Saturn, who, depicted as the figures of Death or Old Father Time, is saturnine: gloomy, old, dutiful and heavy. He was such a serious god that he even ate his own children rather than let them surpass him! The Romans decided that they must allow new life to flourish, for the sun to rise again, and so vanquished the gloom through feasting and merriment during the midwinter season. In fact, a good time during the cold months was religiously mandated in order to combat the forces of gloom.

The day following Saturnalia, was the Juvenalia which honoured children by entertaining them, more feasting and giving gifts of good luck talismans to the young ones. Since they had just vanquished their Old King through community celebration, it was time to ring in the new kings and queens in the form of children, the New Year's Baby, the Son of Man. And so it follows that this date has been chosen to celebrate the birth of Christ, "the New King, the Light of the World who brings light."

And so our current traditions are an amalgamation of the old ways, with a few changes here and there. Hopefully we will return to this celebratory, community focused way of spending our holidays as the years pass.

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My maternal great-grandparents came to Canada on a boat from the Ukraine. Aunt Rose (really my mom's aunt but everyone called her Aunt Rose - even her hairdresser called her that) was our strongest link to the traditions of Ukrainian life and culture.

One year, my mom suggested we celebrate Ukrainian Christmas Eve with a traditional meal. We found out that in the Ukraine the Orthodox or Eastern Rite church holy day is celebrated based on the Julian Calendar, January 7th on our calendar. Christmas Eve was when the great feast happened, and the dish that Aunt Rose remembered and tried to create for us was a honeyed wheat. She could not remember making it and had no recipe, so we did not know if we were eating the dish of her youth.

Recently, I was flipping through Jean Pare's Company's Coming cookbook Whole Grain Recipes when I saw the introduction for Kutya. The book explains that this is a cold porridge traditionally served at Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner - the elusive recipe from all those years ago! It is traditionally meant to symbolize abundant life, but it is also just plain tasty and makes a great breakfast or addition to dinner. If you don't want to use wheat for dietary reasons, try substituting spelt or rye berries for the wheat. You can find the whole grains in the bulk section of large grocery stores or health food stores.

Kutya
2 cups hard red wheat - soaked in water overnight
5 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup poppy seeds
1 cup water
1/3 cup liquid honey
1/2 cup toasted walnuts, chopped (optional)

Cook wheat and first amount of water in a slow cooker on low for 7 hours or bring to boil on the stove and then lower heat to simmer for 1 hour 45 minutes. When cooked, drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.

Put poppy seeds and second amount of water in a pan and bring to boil. Lower to medium heat and allow to boil for 10 minutes. Drain poppy seeds and place in blender with honey. Blend for 1 minute until seeds are ground. Add to wheat, adding nuts if using. Serve at room temperature or chilled. Keeps for 10 days in fridge.

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