Buffet table for christening. Traditional Epiphany dishes

The Baptism of the Lord is one of the biggest Orthodox holidays, the day of the Light of the Saints, the feast of washing, cleansing. On this day the heavens open and all prayers will be answered. You must definitely swim in a cold hole in it (if this is not possible, a cold shower is also suitable - everything is good for health). And after - be sure to warm up with hot dishes.

In the old days, on January 19 (new style), Epiphany Day, it was customary to fast until the evening. After bathing, the people warmed themselves with borscht or skit. And in the evening they set the table, as on Christmas (only without observing the “rule of 12 dishes”).

After the purification, the fast, which was strictly observed on January 18 (Epiphany Christmas Eve), ends. And this means that the hostess has a place to roam. Of course, due to the absence of restrictions, you can cook your favorite holiday dishes - meat, snack bars, pastries. In the past, many fish dishes were put up for dinner at the Epiphany of the Lord, bread, donuts, and pies were baked.

But if you want to touch the oldest traditions, then use this collection of recipes. It was these dishes that our ancestors treated themselves to (with a few reservations).

The central treat has always been sochivo - wheat or rice porridge with honey, poppy seeds, nuts and raisins. There are a lot of recipes for its preparation, in the article on Epiphany Christmas Eve, they are already described in detail, so we will not dwell on it.

Let's move on to the main dishes for the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord:

• For the first - thick borscht or Ukrainian skit.
• On the second - necessarily pork. Our ancestors baked a whole pig. It needs to be broken by hand (this was done by the head of the family). Yes, such a dinner for two or even four will be plentiful - there will not be enough space for other dishes. Therefore, we propose here to limit ourselves to the original stew with pork and beans.
• Snacks can be very different. Fish and mushroom pates were very popular.
• Vareniki is another indispensable dish for January 19th. If you have been buying semi-finished products all year, now is the time to make your own dough. And as a filling, use potatoes, eggs and cheese.
• The Baptism of the Lord is a holiday of purification of soul and body. A is one of the best products for cleansing the body. Fried liver, cooked correctly, may well be the perfect finishing touch to the festive table.

Real rich borscht is very tasty. But if you want to really warm up, be sure to try this dish. It is also called rural Ukrainian borscht. From the products you will need:

• 0.5–0.8 kg of pork ribs;
• 5–6 potatoes;
• 2 bulbs of onions;
• 0.5 kg of sauerkraut (you can take spicy, home-made);
• 100 g of millet;
• 2 medium or 1 large carrots;
• 0.5 l of tomato juice;
• 7 art. tablespoons of olive oil (you can take vegetable);
• 1 st. a spoonful of flour;
• salt, herbs to taste (dry dill looks very good in the cabbage).

How to cook cabbage?

Cook the ribs until tender (when the water boils, add salt). We put peeled and washed potatoes in the broth, continue to cook. Separately, chop the cabbage, wash the millet and fill them with water, put on fire and cook until tender.

Carefully remove the boiled potatoes from the broth, grind in mashed potatoes, mix with ready-made cabbage and millet, add all this to the meat broth. It should boil for 10 minutes. During this time, we make frying: we pass the onion and grated carrots, pour them with tomato juice and simmer for 10 minutes. We combine the frying with the cabbage, separately fry the flour in a pan. As soon as the pan boils, add flour and butter to it - the dish is ready. Very tasty with sour cream and hot, but can be eaten cold.

For a juicy pork stew, take 0.7-1 kg of meat, 2 cups of red beans, 6-7 potatoes, 4 cloves of garlic, spices and salt to taste. If you want a stew with dumplings, add half a glass of flour, 100 ml of milk, 1 egg and a pinch of salt to the list.

For dumplings, boil 50 ml of milk and add flour (gradually) to it with an egg and cold milk (the second half). The dough will be sticky, but try not to overdo it with flour, otherwise the dumplings will be too steep. The dough must be kept warm for 20 minutes before cooking.

For the stew:

• finely cut the meat;
• peel the potatoes and cut into cubes;
• cook beans.

Pork should be lightly fried and salted. We put the boiled beans, then the meat and potatoes in layers in a bowl, pour water (should not cover the potatoes completely). We heat the oven, put the stew to bake. After 30 minutes, we take it out, add dumplings (the dough must be torn into pieces of 3–4 cm each with your hands), crushed garlic and a little more water (to cover the dough). Bake everything together for another 15 minutes. Ready pork stew can be decorated with cilantro, basil, parsley, dill.

Pate can be made from mushrooms alone (the season is still not mushroom). To do this, take 200–250 g of mushrooms, 1 onion, 50 g of butter, 40 g of low-fat cream, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of olive oil. If you want an original taste, add a sprig of rosemary.

Garlic, rosemary and onion must be chopped and fried. Add finely chopped champignons to them, simmer for 10 minutes over medium heat and pour cream. After boiling, keep on fire for another 8–12 minutes, then grind everything in a blender and add softened butter. You can make sandwiches with.

For dumplings, three groups of products are needed.

1. Dough. 200 g flour, 5 tbsp. spoons of water, 2 yolks, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of butter and a pinch of salt.
2. Filling. 10 g of dry dill (3-4 sprigs of fresh), 2 eggs, 3-4 potatoes, 100 g of cheese (you can take feta or ricotta).
3. Gravy. 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 5 tbsp. tablespoons of vegetable oil.

For the dough, sift the flour and melt the butter. Add cold water, yolks, butter to flour. All this is not cool knead and leave in the refrigerator for half an hour. For the filling, boil the egg (peel, chop), prepare mashed potatoes (with butter or milk), grate cheese, add dill. The gravy is prepared in well-heated oil (fry the onions and carrots, add sugar, wait for it to dissolve). The dough for homemade dumplings must be rolled out very thinly. Then they are cooked for 10 minutes and are tender.

For the final touch, you will need 0.5 kg of beef liver, 1 egg, a teaspoon of sugar and salt + 0.5 teaspoon of soda, onion, 2 cloves of garlic, olive oil. The liver can be breaded in cornmeal or breadcrumbs - as you like.

The liver must be properly washed, dried with a napkin and coarsely chopped. Separately, mix the egg, salt, soda, sugar, finely chopped or crushed garlic. This is a marinade with which the liver is poured for at least 2-3 hours (longer is better).

Chop the onion, fry, remove from the pan and spread the liver (you can roll in breadcrumbs). We cook the liver separately for 3-4 minutes, then return the onion, reduce the fire to a minimum, close and let it reach for another 5-7 minutes. Before serving (if there is little experience yet), check one piece of fried liver - cut it in the bottom and make sure that the middle is no longer red. So you can apply.

If you are planning to baptize your child, then most likely you have a lot of questions about the activities that are necessary to organize this significant day in the life of every person. This material, which the editors of the site www.krestilnoe.ru helped us to prepare, will help you properly prepare the festive table for relatives and friends who want to congratulate you on the baptism of your child.

As a rule, the parents of the baby arrange the festive table, but godparents, relatives or friends can help them. It is believed that the more close people take part in cooking, the better for mother and baby.

What dishes should be prepared for christening?

Any parent wonders: What are the best dishes to prepare for christening?

Most often, in such cases, dishes such as: "Babkin's porridge", "Babkin's pies", "Babkin's cheesecake" are prepared. In the old days, a “grandmother” was called a midwife who took birth and helped the baby be born. The midwife, as a rule, brought "Babkin's porridge" with her to the feast. Now this dish is known as "kutya". It is prepared with milk, with the addition of honey and eggs. Decorate the porridge with hard-boiled eggs and cut in half. Along with porridge, a variety of baked meat and egg dishes, confectionery are served.

No less popular at a feast in honor of the christening of a child and "Babkin's pies". Previously, they were prepared according to a special recipe and required a huge investment of time and effort. Today, a more popular option is to buy ready-made flour products in the store. However, you should pay attention to the composition of the muffin, since a huge amount of flavorings and other additives can adversely affect the health of a nursing mother and, accordingly, a child.

At the very end of the feast dedicated to the christening, the guests were served "Babkina porridge". According to tradition, kutia became the subject of bargaining. Instead of the kutya itself, at first they could serve a pot of potatoes, or even a pet.

The one who won the auction had to break the pot with kutya on the corner of the table. After that, the porridge was divided among the guests. The mother of the baby received the first portion of porridge, she also became the owner of all the money received during the auction. In other cases, the midwife received the money.

The baby's father received a portion of kutya with some spicy seasonings, such as horseradish or pepper. During the feast, he was asked: “What was it like for a wife to give birth - bitter or sweet?” The child's father was supposed to eat his portion clean and pay for it.

Walnuts were a traditional gift for mothers. Kutia was also treated to neighboring children, punishing them to protect and protect the baptized child. They were also given gifts, because it was believed that if you give someone else's child, the Lord will give yours too.

Epiphany is a big Christian holiday. It begins on the evening of January 18, when Epiphany Eve is celebrated.

The word "baptize" in Greek means "I immerse in water." And water is the beginning of life. Therefore, the main rite of the holiday is swimming in the hole.

What should be done at the Baptism of the Lord?

In the early morning, immediately after waking up, you need to read a prayer for recovery for the sick, peace and prosperity for loved ones, the fulfillment of cherished desires. You can ask the Lord for health for yourself and your loved ones, happiness and blessings.

The water that was brought from the church should be sprinkled on the house in order to sanctify it and free it from bad energy.

If you do a good deed on this day, then positive energy will accompany you all next year.

Be sure to drink holy water on an empty stomach and wash your face with it.

You can collect blessed water both on the night of January 19 and throughout the holiday.

If health allows and there is a desire, you can plunge into the hole with consecrated water. This allows you to cleanse yourself of sin and recharge with positive energy for the whole year.

People with poor health can be healed of an illness, because it is believed that water on this day has magical properties.

If you do not want to swim in the hole, just wash yourself with holy water.

Previously, it was important for any housewife to collect Epiphany water and store it throughout the year. Such water was considered healing, it could help not only a person, but also in the household, rid the house of evil spirits.

A good omen is to get married on January 19th. Young spouses will be accompanied by good luck and happiness.

Also on this day, you can baptize babies - this is also a great happiness.

What can not be done at Baptism?

Epiphany is an important Orthodox holiday, so on January 19 it is forbidden to do hard work and housework, for example, do repairs, wash, clean, sew, embroider, knit.

On this day, you can not swear and scandal, it is better to avoid conflicts. All negative energy will definitely return to its owner triple.

You can’t quarrel with anyone, it’s better to spend the day in a spiritual atmosphere with close people, not forgetting about prayer.

Complaining, gossiping or swearing is prohibited.

You can’t cry on this holiday, otherwise there is a risk of shedding tears throughout the year.

It is no longer allowed to guess at Epiphany, this must be done on Epiphany Christmas Eve.

When collecting consecrated water, one should not be greedy.

Holy water taken at the Baptism of the Lord on January 19 should not be diluted, it will lose its healing properties.

When you drink baptismal water or wash your face with it, you should not think of anything bad. Think of something good, bright, holy.

You can't drink alcohol. Doctors do not advise drinking alcohol before dipping into the hole, or after it.

Diving into the water at Baptism without confession and communion is also not worth it.

What to cook for Baptism?

Particular attention should be paid to the evening before Epiphany - Epiphany Christmas Eve, which falls on January 18th. It is also known as Hungry Kutia. On this day, Christians prepare for consecration with holy water, therefore they observe a one-day fast.

On Epiphany Christmas Eve it is customary to serve the same dishes as on Holy Evening, only not 12, but less. You can get by with dumplings, pies, cabbage, fish. The main dish on the table should be hungry kutya, which consists of wheat grains, raisins, nuts.

January 19 table should be one of the richest of the year. Previously, they cooked borscht or cabbage on pork belly, made dumplings, roasts, cabbage rolls, liver fried with onions, served ham, sausage, black blood, fish. They served fresh bread baked the day before, pies, rolls.

They also prepared sweet jelly, and to it all kinds of shortcakes, gingerbread, pies.

After the baptism of the child in the temple, his godparents, parents and other relatives arrange a festive feast. You should not invite many guests on this day - let it be only the closest people, because baptism is a special, church holiday.

What festive dishes for the baptism of a child can be served at the table? We will talk about the traditions that have developed in Rus' and give recipes for such dishes.

What should be the menu for the baptism of a child?

A variety of salads and snacks, ritual porridge, pancakes, pies are served at the festive table for the christening of a child, and at the end of the holiday, you can offer guests an originally decorated cake.

Portions of dishes should not be too large, as it is not customary to leave food on plates on this day so that the child does not have to “shed tears”.

In the old days, the menu for the baptism of a child necessarily included a ritual dish - kutya, which was prepared with the addition of milk, butter, eggs, honey and cream, or the so-called baptismal porridge - buckwheat or millet. Groats for such porridge were soaked in milk and also cooked in milk with the addition of cream.

Baptismal porridge, in which a chicken or a rooster was often baked - depending on whether the daughter or son was baptized that day - was served in a large pot, which was then carefully smashed on the corner of the table. The porridge left on the table was served to the mother of the child and the guests.

Buckwheat porridge with egg and mushrooms

For 4 servings you will need:

• buckwheat groats 2 cups,
• ground dried porcini mushrooms 2 tbsp. spoons,
• eggs 4 pcs.,
• smoked brisket 4 slices,
• onion 2 heads,
• water 4 cups,
• butter 4 teaspoons,
• dill greens, finely chopped 4 teaspoons,
• ground black pepper and salt.

1. Arrange brisket and onion cut into small cubes in ceramic pots, add mushrooms and cereals, salt, pepper, pour in hot water.
2. Cover the pots with lids, put in the oven and cook the porridge for 1 hour at 180 ° C.
3. In each pot, release an egg, put 1 teaspoon of oil and cook the porridge for another 5-10 minutes until the eggs are ready. Sprinkle with chopped herbs when serving.

Another traditional dish that is prepared for the christening of a child is pancakes. They can be served with different toppings.

Country style pancakes

For 3 servings you need to take:

• wheat flour 160 g,
• egg 1 pc.,
• cottage cheese 100 g,
• curdled milk 250 g,
• vegetable oil 1 tbsp. spoon,
• baking soda 1/4 teaspoon,
• sugar 1 teaspoon.

1. Mash the egg with cottage cheese, add the rest of the ingredients for the dough and mix thoroughly.
2. Bake pancakes in a frying pan greased with vegetable oil, serve with sour cream or jam.

It is believed that at the celebration on the occasion of the baptism of a child, it is better not to serve pork dishes for the festive table, but you can cook dishes from fish or poultry.

Duck with apples and prunes

For 4 servings you will need:

• duck 1 piece,
• apples 3-4 pcs.,
• pitted prunes 150 g,
• ground black pepper and salt.

1. Peel the apples from the skin and core, cut into slices. Cut prunes in half and mix with apples.
2. Rub the duck inside and out with salt and pepper, stuff it with prunes and apples and, having fastened the belly with wooden skewers, put it in a roasting pan.
3. Roast the duck in the oven at 250°C until golden brown. Then add water or meat broth, reduce the heat to 170 ° C and simmer the duck for 1.5–2 hours, periodically pouring it with the resulting juice.
4. Put the finished duck on a dish and pour over the broth formed during stewing. Put apples with prunes next to it.

Also, the menu for the baptism of a child traditionally includes pastries - “grandmother's pies”. Figures in the form of birds, hearts, flowers, pretzels, horns, rabbit ears, etc. were sculpted from rich yeast dough and baked. This dish for the baptism of a child can be prepared according to the following recipe.

Baking "Grandma's pies"

For 10 servings you will need to take:

• wheat flour 1 kg,
• egg 1 pc.,
• butter 130 g,
• sugar 115 g,
• milk or water 250 ml,
• pressed yeast 30 g,
• raisins 60 g,
• egg for greasing 1 pc.,

1. Set aside the raisins and eggs for brushing. From the rest of the products, knead the yeast dough, put it in a warm place for fermentation. During the fermentation process, make 2-3 punches.
2. Form a tourniquet from the dough and cut it into pieces of about 50 g each. Shape the flagella from the pieces, tie them in a knot and give the products the shape of birds. Stick raisins - eyes.
3. Flatten the products slightly, at one end of the knot make cuts with a knife - feathers. Place on a greased baking sheet and leave to rise in a warm place.
4. Brush with egg and bake at 230°C until done.

According to established traditions, many sweet dishes are prepared for the table for the celebration of the baptism of a child - so that his life in the future will be sweet.

And, of course, it is impossible to imagine the menu of this festive feast without a cake. It can be decorated in an original way, decorating it with congratulatory inscriptions, placing figures of angels on top, etc.

Cake "Honey"

For 8 servings, you need to take the following ingredients.

For test:

• wheat flour 480 g,
• sugar 230 g,
• eggs 4 pcs.,
• honey 3-4 tbsp. spoons,
• baking soda 1 teaspoon.

For cream:

• thick sour cream 1 kg,
• sugar 350 g,
• chocolate 50 g

1. Mash the eggs with sugar, add honey and heat this mixture slightly until the sugar dissolves. Add flour mixed with soda and quickly knead the dough.
2. Divide it into 10 parts, roll out thin cakes from them, from which cut round cakes of the same diameter.
3. Bake the cakes on a greased baking sheet in the oven at a temperature of 200-220 ° C until golden brown. Separately bake the trimmings from the cakes and grind into crumbs.
4. Beat well-chilled sour cream with sugar in a thick fluffy foam. Lubricate the resulting cream cakes and stack on top of each other.
5. Lubricate the top cake and sides of the cake with cream, sprinkle with crumbs and grated chocolate, or decorate as you wish (for example, with powdered sugar and chocolate). Before serving, keep the cake in the refrigerator for 6-7 hours so that it is properly soaked with cream.

According to the established tradition, alcohol is not served at the table at the celebration in honor of the baptism of a child. In extreme cases, you can limit yourself to red wine. And it is better to offer non-alcoholic drinks, for example, dried fruit uzvar, kvass, fruit drink, coffee or tea.

We hope that the recipes we have proposed will help you create a suitable menu for the celebration of the baptism of a child, which your guests will certainly enjoy.

On January 19, the Christian community around the world celebrates the Epiphany of the Lord. On this day, the main action is the threefold consecration of water, which symbolizes renewal, cleansing from sins. Water is endowed with healing properties, becomes "svyantsona", "sanctified", holy. They begin to bless water in churches on the evening of January 18, and after that each owner hurries home to consecrate every corner of his house with the help of spikelets, clean it, protect it from evil spirits. Of course, such a holiday is accompanied by certain traditions and rituals.

Christmas Eve January 18

On the eve of January 18, a strict fast should be observed. In the evening, Epiphany Christmas Eve comes. The name itself - Christmas Eve - already tells us that the main dish on the table this evening should be juicy. So, they called in a special way cooked millet porridge with honey and raisins. Strictly speaking, it can be not only millet porridge. Now housewives cook juicy from rice and even corn grits.

In different areas, poppy seeds, nuts, prunes, candied fruits are added to the porridge. Porridge is flavored with vegetable oil, hemp or sunflower, nut milk. This meal is also called Hungry Kutya or Lenten Kutya, because it should not break a strict fast. In addition, according to popular belief, at this time evil spirits walk the earth, and if they suddenly wander into the house, then they simply will have nothing to profit from and will have to go further. Be sure to have blessed water on the table on Epiphany Christmas Eve. It is customary to put a certain number of dishes on the table: 7, 9 or 12, as on Christmas Eve. Of course, on January 18, the meal is more modest than Christmas.

You can start eating on Epiphany Christmas Eve only after the first festive services have been held in the churches. As a rule, this is the second half of the day. The meal begins with the fact that everyone at the table drinks three sips of Epiphany water, crossing himself and reading a prayer. After that, they proceed to kutya. In some places, there used to be such a custom: kutya had to be eaten to the end, after which the children loudly banged their spoons on an empty plate and sang “Get out, Kutya, from Pokutya!” Sometimes with such shouts and roar they drove Kutya even down the street. Thus, our ancestors saw off the merry Christmas time and said goodbye to them until the next year.

Then it's time for the rest of the dishes. As a rule, these can be lean pies, cheesecakes, fish dishes, dumplings, cabbage rolls or cabbage rolls, lean borscht with beans, oatmeal or wheat pancakes. In some regions, special ceremonial cookies in the form of crosses are baked. Hostesses always take a responsible approach to the preparation of this sweet, because often “crosses” are baked personally for each guest. Sweet, ruddy, well-baked crosses promise health, success, well-being to the family. But whose cross is underbaked or burnt, troubles and ailments await him. The hostess is supposed to feed this cookie to the poultry, and instead offer the guest another one baked in reserve.

Of course, all this should be done in secret from the person to whom the cookies were intended. Prepare "crosses" on honey or yeast dough. Lean biscuits are kneaded in vegetable oil, savory ones are baked with the addition of eggs and butter. It is believed that the ceremonial food on Christmas Eve gives health, removes ailments, therefore, before the housewives, of course, the remaining kutya was treated to domestic animals.

Epiphany January 19

Epiphany morning on January 19 is also customary to begin with blessed water. According to tradition, the first thing to do is to read a prayer with thanks, wash yourself, put yourself in order, and then, crossing yourself, drink three tablespoons of baptismal water. On this day, she has a special healing power. Interestingly, according to many studies, such water really has a special structure and does not lose its properties for several years.

Probably, many have noticed that even after long-term storage, Epiphany water does not change color and does not become musty in taste. It is believed that if suddenly someone fails to plunge into the hole - "Jordan" on Epiphany, then you can get your stock of health and vitality by drinking plenty of Epiphany water on this day. Even if a person is prescribed medication on an empty stomach, you should still drink water first and then take the medication.

It is interesting that our ancestors, after drinking Epiphany water, drunk on an empty stomach, necessarily ate “crosses” or pancakes baked with honey. There was even a sign: the more pancakes you can eat, the more benefits await you this year.

There are also certain requirements for the Epiphany dinner, which are dictated to us by the traditions of our ancestors. Like the night before, kutya (or sochivo) must be present on the table. Lenten and fast food should be put equally. They start lunch with kutya, then eat lenten dishes. And only then proceed to the modest ones. These are cereals with butter and cream, rich soups, lard, homemade sausages, jelly, baked pork. It used to be customary to bake even a whole pig. It was placed in the center of the table, and the owner himself cut off a piece and treated the household and guests. It's funny that the youngest member of the family also had his own role in this ceremony: he was supposed to climb under the table and grunt funny, amusing all those gathered.

Sweet dishes are also present on the festive table: pancakes with filling (they are also called pancakes), pancakes, hearty pies, pretzels, cheesecakes. Nalistniki can be both sweet, with cottage cheese and raisins, and meat, stuffed with minced meat or liver. It is customary to drink kutya and other dishes with dried fruit, jelly or sbiten. Uzvar is a decoction of dried fruits, often apples and pears, sometimes raisins and prunes, with honey. Cooking sbiten is an art.

Sbiten drink

Black tea.

Spices: ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg to taste.

Celery, lemon peel.

The mixture should first be brought to a boil, boiled for several minutes, insisted in a thermos for about half an hour. After that, the sbiten needs to be filtered and brought to a boil again.

It should be noted that almost every dish on Christmas Eve or Epiphany has its own ritual meaning. Therefore, at all times people prepared for this holiday with their soul and body, because each action had and has its own special meaning. Fasting on the eve of the holiday, a fasting meal, the subsequent divine service and three-time dipping in the hole-"Jordan" in some way symbolizes the difficult path to purification, spiritualization, the second spiritual birth. It is natural that eating also turns into a festive ritual with its own symbols and rules, the observance of which not only maintains traditions and unites the family, but also in some way guarantees further stability and cohesion. In addition, after Epiphany comes the Winter Meat-Eater, which begins on January 20 and lasts until Maslenitsa.