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Today, Ukrainians celebrate the second Holy Night or Hungry Kutia

On the eve of Epiphany, January 5, Hungry Kutia (Hungry Christmas Eve) is celebrated. Hungry kutia is called “hungry” because it is customary to fast on this day. Read about the holidays and signs of this day in the article Komersant ukrainskyi

The Second Holy Evening: when to celebrate

In 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine made a decision to switch to the modern New Julian calendar. This means that many familiar holidays have shifted.

Previously, according to the Julian calendar, the second Holy Evening or Hungry Kutia or Epiphany Evening was held on January 18, the day before Epiphany. However, according to the new calendar, the second Christmas Eve in 2025 will be on January 5, and Epiphany itself will be on January 6.

Interestingly, according to ancient traditions, Ukraine used to celebrate three Christmas Eve parties. Yes, exactly three, not two, as is common in our country. The first one was celebrated on January 6, which is Christmas Eve or “Rich Kutia,” the second one on January 13, which the Hutsuls also called Vasyl’s Eve, and on January 18, Epiphany Eve or the evening before Epiphany.

Why is kutia “hungry”?

Kutia is called “hungry” because it is customary to fast on this day. From the very morning, believers eat nothing, then have a modest Holy Supper and then abstain from food until the water is blessed in the church.

Dinner consisted of only modest lean dishes-simple kutia, dumplings, and uzvar. The whole family would sit down to dinner as soon as the first star rose in the sky. They pray and start and end the meal with a spoonful of kutia. If the leftovers are not eaten during dinner, they are taken to the chickens or other livestock to make them healthy and better breeding. Spoons of everyone who ate at the table and a piece of bread are put into the empty bowl of kutia to ensure a good harvest.

Rituals with consecrated water

On the eve of Epiphany, it is customary to bless water in the church. A vessel with water is decorated with flowers to protect it from adversity.

When the water is brought into the house, the owner blesses everyone in the house, then the house itself, and then the cattle in the barn, so that they are also healthy.

The water blessed on the evening of Epiphany, or as it is sometimes called by the people “evening water,” is considered more healing than the water from Epiphany itself. It is said to be able to overcome all evil and cleanse from misfortune or the evil eye.

On this holiday, children could again be generous, running from house to house with songs. They would take hazel branches with them, which they would give to the owners of the houses as a sign of gratitude.

Older girls could tell fortunes. These divinations did not differ from those that were usually performed on St. Andrew’s Day or other magical evenings.

The next morning was the feast of Epiphany.

Folk signs on January 5:

• If it snows on Epiphany evening, expect a good grain harvest.
• Whatever the weather is on January 5, it will be the same on Shrovetide.
• A severe snowstorm or sleet on January 5 is a sign of a good harvest.
• If there is little snow on the trees, there will be no berries at all. If, on the contrary, the snow has already bent the branches on the trees, expect a rich harvest.
• The full moon on this day portends a flood of rivers in the spring.
• If the stars in the sky are bright on January 5, then the lambs will breed well.
• If it snows on Epiphany Eve, it is a sign that the year will be fruitful.
• If there is a lot of snow on the trees, there will be a rich harvest of fruits and honey.
• If you bathe in a bath on Epiphany Eve, it will help you gain health and beauty.
• On January 5, snow was thrown into the well so that the water in it would not spoil.

What is forbidden to do on January 5:

1. It is forbidden to wash any clothes, as the water in the river is considered holy on this day.
2. It is forbidden to swear at family and friends, as this can lead to misfortune for the whole year.
3. It is forbidden to invite the dead to the table, as they should not be present at dinner on this day.
4. It is also important not to leave a spoon on the table without finishing dinner and not to get up from the table before other family members, as this can lead to serious consequences.