Christmas in Ukraine is celebrated on the 7th January is because, like many countries where the main Church is the Orthodox Church, they use the old 'Julian' calendar for their church festivals.

The main Christmas meal, called 'Sviata Vecheria' (or Holy Supper) is eaten on Christmas Eve (6th January). Traditionally people fast (don't eat anything) all day but you might start the day drinking some holy water that has been blessed at church.

Christmas for many Ukrainians is an important family holiday. When Ukraine was part of the former Soviet Union, Christmas Day was not a public holiday but Christmas traditions were not forgotten. After Ukraine gained its independence in 1991, Christmas Day was made a public holiday. Many Ukrainian Christmas traditions are based on pre-Christian Pagan customs.

Many Orthodox Christian churches in Ukraine observe the Christmas Day date from the Julian calendar, which is different from the more commonly used Gregorian calendar. So, while Christmas is still on December 25 in the Julian calendar, it appears on January 7 in the Gregorian calendar, up until 2100. After that, the Gregorian date for Orthodox Christmas will be January 8 in 2101.

• Kutia. The Rich Dinner, as well as the Christmas feast of the next day, begin with kutia. ...
• Vinaigrette. Traditionally, the vinaigrette is cooked from boiled potatoes, beets, carrots and beans. ...
• Vareniki with potatoes. ...
• Pickles. ...
• Baked apples. ...
• Borscht (lean) ...
• Patties. ...
• Buckwheat.

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