Traditional Christmas Eve dinner in Lithuania

Christmas Eve is more important than Christmas day in Lithuania. For the Christmas Eve dinner, the table is prepared as follows: a handful of fine hay is spread evenly on the table. This is a reminder that Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger on hay. The table is then covered with a pure white tablecloth, set with plates and decorated with candles and fir boughs.

A small plate with as many Christmas wafers as there are persons present is placed in the center of the table. Supper on Christmas Eve is special and traditional. The whole family gathers together. All family members make an effort to come home for the Christmas Eve supper, even from a distance. Eating together and sharing with others is the most important thing.

Everyone gathers at the dinner table when the first star appears in the sky. When everyone is at the table, a prayer is said. The father then takes a wafer and offers it to the mother wishing her a Happy Christmas. "God grant that we are all together again next year", the mother responds and breaks off a piece of wafer. Then all the rest of the family offer their wafers to others with certain wishes and blessing from God.

Twelve different dishes are served on the table because Jesus had twelve apostles. All the dishes are strictly meatless: fish, herring, “kučiukai” with poppy seed milk, kisielius (cranberry pudding), a dried fruit soup or compote, a salad of winter and dried vegetables, mushrooms, boiled or baked potatoes, sauerkraut (cooked, of course, without meat) and bread. Everyone must try all the dishes and every dish symbolizes something: for example, fish symbolize apostles who were fishermen, but also it reminds of the miracle, when Jesus fed the crowd with two fish and five loafs of bread. Bread also means strength and wisdom, grain – kindness and charity, honey – light and health, apples – symbolize Heaven and kūčiukai is the symbol of returning sun and love.
As soon as we eat the main dishes, we pause to wait for the coming of Christmas Man (Santa Claus). If the children are small, he comes with a big sack full of gifts.

Lithuanian (Kuciukai) Christmas Eve biscuits
450 g flour 180 – 200 ml warm water (not hot!)
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
6 tablespoons sugar
10 g fresh yeast
2 tablespoons oil pinch of salt
In a large bowl cream fresh yeast with sugar. Add warm water and a half of sifted flour. Dust the batter surface with some flour and let to rise until doubled in size in a warm place. Add salt, the rest of flour, oil, poppy seeds. Mix everything. Knead the dough until it stops sticking to your hands. Place the dough in bowl, cover with a kitchen towel and leave in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Roll the dough into 1 cm thick rolls and cut in small pieces. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place kuciukai on the baking sheets lined with baking paper and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown. We usually serve kuciukai soaked in special milk made from water, sugar and poppy seeds on Christmas Eve.

Aguonu pienas. Poppy seed milk

1 l water
200 g poppy seeds
100 g honey or sugar (more or less to taste)

Scald poppy seeds with boiling water and soak for a 3-4 hours.
Drain, process scalded poppy seeds in food
processor, food mill or grinder.
Pour 1 l of boiled water over the processed poppy seeds, add honey/sugar and stir until dissolves. Chill the milk. Can be served strained or unstrained. Serve with kūčiukai.
Merry Christmas!