Christmas in Vlkolínec was a time rich with tradition, a season when people remembered the birth of Christ through time-honoured customs.
A proper Christmas table was always laden with food. Some dishes had to be prepared in advance, as there wouldn’t be enough time to make everything on Christmas Eve. Baked treats such as sweet dough balls (opekance) and a lattice-topped cake (mrežovník) were among those made ahead.
On Christmas Eve, the men were responsible for chopping enough wood to last the three festive days, since no work was permitted during the holidays. They also had to make sure the animals were well provided for. Together with their sons, they would fetch a Christmas tree – usually a fir – from the forest. The children decorated it with handmade ornaments, and dried apple slices and nuts were hung on the branches.
But the busiest of all were the women. With help from their daughters, they began their work at the crack of dawn – usually around five in the morning – in order to prepare the many traditional Christmas dishes. Dough had to be kneaded, fillings mixed, and cakes baked. Several types of cakes were made: with curd cheese, jam, poppy seeds, or rolled into strudels. There were also dry pastries called pletenáky. Dried plums and pears were also cooked to make opečky.
A local favourite was the Christmas Eve soup – a cabbage-less version of sauerkraut soup made with dried peas, mushrooms, and fish. The fish had been caught in the autumn and smoked.
A strict fast was observed until midnight. People were allowed only one meal during the day, so they had to hold out until the evening. However, no meat could be eaten until midnight – only fish was permitted.
In the evening, the table was covered with the finest white cloth, and everyone dressed in their best clothes. The men made sure to shave. A small wooden bowl containing a handful of barley was placed on the table to give thanks for the year’s harvest. It was topped by a clove of garlic, a few beans, and some coins as a gesture of hope that the coming year would be as generous as the last.
As dusk fell, the evening bell rang through Vlkolínec, calling the village to prayer. By then, everyone was inside, ready for dinner. A candle was lit on the table, and, with cutlery, wafers, and a cup of honey set out, the family stood and prayed together. After the prayer, each person received a honeyed wafer. In keeping with tradition, the mother would touch each child’s forehead with honey as a wish that they would be as good as honey throughout the next year.
Then came the opekance, shared by all from a single bowl, each person using a fork.
Next was the Christmas Eve pea soup, followed by the cooked pears and plums, then smoked trout and, finally, the assortment of cakes.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, the father filled a basket with some bread and a few cakes and took it to the stable, so that the animals too could enjoy Christmas.
The children, wrapped in warm clothes, went out in groups to sing carols beneath the village windows. As they sang, housewives stepped outside and gave the children cakes and coins.
At a quarter to midnight, the church bell rang out, summoning the villagers to Midnight Mass. Inside the church, candles and oil lamps were already aglow. Everyone from the village attended. The Mass always concluded with the best-loved carol, Silent Night.
Afterwards, people returned home. Some young men would fetch water from the stream, because it was believed that water drawn at midnight on Christmas Eve had the power to heal. Then, at last, everyone went to bed.
The next day, the village gathered again for church to celebrate the Nativity of the Lord. Mass began early, at eight. Before setting off, the animals had to be fed and the cows milked, so families rose even earlier.
After Mass, a tangy “sour soup” made with sauerkraut, smoked meat, potatoes, and noodles was cooked. It was served at the festive lunch, following grace. First, the soup itself with the noodles was eaten, followed by the meat and potatoes that had been cooked in the soup.
No work was done that day. In the evening, the animals were fed and the cows milked again, and then people returned to church for another festive service. Many Christmas carols were sung. Afterwards, families returned home, finished off the leftover soup, enjoyed a few more cakes, and then retired for the night.
On St Stephen’s Day – the second Christmas holiday – the morning again began with church. Lunch was meat soup and jam-filled dumplings (pirohy). In the afternoon, everyone went outside, and the adults chatted while the children played and went sledging. Christmas in Vlkolínec concluded with an evening service.
