• Christmas Eve Dinners are often large feasts. Because Christmas is a global holiday, Christmas Eve traditions, including the types of dinners served and eaten, vary largely from country to country and culture to culture.

  
  For example, in America some families prefer a meal similar to a Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, while others dine on kielbasa (Polish sausage), cabbage, soup, ham, casseroles or lasagna. Still others prefer ham, or even going out to a restaurant for a meal fancier than one would want to prepare at home.

• Christmas Eve Dinner Facts

  1. Christmas Eve: Celebrated on December 24, the day before the Christmas remembrance of the birth of Jesus
  2. Some families trim their Christmas tree before or after the meal
  3. Some foods are chosen to represent Christian beliefs
  4. Germany's traditional fare incudes carp. http://www.learn-german-online.net/learning-german-resouces/weihnachten_en.htm
  5. Italian Catholics eat seafood
  6. Czech and Slovakian celebrations offer fish, soup and carp

• German Christmas Eve Dinner

  While goose is a traditional main dish on Christmas day, the traditional Christmas Eve dinner in German is carp. The tradition of eating carp on Christmas Eve dates back to the Middles Ages. Many sweets are enjoyed on Christmas Eve, including marzipan and Lebkuchen.http://www.learn-german-online.net/learning-german-resouces/weihnachten_en.htm

• Ukrainian Christmas Eve Dinner

  For a different take on Christmas Eve dinner, the Ukrainians observe the Holy Supper, a a meatless 12-course meal to recognize the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ. Hay is present, usually under the table, as a reminder that Jesus was born in a manger. Three loaves of braided bread, Kolach, are placed in the center of the table to represent the Trinity (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit). Portions of the meal are kutia (honey-sweetened boiled wheat), beet soup (borsch), fish, sauerkraut and varenyky (a potato and onion dumpling).Suite 101: Holy Supper

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