On Christmas Eve, we start dinner the moment we see the first star in the sky.
Veronika Norvaisaite
International Project Coordinator, Marketing & Communication (M&C)
Christmas is a Christian holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. Its traditions vary from country to country. In many nations, people decorate a Christmas tree, there are Advent wreaths and Christmas stockings.
Veronika: In Lithuania, Christmas Eve is more important than Christmas Day. It marks the end of Fasting and this special evening we prepare 12 dishes, all of them without meat, like stuffed eggs and salad. You can start dinner as soon as you see the first star in the sky. If it’s a cloudy evening, it’s up to the head of the family to decide when to start to eat.
Every year, dinner starts with breaking the wafer and passing it around the table. We have to eat a bit of all of the twelve dishes. During dessert, we exchange gifts and religious people go to the Evening Mass afterwards.
For me, Christmas Eve means being with my family and spending time with them. We don’t get to do this very often because part of my family lives abroad. However, I always feel rather torn, because my father, sister and grandmother live in Lithuania and my mother lives in Ireland. This year I’m going to Ireland to spend Christmas with my mum, sister and her family. I’ve booked my flight and I’m really looking forward to it.