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And after that, the Christmas meal began. At the same time, it was necessarily taken into account that the souls of deceased ancestors can come to the house on this day. So many utensils were placed on the table, but it was not possible to use sharp objects, taking into account those people who died this year, or, for example, as the war is now, taking into account those who are currently on the road, somewhere far away. Later, this tradition began to change. Each new religion tries to either destroy the previous one, or level it, or conquer it. We are seeing a transformation. Instead of the Sun, we have the Star of Bethlehem. Accordingly, carolers already go with Zora, not with Sonechka. Instead of pre-Christian carols, we have Christian carols. The Saints appear, the same kutya and twelve dishes appear, symbolizing initially the number of months, and later the number of Saints.

In Western Ukrainian carols, there is an original motif of the creation of the world by demiurge birds — when doves descend to the bottom of the sea for the sand from which the earth will emerge (for example, the carol "Oh, how it was from the offspring of the world"). An old song of the Carpathian Slavs sings:

When Zorya came down, the celebration began. At this time, they first brought Didukh into the house. Under the table, under the tablecloth, under the dish - kutyu - they put straw, this straw woman, which in the current interpretation already symbolizes the manger in which Christ was born. And originally, it was probably a symbol of grain, a rich harvest. Garlic cloves were placed on the corners of the table - amulets against evil spirits. It all started with Didukh. No one sat down at the table until the father brought this Grandfather into the house.