December 25 Catholics celebrate Christmas. For Ukrainian believers this year is special. For the first time on December 25 - the official day off. The celebration began yesterday with a holy party.

Christmas Eve begins with a prayer, which the head of the family reads. Further in the darkness a candle is lit, which symbolizes a Christmas star. And read the Bible.

The whole family gathers at the festive table. Serve 12 lean dishes. Also Catholics share the payment. This unleavened bread from water and flour.

This is the kind of bread that in the Western tradition is required at the Christmas table. It symbolizes the joy of division, because we break it at the table, we share, and we wish a happy Christmas, - said the Roman Catholic Andrei Konko.

And, of course, the family does a lot of caroling. From the oldest to the smallest.

After the festive table, the families go to the church for the Christmas Mass of Pastoral. The next day the parishioners rush to the Holy Mass. Whole families come to Lviv, greet each other.

Yesterday we started the celebration with a holy supper. Vigilia, we traditionally call it Pasterka, at 18 o'clock the community gathered to celebrate together. Pasterka why? Because the first witnesses to the birth of Jesus were pastors, - said the worker of the Lviv cathedral father Alexander Kusiy.

In Lviv, where many Roman Catholics live, today, December 25, in eight churches throughout the day, there are festive divine services. The parishioners are glad that at last this day they have a legal day off.

"Christmas is a family holiday. We will meet in the family circle. I'm very glad that there is a day off, because I always had to go to work. And now you can sit at home with your family ", rejoices the Roman Catholic Lyudmila Yarotskaya.

Celebration will continue on the second day. Tomorrow, according to tradition, in the churches will consecrate wine. Also there will be concerts with kolyada.

Source: Channel 24.