How to Prepare for Your Slava

The Slava is the protector of the home – it is the family hearth, a helper in every task, one of God’s great blessings, and the guardian of each member of the household, especially children.

Preparations for the Slava

Preparations begin a couple of days before the Slava, so that it might be celebrated with the utmost festivity and veneration. The house is arranged, cleaned, and tidied. Something new is bought for every member of the household, especially for children. A sacred atmosphere permeates the home, as well as a pleasant, spiritual mood, and the joy of anticipating the coming Slava.

For the Slava you must prepare: the Slava bread, boiled wheat, red wine, and the Slava candle.

The priest blesses the water on the day before or the day of the Slava.

The Slava Bread

Likewise, the Slava bread is kneaded the previous day. The bread is made with pure wheat flour, to which is added a small amount of blessed holy water. Additionally, the bread is decorated with various symbols made of dough (water and flour). In the middle of the bread, the Cyrillic letters “ИС ХС НИ КА” (IS HS NI KA) are impressed in two rows of four letters each, signifying Исус Христос побеђује (Jesus Christ is Victorious).

The Slava Wheat

It is necessary to serve wheat at every Slava, and it too is prepared the day before. The wheat is boiled, strained, ground, and mixed with ground walnuts and sugar. The ratio of these ingredient can be adjusted to each hostess’s individual taste. Fragrant spices may also be added such as cloves, nutmeg, or vanilla.

First, the head of the household helps themselves to some wheat, followed by the rest of the family members, and finally whatever guests are present. The remaining guests are served wheat as they arrive. The wheat is placed next to the candle.

The Slava Candle

The candle must be fairly large, about 50-60 cm., and made out of beeswax if possible.

Every one of these observances are necessary for the Slava, lest its lofty nature be transformed into a mere guest-oriented feast.

The strength of this family celebration resides as much in the Slava bread and wheat, as it does in the love with which the guests are welcomed at the feast.

During the days of fasting (Wednesday and Friday) special food which accommodates a fasting diet is prepared, whereas regular food is served on the other days.

The arrangement of the dining table must be solemnly organized for the Slava.

There is a fixed order in which the dishes should be served: first the appetizers, then the main course, followed by the desserts.

There is a rich selection of appetizers to choose from, and almost each one can be made to the standards of a fasting diet or not. If the former is the case, oil is used as opposed to egg, and mushrooms, beans, nuts, or soy products are used as a replacement for meat.

Here are a few appetizers from some of our old, traditional cookbooks: Spiral Pastries, Corn Bread, Baked Beans, various pastries, and other kinds of items.

For a non-fasting Slava, the main course is a type of roast: pork, lamb, or goat. The side dishes are numerous since there is a wide array of hot and cold salads to choose from. For a fasting Slava, the main course consists of fish, whereas the side dishes remain primarily the same, excluding egg, dairy, and meat.

There is an innumerable amount of desserts that are commonly prepared for the Slava. It is best for the hostess to stick to tried and true recipes, letting them become something of a house specialty.

Mayonnaise (Fasting)

Mayonnaise poses a large problem in preparing meals that can fit into a fasting diet. Here are two recipes that address this issue:

1. Mayonnaise with Lemon (Fasting)

Ingredients:

• 6 level tablespoons corn starch

• 24 tablespoons water

• 3 tablespoons mustard

• 9 tablespoons oil

• Lemon juice from half a lemon

• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Dissolve the corn starch in water and let it boil, when it cools down, add the mustard while constantly stirring. Then, individually add the 9 tablespoons of oil, followed by the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

2. Mayonnaise with Soy Milk (Fasting)

Ingredients:

• 200 ml. soy milk

• 300 ml. oil (any kind of vegetable oil)

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon mustard

• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

While stirring slowly, add 150 ml. of oil to the soy milk, followed by the lemon juice, vinegar, and a dash of salt. Stir for another 1-2 minutes, then add the mustard and the remaining oil. Continue stirring until a creamy texture is developed. Add the pepper and more salt to taste.

Spicy Eggplant, Served Cold (Can be prepared in advance)

• 2 eggplants are sliced into disks and sautéed with olive oil.

• 6 peppermint leaves are cut into pieces and mixed with a small amount of Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, salt, and two cloves of garlic sliced into disks.

A row of eggplant is arranged on the serving platter and then drizzled with the sauce, followed by another row, and so on until all of the eggplant and sauce are used.

Spiral Pastries (store-bought filo dough) are ideal for both fasting and non-fasting meals, whether as an appetizer or as an addition to the main course.

Spiral Pastries can be stuffed with mushrooms, potatoes, potatoes and leeks, or with any number of imaginative vegetable combinations: zucchini, carrots, potatoes, onions, cabbage, swiss chard... Or simply cheese and ground meat. There is truly an exceptional amount of choices.

The preparation is very simple. If you are using onions you can start with fresh onions, or sauté them for a little bit, and the same can be said of the other vegetables. When the filling has slightly cooled down, it can be placed on the crust. Either single or double sheets of the crust can be used. They are first brushed with a thin layer of oil, then the filling is spread onto them, after which they are rolled up, lengthwise. Finally, the pastries are placed into a round pan, forming a spiral.

The pastries are baked at 180-200 ̊ C for 30 to 45 minutes.

Desserts

Vanilice (Fasting)

Ingredients:

• 500 gr. flour

• 150 gr. sugar

• 200 gr. ground walnuts

• 0.7 dl. oil

• 100 gr. powdered sugar

• 1 package vanilla sugar

• Apricot, or any other, jam

Mix the flour, sugar, and walnuts, gradually adding the oil and kneading the mixture into a smooth dough. The rest of the steps are the same as for regular Vanilice.

Wheat Cake (Fasting)

Ingredients:

• 250 gr. honey

• 250 ml. beer

• 200 gr. sugar

• 300 gr. flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Filling:

• 300 gr. ground walnuts

• 200 gr. sugar

• 150 gr. ground wheat

• 2 packages vanilla sugar

• A little bit of nutmeg shavings

Preparation:

1. Mix the honey and beer, and add the baking soda, flour, and sugar. Knead this mixture into a dough which will produce 4 separate crusts.

2. For the filling, make a syrup from the sugar and 1 cup of water, adding the ground walnuts and wheat, vanilla sugar, and nutmeg shavings.

3. Spread the filling over the crust, and sprinkle with more ground walnuts.

Apple Squares (Fasting) (my personal recipe, and a big crowd-pleaser)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups grated apples

• 2 cups sugar (I only use 1)

• 1-2 tablespoons honey

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 cups flour, or 1 ½ cups flour and 1 cup ground walnuts

• 0.5 cups oil

• Chopped walnuts for sprinkling, as needed

• Apricot or raspberry jam

• Optional: Cocoa drizzle, made of cocoa powder, a little bit of sugar, and oil.

Procedure:

The apples, sugar, honey, and baking soda are mixed and then left to sit for one hour, after which the rest of the ingredients are added.

The mixture is then placed on a greased tray and baked. After being taken out of the oven, the jam is spread over the cake, followed by the chopped walnuts, and this is then placed back into a warm, but turned off, oven, or at 100 ̊ C, just long enough for the jam to slightly harden. When the cake cools down, it can be cut into squares or sticks of any size.

If desired (and I do take this additional step myself), the cake can be drizzled with a chocolate glaze which is appropriate for fasting (i.e. dairy free), or with the aforementioned cocoa mix.

Sweet Spiral Pastries (Fasting)

Spiral Pastries which are suitable for fasting can also be made with various fruit fillings – fresh, frozen, or dried, with added sugar and ground walnuts or almonds.