Why 12 dishes are prepared for Christmas Eve dinner? The bright holiday of Christmas is the first of the year and one of the most important for Orthodox Christians. There may be different dishes on the table on Christmas Eve and Christmas, but there are 12 basic. This dishes represent the 12 apostles and the number of months in the year. It is imperative that local “simple” ingredients are used so that they will have a rich harvest next year.
Dishes on the table on Christmas Eve before Christmas

The table on Christmas Eve must be lean. It is forbidden to use any products obtained from animals, including milk, cheese, butter, eggs. Requires fish and many plant ingredients.
Each dish on the table has its own meaning and attracts different “forces” to the house:
bean dishes – symbolize God’s spring, attract unity to the family;
garlic – placed in the four corners of the table and used in dishes as a symbol of health and cleansing from sins;
sweet pie – symbolize the sweetness of life, attract it;
Table traditions for Christmas Eve and Christmas
All the dishes on the table will promise wealth, prosperity, health and family unity, but it is not necessary to cook all of them if there is no opportunity. There are two main dishes with which the meal begins and ends, they also make it Christmas, and the festive Christmas Eve before Christmas begins with them. Each region has its own variation of the dishes, their recipes and names.
This article is adapted from
Почему на Рождество готовят 12 блюд