Following tomorrow’s Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts, kolyva will be blessed and distributed in memory of the holy martyr Theodore the Tyro in the Trinity Cathedral of the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery. In 362 AD, at the beginning of that year’s Lent, he appeared in a dream to Bishop Eudoxios of Constantinople and warned that food sold in the markets will be desecrated with blood of idol sacrifices. In memory of this event, as a reminder of our closeness with God, there is an annual Lenten tradition to make kolyva at the beginning of Lent.

Kolyva is boiled wheat dipped in honey. In the Seraphim-Diveyevo monastery, it is usually prepare in eight pots, so that there would be enough not only for the sister’s meal, but also for the workers, laborers, and pilgrims. This meal is considered by the Church typikon a direct extension of the divine service. This tasty sweet dish is a wonderful treat for everyone who will come to the monastery on commemoration day of the Martyr Theodore the Tyro.

The recipe for monastery kolyva includes 600 liters of water, 100 kg of wheat, and 50 liters of honey.