Malanka Recipes: The Ukrainian Old New Year Feast
Malanka is Ukraine’s Old New Year’s Eve, January 13, kept by the Julian calendar alongside the modern January 1 holiday. Unlike the meatless Sviata Vecheria table two and a half weeks earlier, this is a night of full indulgence – carolers in costume go door to door singing shchedrivky, and the table is loaded with dumplings, cabbage rolls and fresh bread meant to bring luck and plenty into the new year.
Sviata Vecheria comes first with its fast; Malanka closes the season with a feast – see the Sviata Vecheria table for the meatless night that starts it.
The Generous Bowl
Varenyky and Holubtsi
THE DUMPLINGS
Traditional Ukrainian Varenyky
Boiled dumplings, savory and sweet, for a table with no fast to keep.
LIGHTER TAKE
Healthy Ukrainian Varenyky
The same dumplings, a lighter dough and filling.
STUFFED CABBAGE
Traditional Ukrainian Holubtsi
Rice-and-meat cabbage rolls, a fixture of the New Year spread.
LIGHTER TAKE
Healthy Ukrainian Holubtsi
The same rolls, a lighter filling.