Recently, I was invited to a Christmas dinner by a Polish family. I was interested to get an explanation why this ritual meeting should be conducted according to rigid rules about the meals. When I asked if it was possible to change the dishes of that dinner, I got the short answers: 'No. It is Christmas Eve! No other options!'. So, I didn't get any clarification why this rule is so important. Moreover, the family is all atheists. This fact astonished me even more. I might understand this approach if these dishes were some delicacies. But no, it's the mostly typical Polish cuisine. As a result, I was left perplexed.

Of course, I understand this tradition in my native culture was demolished a century ago by Soviet authority. So, I've never experienced repeating the same custom so strictly. We celebrate the New Year but there are no strict rules about food. On the contrary, in Russia or Kazakhstan it's quite widespread to cook difficult, expensive and rare meals for such sorts of events. For what, you ask? To astonish and impress our guests or family. It's clear and reasonable to me. However, many families cook the same set of dishes and salads without any changes every year.