Koliva

Koliva, also spelled, depending on the language,kollyva,kollyba,kolyvo, orcolivă,is a dish based on boiledwheatthat is used liturgically in theEastern Orthodox Churchfor commemorations of the dead.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, koliva is blessed during funerals, as well as during thememorial service(mnemosyno) that is performed at various intervals after a person's death and on special occasions, such as the Saturday of Souls (ψυχοσάββατο,Psychosavvato). It may also be used on the first Friday ofGreat Lent,atSlavas, or atmnemosynain theChristmasmeal. In some countries, though not inGreece(andCyprus), it is consumed on nonreligious occasions as well.
A similar food item is widely popular inLebanonwhere it is known assnuniyeand, more commonly, asberbaraas it is prepared forSaint Barbara's feast day, December 4, which is celebrated withHalloween-like festivities.
Kollyba, a word which in Greek is the plural form ofkollybo(κόλλυβο:nneu; itself rarely used), is derived from theAncient Greekwordκόλλυβος,kollybos(n masc), i.e. a small coin or a small gold weight. In theHellenisticperiod, the neuterpluralform of the latter word, i.e.κόλλυβα,kollyba, took the meaning of small pies made of boiled wheat. The sense of the ritual food is of a latter period.InSerbianit is calledKoljivo (Кољиво),КутяinBulgarian,ColivăinRomanian,კოლიო (kolio)inGeorgian, andКоливоinUkrainian.
While recipes may vary widely, the primary ingredient iswheatkernels which have been boiled until they are soft, they are drained very well and spread on a cloth to be just moist, and then sweetened with honey or sugar. Koliva also contains some or all of the following:wheat,sesameseeds,almonds, groundwalnuts,cinnamon,sugar,pomegranateseeds,raisins,aniseandparsley.Romaniansdecorate the koliva with crosses of cocoa, chocolate or candy.
The practice of offering koliva is traditional inGreece,Cyprus,Serbia,Bulgaria,Montenegro,Ukraine,Romania,Moldova,Russiaand parts ofBosnia-Herzegovina, and among Christians in theMiddle East. When served, the koliva mixture, which looks like earth, is shaped into a mound to resemble a grave. The whole is then covered withpowdered sugarand the initials of the deceased are outlined on the top. Acandle, usually placed in the center of the koliva, is lit at the beginning of the memorial service and extinguished at its end.  After theliturgy, those attending share in eating the koliva as they speak of the deceased and say, "MayGodforgive him/her."
Some Orthodox parishes have a designated individual charged with making the koliva. This is in part due to the health risk of fermented wheat if the koliva is not prepared correctly.
Sometimes koliva is made with rice or barley instead of wheat. This custom began as a practical response to a famine that occurred in Soviet Russia, when the faithful did not have wheat available for koliva, so they used rice instead. Some communities continue to use rice for their koliva to this day. In theJapanese Orthodox Churchwhere rice is mainly eaten, koliva is commonly made fromricesweetened with sugar and decorated with raisins, without reference to famine.
The origins of koliva predateChristianity. The word koliva itself stems from theAncient Greekwordκόλλυβoς(kollybos), which originally meant "a small coin" and later in the neuter plural form "small pies made of boiled wheat". In theAncient Greekpanspermia, a mixture of cooked seeds and nuts were offered during the pagan festival of theAnthesteria.
In the 5th century AD 
koliva in the sense of boiled wheat, constituted along with raw vegetables the diet of monks who refused to eat bread.The 12th century canonistTheodore Balsamonmaintained that koliva as a ritual food practice was originated byAthanasius of Alexandriaduring the reign of the EmperorJulian the Apostate.
The association between death and life, between that which is planted in the ground and that which emerges, is deeply embedded in the making and eating of koliva.  The ritual food passed frompaganismto early Christianity inByzantiumand later spread to the entireOrthodoxworld.
Koliva is used on a number of different occasions:
The tradition of blessing and eating koliva at the end of the first week ofGreat Lentis connected with an event in the reign ofJulian the Apostate. The tradition states that theEmperorknew that the Christians would be hungry after the first week of strict fasting, and would go to themarketplacesofConstantinopleon Saturday to buy food. So he ordered that blood from pagansacrificesbe sprinkled over all the food that was sold there. This made the food unsuitable as Lenten fare (since the Christians could not eat meat products during Lent), and in general as food for Christians, who are forbidden to eat food from such sacrifices. However,St. Theodore Tyroappeared in a dream toArchbishop Eudoxiusand advised him that the people should not eat food bought at the marketplace that day, but only boiled wheat mixed with honey.As a result, this first Saturday of Great Lent has come to be known asTheodore Saturday.
During requiem services (Greek:mnemósynon,Slavonic:Panikhida,Romanian:parastas), the family or friends of the departed will often prepare koliva which are placed in front of the memorial table before which the service is chanted.
Memorial services are held on the third, ninth, and fortieth days after the repose of an Orthodox Christian, as well as on the one-year anniversary.  In addition, there are severalSoul Saturdaysduring the church year (mostly during Great Lent), as well asRadonitsa(on the second Tuesday afterPascha), on each of which general commemorations are made for all the departed.
During theGreek,Romanian,Bulgarian,SerbianandUkrainianOrthodox funeral services it is offered to all who attend the funeral.
It is also customary in theSlavicpractice on the feast of thePatron Saintof a church or of a family, or on the feast of saints of special significance to offer koliva. Instead of serving a memorial service, the koliva is set in front of an icon of the saint and aMolebenis served to that saint.
In Lebanon, it is traditionally prepared by the Antiochian Orthodox community for thefeast of Saint Barbara.