Christmas in Poland the Twelve Apostles, or perhaps, an odd number of dishes for good luck (usually five, seven, or nine). A traditional Wigilia supper in Poland includes fried carp and borscht (beetroot soup) with uszka (ravioli). Carp provides a main component of the Christmas Eve meal across Poland; carp fillet, carp in aspic and gefilte fish. Universal Polish Christmas foods are pierogi as well as some herring dishes, and for dessert, makowiec or noodles with poppy seed. Often, there is a compote of dry fruits for a drink. The remainder of the evening is given to stories and songs around the Christmas
Christmas Eve the number of guests cannot be odd. In Poland, gifts are unwrapped on the Christmas Eve, as opposed to the Christmas Day. In Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania, a traditional meatless 12-dishes Christmas Eve Supper is served on Christmas Eve before opening gifts. This is known as the "Holy Meal" (Kūčios in Lithuania). The table is spread with a white cloth symbolic of the swaddling clothes the Child Jesus was wrapped in, and a large white candle stands in the center of the table symbolizing Christ the Light of the World. Next to it is a round loaf of bread symbolizing