Seal for Koliva Saint Spyridon

Koliva

Koliva (kollyva, kollyba, or kolyvo) is a dish made of whole-grain wheat. Sometimes barley, millet, or rice are used instead. Another ingredients of the koliva are sugar or honey, as well as nuts, dried fruits, breadcrumbs, sesame seeds and pomegranate. The top of the koliva is sometimes decorated with white or silver colored candies.

Each ingredient of koliva has its own symbolic meaning. Wheat grains symbolize a person who, much like a grain, is a child of the earth. We lie down in the earth in order to rise again to eternal life by Lord's mercy. Honey and sugar symbolize the sweetness of Heaven. Raisins represent Jesus Christ, who is the True Vine. The pomegranate symbolizes the splendor and grace of Heaven. Nuts are life, which prolongs itself. Finally, white candy symbolizes bones, which, unlike corruptible flesh, remain unchanged.

How to use

Cover the surface of the koliva with powdered sugar. Then place a seal on top, in the center of the dish. Sprinkle cinnamon in order to capture the pattern of the seal. Finally, remove the seal as carefully as possible, in order to not disturb the pattern.

Saint Spyridon

Saint Spyridon, Bishop of Trimythous is the patron saint of Piraeus and the island of Corfu in Greece. Because of the great miracle he performed at the First Council of Nicaea in 325, he is considered the patron saint of pottery. At the Council, there was a heated dispute about the divinity of Jesus Christ and the trinity of God. Bishop Spyridon argued in support of this trinity. When it was his turn to speak, he took a clay brick in his hands, after which, crossing himself, he said:

"In the name of the Father", at which point a flame burst forth from the clay;

"And of the Son", and water began to drip from the brick;

"And of the Holy Spirit", after which only dry clay remained in his hands.

Those present were shocked and astonished. Spyridon explained that just as fire, water, and clay are three elements that make up one brick, so the Holy Trinity is God, one in Three Persons. And so, the participation of the Bishop of Trimythous contributed to the establishment of truth at the Ecumenical Council.

Shoemakers also venerate Saint Spyridon, for the shoes of the saint are a great shrine.

Spyridon of Trimythous was born in 270 AD in the Cyprus village of Assia (Askia), in a fairly prosperous family of shepherds who carried on the family business.

He was a simple, kind man, always distinguished by his love for his neighbor. On Sundays and holidays, Spyridon often took the fellow shepherds to church and then explained to them the Gospel or some of the apostolic passages. The saint always protected widows and orphans.

Spyridon married a pious woman, and they had a daughter, Irini. Soon, however, his wife died. But even after this grievous loss Spyridon did not fall into despondency, but continued to serve God by his good deeds. The people loved and respected him so much that he was elected bishop of Trimythous in Cyprus. By the grace of God, he manifested many miracles there.

The imperishable relics of the saint, which to this day retain the weight and temperature of a living human body, are kept on the island of Corfu. Even the saint's shoes wear out periodically; it is believed that he comes out of his shrine to help all who turn to him. Therefore, his shoes are regularly changed, and the old, worn-out ones are cut into small pieces and distributed to the faithful.