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 Paisios the Athonite
Saint Paisios the Athonite (1924-1994) is one of the most revered and beloved monks of twentieth-century Greece. The saint's entire life is a vivid example of sacrifice, concern for one's neighbor, and truly Christian love and patience. Many of our contemporaries have witnessed numerous miracles and prophecies that the saint performed during his lifetime.
Paisios was born in Cappadocia (Asia Minor) under the name of Arsenios. During the first months of his life, the family moved to Greece, settling for a year and a half on the island of Corfu. Then Arsenios' family moved to Igoumenitsa, and after that to Konitsa, where they settled.
Arsenios began to show a love for God and a predilection for the Holy Scriptures from a young age. He also sought solitude, which was the first prerequisite for his future monastic life. He was drafted into the army in 1945. Later, his fellow servicemen told of Arsenios' incredible sacrifice. He never refused anyone and always volunteered at the front line instead of soldiers who had families and children. His fellow servicemen also recalled the miracles the saint had already performed at the time: not once had he miraculously saved himself and his comrades from enemy bullets.
Immediately after his discharge from the army, the young man went to the Holy Mountain, where he received his first monastic name, Averkios. Among the brethren he was distinguished by his great love and understanding for the others, being a model of humility and obedience. In 1956, Averkios received the minor monastic schema, after which he was finally given the name that is now familiar to believers throughout the world - Paisios.
The holy elder passed away on July 12, 1994 after a long illness. The question of his canonization had been of concern to many believers since his death, for witnesses to the many miracles Paisios had manifested live to this day. Finally, on January 13, 2015, by a unanimous decision of the members of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, it was decided to canonize the schemamonk Paisios the Athonite as a saint.
The tomb of the saint is located at Saint John the Theologian monastery in Souroti, where thousands of pilgrims come to kneel at the last earthly resting place of St. Paisios.
