Koliva

Tomorrow we will have a 5 year memorial for my dear friend's husband, and I'm grateful to offer this along with my prayers for his soul and his family. 

I treasure being asked to make koliva for memorials. I am unendingly grateful to the friend who taught me how to make it, and I'm humbled and honored by the friends who have asked me to make it in their grief. This task takes time and draws my hands into beautiful symbols of color and smell. It is a gift that reminds us of our hope in the life of God, the sweetness of death. 

Wash and boil the wheat about 1.5 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients: deseed pomegranate, chop fresh parsley, toast almonds, measure spices, process graham cracker crumbs

when the wheat is cooked, I lay it out on a towels covered with a clean white table cloth. 
I was taught to pour it out in the form of a cross, and I never skip this step!

Spread the wheat out to dry, overnight if possible. This will take many hours. 

When the wheat is ready, put it in a bowl with the mix-in ingredients.
Be sure to set some aside for decorations. 

Sometimes it is made on a platter, which is very pretty when making a large amount.
Smaller quantities are pretty in a glass bowl through which you can still see the wheat.  

Even though the wheat dried a long time, it still contains some moisture. A layer of graham cracker crumbs separates the sugar from the moisture. 

Next comes the powdered sugar covering. I was taught to smooth it perfectly with wax paper.

Except I can never keep it perfectly smooth! So I started sprinkling an even pattern
of sugar over the smoothed layer. This helps hide the smudges I will inevitably make in the
sugar when I add the decorations. 

First the cross with Jordan Almonds. Someone from our parish got these beautiful silver ones
(and some accompanying decorative candy shapes) from Greece. 

Next the initials of the departed beloved one. I used the white almonds to make the border. 

I like to use the pomegranates (or raisins in some seasons), parsley, and seeds in the
decorations to add color and reflect the hope and life in the cross. I use a tiny paint brush to
dust off sugar that gets on top of my decorations. 

May his memory be eternal!