Koliva, also spelled, depending on the language, kollyva, kollyba, kolyvo, or colivă, is a dish based on boiled wheat that is used liturgically in the Eastern Orthodox Church for commemorations of the dead. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, koliva is blessed during funerals, as well as during the memorial service (mnemosyno) that is performed at various intervals after a person's death and on special occasions, such as the Saturday of Souls (ψυχοσάββατο). It may also be used on the first Friday of Great Lent, at Slavas, or at mnemosyna in the Christmas meal. In some countries, though not in Greece, it is consumed on nonreligious occasions as well. A similar food item is widely popular in Lebanon where it is known as snuniye and, more commonly, as berbara as it is prepared for Saint Barbara's feast day, December 4, which is celebrated with Halloween-like festivities. Etymology Kollyba, a word which in Greek is the plural form of kollybo (: n neu; itself rarely used), is derived from the Classical Greek word , kollybos (n masc), i.e. a small coin or a small gold weight. In the Hellenistic period, the neuter plural form of the latter word, i.e. , kollyba, took the meaning of small pies made of boiled wheat. The sense of the ritual food is of a latter period. In Serbian it is called Koljivo (Кољиво), Кутя in Bulgarian, Colivă in Romanian, and Кутья in Russian. Recipe While recipes may vary widely, the primary ingredient is wheat kernels 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, sesame seeds, almonds, ground walnuts, cinnamon, sugar, pomegranate seeds, raisins, anise and parsley. Romanians decorate the koliva with crosses of cocoa, chocolate or candy. The practice of offering koliva is traditional in Greece, Cyprus, Serbia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Ukraine,Romania, Moldova, Russia and parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and among Christians in the Middle East. When served, the koliva mixture, which looks like earth, is shaped into a mound to resemble a grave. The whole is then covered with powdered sugar and the initials of the deceased are outlined on the top. A candle, usually placed in the center of the koliva, is lit at the beginning of the memorial service and extinguished at its end.