Ukrainian Christmas decoration didukh. What does it mean?

If you cook Ukrainian recipes and are interested in national culture, then you probably know that Ukrainians have a great number of traditions and talismans with some secret, hidden meanings. On New Year and Christmas holidays, we make a special decoration called didukh/diduch (wheat sheaf). Traditional talisman Didukh has many names: straw talisman, dido, snip-rai, koliada, didochok, and kolidnyk. Traditionally, the sheaf was made from the last stalk of wheat harvested during the year. It may include wheat, flax, oats, and rye. According to the biblical parable, Jesus Christ was...