Manners and traditions of Greek Christmas

Manners and traditions of Greek Christmas

St. Nicholas is important in Greece as the patron saint of sailors. According to Greek tradition, his clothes are drenched with brine, his beard drips with seawater, and his face is covered with perspiration because he has been working hard against the waves to reach sinking ships and rescue them from the angry sea. Greek ships never leave port without some sort of St. Nicholas icon on board.

In Greece, Christmas trees were not used, in almost every home the main symbol of the season was a small ship. Nowadays in most Greek homes an evergreen tree is decorated with ornaments,a star placed on top and under the tree there is the representing of the nativity scene with figurines.

On Christmas eve Children usually sing carols to the beating of triangles. They go from house to house and are given dried figs, almonds, walnuts and lots of sweets but in our days mostly money.

   ("Kalanda" ( Carols ) Painting of Nikiforos Lytras)

  
         

In Christmas day the housewife cooks turkey stuffed with chestnuts, rice, ground meat, pine nuts or pork with celery and bake a special bread called "Christopsomo" (Christ's bread).

Traditional greek sweets are "Kourabiedes", "Melomakarona" and "diples"

On New Year Eve morning, children  to the beating of triangles again, sing for the "Happy New Year".

Before the year change, the family with relatives and friends gather around the table and eat.

When the year change the householder cut the "Vasilopita" (St Basil's pie) which the housewife made in the morning and put a gold coin inside and the tradition says that whoever finds the coin in his piece, this person will be the lucky of the new year !!!(Read the story of "Vasilopita" here)

In the first night of the new year "Agios Vasilis" (St Claus) come to let the children's gifts under the tree, and the children will  find it , in the first day of the new year

"Τα Θεοφάνεια" (The Epiphany):

Οn 6th January  a priest of the church blesses the water of the sea with a cross the ceremony take place near the sea and "bold" men dive to catch the cross which the priest has throw in the sea . this ceremony  is to exorcise "Kallikantzari", (mischievous goblins appear from the earth during the 12 days of Christmas)and sanctify the water, so the fishermen have a good catch all the new year.
When the ceremony finishes the people take home the holy water and sprinkling it around to get rid of the bad spirits wlich may be hiding in people's houses.