Christmas in Greece

On Christmas Eve, children, especially boys, often go out singing 'kalanda' (carols)
in the streets. They play drums and triangles as they sing. Sometimes the will also
carry model boats decorated with nuts which are painted gold. Carrying a boat is a
very old custom in the Greek Islands.

If the children sing well, they might be given money, nuts, sweets and dried figs to
eat.

Christmas Trees are becoming more popular in Greece, but they aren't traditional.
Instead most houses will have a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire is
suspended across the rim. A sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross hangs
from the wire. Some water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh.
Once a day someone, usually the mother of the family, dips the cross and basil into
some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house.

This is believed to keep the 'Killantzaroi' (bad spirits) away. The Killantzaroi are
meant to appear only during the 12-day period from Christmas
to Epiphany (January 6th). They are supposed to come from the middle of the earth
and get into people's house through the chimney! The Killantzaroi do things like
putting out fires and making milk go off. Having a fire burning through the twelve
days of Christmas is also meant to keep the Killantzaroi away.

Every December, in Aristotelous Square in the city of Thessaloniki (which is the

second biggest city Greece) a huge Christmas Tree and three masted sailing ship
are put up. It's a popular tourist attraction.

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Going to a Midnight Mass Service is very important for most Greeks. After the
service people can go home and end their Advent fast.

The main Christmas meal is often Lamb or pork, roasted in an oven or over an
open spit. It's often served with a spinach and cheese pie and various salads and
vegetables. Other Christmas and new year foods include 'Baklava' (a sweet pastry
made of filo pastry filled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey),
Kataifi (a pastry made from a special form of shredded filo dough and flavored with
nuts and cinnamon), Theeples (a kind of fried pastry). Another popular Christmas
dessert are melomakarono, egg or oblong shaped biscuit/cakes made from flour,
olive oil, and honey and rolled in chopped walnuts.

#85822655 / gettyimages.com

A traditional table decoration are loaves of 'christopsomo' (Christ bread). It's a

round sweet loaf and the crust is often decorated with what the family do for a living
(if you're a fisherman there would be fish, etc.).

In Greek Happy/Merry Christmas is 'Kala Christougenna'. Happy/Merry Christmas

in lots more languages.

In Greece, presents are often brought to children by Aghios Vassilis /

(Saint Basil) on the 1st January.

1st January, New Years Day, is St Vasilis's Day who is also known as St Basil the
Great.

People in Greece also celebrate Epiphany on the 6th January. In the Greek
Orthodox Church, Epiphany celebrates Jesus's baptism when he was a man. It's
also known as 'The Blessing of the Waters'. There are many events throughout the
country where young men dive into really cold lakes, rivers and the sea to try to be
first to get a cross which has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water.
Whoever gets the cross first is meant to have good luck during the coming year.
Epiphany festivals also include blessings of boats & ships, music, dancing and lots
of food.

Are you trying to decide where to go on your Christmas holidays and still haven't
made up your mind? Why not consider Christmas in Greece? True, it is not the
traditional Christmas holiday destination, but it has so much to offer that it will be
one of the most unforgettable holidays in your life!

There are two sides to Christmas in Greece; one is religious and solemn, while the
other is festive and glamorous. Both of them have their charm. Most towns in
Greece are decorated with bright lights, bells, angels and other Christmasy objects.
According to Christmas traditions in Greece, the patron saint of the holiday is Saint
Nicolas, who is also the protector of sailors. For this reason, you will often see
boats decorated with many sparkling lights, rather than the traditional Christmas
trees. The Christmas season in Greece begins on December 6 th, which is Saint
Nicolas day, and ends on January 6 th, which is the Feast of the Epiphany
(Theophania). Celebrations really pick-up from the 20 th of December, as
Christmas day gets closer. If you are an amateur photographer, you will be
constantly taking Christmas pictures in Greece.

Christmas Shopping in Greece

Christmas shopping in Greece is an absolute delight. Streets are packed with
people buying Christmas gifts for their loved ones, as well as Christmas carolers
singing Christmas songs. Since gifts are traditionally given on New Year's Eve,
Christmas shopping in Greece continues way after the 25 th of December. Shops
are decorated with all the usual Christmas ornaments, and an upbeat atmosphere
is apparent as you walk along the streets and in the shops. Therefore, Xmas
shopping in Greece isn't just shopping. It's a festive experience!

Christmas Festivities in Greece

If you come to Greece at Christmas, you will have the opportunity to attend a wide
variety of events and festivities. In the country's major cities, such as Athens,
Thessaloniki, Patra, Heraklion, etc, the municipal authorities organize music
concerts, theatrical performance, and a number of other cultural events. Christmas
in Athens is a fantastic time of the year. The largest Christmas tree in Europe is lit
in Syntagma Square, the location of the capital's Christmas village, where little elf
houses sell candy and children can take part in a number of activities. There is no
limit to Christmas fun in Greece!

Christmas Traditions in Greece

Greece is a country where traditions and customs

are a part of everyday life. Most holidays in Greece
are celebrated traditionally, and Christmas in no
exception. Christmas caroling is very popular, and
although you might hear them being sung at any
given moment during the holiday season, there are
actually three "official" caroling days. The custom is that children go from house to
house singing the carol, with the accompaniment of a triangle, and residents of the
houses give them a small amount of money. Greek Christmas carols (calanda) are
sung on the mornings of Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and January 5, the Eve of
the Epiphany.

According to tradition, during the Greek 12 days of Christmas (December 25 to

January 6), goblins come out to tease people and eat their food. This tradition is
based on the legend that the "waters aren't christened" since Christ has not yet
been baptized. The goblins are renowned for their ugliness and their impishness.
They are not very intelligent and can't really hurt anybody. It is said that they enter
houses through chimneys, and this is the reason people, especially in villages,
keep the fireplace lit during the 12 days of Christmas.

In many parts of Greece, people hang a pomegranate above the front door of their
house. By the New Year, when the fruit will have dried, Greeks throw it on the
ground so it breaks, and step into their house on their right foot. According to
tradition, this brings good luck for the year to come.

Christmas Food in Greece

Christmas, like many other holidays in Greece, is a time for feasting. In the past
years, Christmas turkey has become very popular as the main dish of the holiday.
Traditionally, the main course of Christmas dinner in Greece is roast pork, with a
variety of side delicacies. No matter what the main dish is, one thing is certain:
Christmas food in Greece is delicious!

Melomakarona and kourabiedes are the two varieties of Christmas and New Year's
cookies in Greece. The first are semolina, cinnamon, and clove cookies drenched
in honey, while the second are rosewater and fresh butter cookies sprinkled with
powdered sugar that are normally served on New Year's but many succumb to
temptation and begin consuming them earlier.

Christopsomo is the bread that is made on Christmas Eve, which has a cross
carved into the top crust before it is baked. On Christmas Day, the head of the
household makes the sign of the cross above the loaf of bread, cuts it and gives a
piece to each person at the dining table.

Vasilopita is a cake that is eaten on New Year's Day. Before the cake is baked, a
coin covered in foil is placed in it. The New Year is written on top of the cake with
almonds. The person who cuts the cake makes the sign of the cross three times
above it and then starts serving the pieces, one to each person, the house, Christ,
The Virgin Mary and Saint Vasileios. Whoever has the coin in his piece of cake will
have luck for the rest of the year.

Religious Christmas in Greece

Due to the nature of the Christian Orthodox religion, Christmas is a very religious
holiday in Greece. The season starts of with Saint Nicolas day and continues with
many other saints' days up till Christmas. It is customary for those of faith to go to
church on Christmas morning for the religious service. New Year's Day is also
Saint Vasileios day. The Christmas season winds down with the Theophania on
January 6 th. On this day around Greece, waters are blessed and a cross is thrown
into the waters. Dozens of brave young people dive into the freezing water to
retrieve the cross, which is said to bring good luck to the person that reaches it first.

Christmas in Greece: Holiday Destinations

Some of the most charming features in Greece are

its villages, especially those located on the beautiful
mountainsides. At Christmas time in Greece, the tall mountains are snowcapped,
as are the lush evergreen trees that cover the countryside. Most villages in
Mainland Greece have picturesque stone-brick houses and narrow alleyways,
which in the wintertime, resemble a small Santa's village. They are the ideal places
to spend a white Christmas in Greece!

If you want to fit some skiing or other winter sports into your Christmas holiday in
Greece, we recommend staying a while in one of the many winter resorts in the
countryside. Most offer quaint accommodations that are located close to snow
centers. The most popular snow centers are Parnassos near the town of Arcahova,
Pertouli and Pilio in the region of Thessaly, Tymfristos in the Karpenissi area,
Helmos in the town of Kalavrita, Mainalos in Vytina, Peloponnese, Vasilitsa in
Grevena and Kaimaktsalan in Edessa.