Christmas Traditions in Greece - Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge

It's the most wonderful time of the year!!!  Not only is it Christmas, but it is also time for our monthly Int'l Bloggers Club Challenge. 

For those of you visiting for the first time, we are a group of bloggers from all over the world and we get together once a month to share our projects and traditions from each of our countries. This month we are going to focus on Christmas traditions in Greece.  Let's get started because I have lots to share with you. 
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​Christmas season starts with the onset of St Nicholas day on December 6th and continues thru the first day of Christmas, right up to the Epiphany, January 6th, the 12th day of Christmas.  It is an ongoing celebration here in Greece. 

Santa Claus 
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​Here in Greece we call our Santa, Agios Vasileios, or Vasilis. He is the bringer of gifts and he comes on New Year's Eve not on Christmas.  He would be the Greek equivalent of Saint Nick.  A kindly man who helped the poor and needy, he is also a saint and one of the three Holy Hierarchs. Unlike Santa, he is not jolly and plumb but tall and thin, with a black beard. 
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​Of course nowadays, the children don't think of the saint when they think of presents but of the jolly old man in a suit.  For short we call him Ai Basili.

We also have a Saint Nicholas who is the patron saint of the sailors.  But we celebrate him on December 6th.  In our town that's a big deal because we are a coastal town with a strong connection to the sea. 
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​So if we don't open present on Christmas day what do we do?  Why we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ. We go to church in the morning and then settle down to a feast for lunch, usually Turkey or pork.  

In the evening, we visit the homes of the friends and family who are celebrating their name days.  In this case it would be Emmanuella, Manolis, Christos, Christina, and Hrisoula.  Before the crisis, the tradition was to go out to the Bouzoukia and party the night away. But now we mostly stay home or visit friends. 

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The Christmas Tree
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​In Greece, the Christmas tree did not exist until recently.  In years past, it was the sailboat that was decorated with lights. Greece is a nautical country with thousands of miles of coastline and it was only natural that boats took center stage. 

However it is with great difficulty that I find decorated boats these days.  This one was in a bookstore window. 

​I had photographed this one last year at a local store.  They are so pretty. 
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​Currently, the trees have become a tradition. They're not as prevalant as in other countries but you will find one, even if it's small, in most homes. And they are prominently displayed in the town squares.
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​Goblins
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​The Goblins or Kalikantzari are ugly elves that live deep in the earth.  They are very jealous of us earth folks and spend all the year witling away at the tree that is holding up the earth. On Christmas Eve, they climb up to the earth because they are sure that the earth will topple over and they don't want to get trampled. This is also the beginning of winter solstice when the sun does not move. 

And so for the 12 days of Christmas they create havoc by going into people's houses through the chimney, stealing food, and making touble. They are not evil but mischievous and stupid. In the villages, fireplaces are lit to keep them away. Another way to deter them is to place a colander at the front of the house.  They will spend the whole night counting the holes and when morning arrives they'll hide because they hate the sunlight. 

On January 6th the sun starts to move again and so they must go into hiding. Once below they see that the Earth tree has regrown and they will start from the beginning to cut it down again.

On January 6th, the Epiphany, the priests come into the houses and bless them thus ridding them of any evil. 

The Opening of Presents
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In Greece the presents are opened on New Year's Day.  Since Saint Vasilis is our "Santa Claus" it is only natural that he should bring the gifts on the day we celebrate him.  

Now this for me was a bit of a snag.  You all know I was raised in the US and have alwasys opened the gifts on Christmas Day.  I have many fond memories of staying up half the night gift wrapping presents for family.  It just seems unnatural to me to have Christmas without presents.  When we moved to Greece I simply stayed with this tradition.  It also gave the kids more time to play with their toys before going back to school. 
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Christmas Carols 
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​The Christmas Carols or Kalanta have a special place in Greek life. On the day before Christmas, the children get up early and with a "trigono" or Triangle go around the neighborhood singing the Kalanta. Tradition dictates that they ask before singing. The children are given money or sweets in return for their efforts. 

We have many Kalanta, one for each holiday.  They are traditionally sung on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and on the eve of the Epiphany or Day of the Lights (January 6th).  In addition, each region in Greece has its own version of the Kalanta, sung with a topical flavor. Kalanta singing dates back to Ancient Greece.  How's that for longevity?

Desserts and Sweets
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We Greeks really love sweets, in fact you will find bakeries and pastry shops in every neighborhood in my town. For Christmas it only gets better!

Melomakarona are cookies that are drenched in a honey syrup!  My friend Katerina of Culinary Flavors has a great recipe for this most delectable of treats. 
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Kourambiedes are butter cookies with almonds covered in confectioner's sugar.  My friend Zografia from Bisozozo provides us with a yummy recipe for them here. They are easier to make, in my opinion and the ones I make every year.
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​We also have a Christopsomo which is a bread with a cross carved into the top crust before it is baked.  For New Year's we have the Vasilopita cake.  A coin is inserted into the cake prior to baking.  Once the cake is cut, the person who gets the coin will have good luck for the rest of the year. 
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The Epiphany 
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The Epiphany on January 6th marks the end of Christmas celebrations. On this day, the day of Christ's baptism, after the church ceremony is over, everyone goes to the shore and the priest throws a cross into the sea.  The most vigorous of young men will dive in to retrieve the cross and be blessed by the priest.  This is not as bad as it seems since waters are not that cold here in Greece. ​
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Well I did warn you it was going to be a long post.  As you can see we are certainly not lacking in Christmas traditions in Greece.  I hope you enjoyed my post and I am really curious to know what you find unusual about our traditions. 

I want to wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

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​And now hop on over to visit my four friends who have also written about the traditions in their countries.  Simply click on the images below my name.  If you'd like to see more past challenges click here.

An InLinkz Link-up

More from the Int'l Bloggers Club

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