How are the Christmas holidays celebrated in Greece?
Christmas is one of the greatest religious festivals in Christian culture. Whether among Catholics, Protestants, Anglicans or Greek Orthodox. Christmas is next to Easter at the top of the popularity scale and now also inspires non-Christians.
But how are Christmas and New Year's Day celebrated in Greece? Here is a summary:
The Christmas days
The common habit of a house is to be decorated late. This will be just a few days before Christmas Eve. Most Greeks will make gifts for each other during Christmas even though they traditionally exchange gifts on New Year's Eve.
A must for an individual is to enjoy the time-honored, delectable sweets, "kourabiedes" (walnut, powdered sugar cookies), and "melomakarona" (walnut, honey-drenched cookies) during this time of the year. This is a celebration dedicated to Holy Mother Mary. According to Christian beliefs, the Glorifying Mother of God, the mother of Jesus. In the Greek language, she is also known as "Theotokos".
This very day is considered to be a public holiday, just because it is the day after Christmas. In countries other than Greece, people also have a public holiday after Christmas, named Boxing Day. In Greece, this day is called "The Synaxis of the Mother of God".
Christos / Christina
In honor of Jesus Christ, this name day is celebrated on December 25th. In Greece and Cyprus, many names derive from pagan Greek antiquity, and there may not be a Christian saint of the same name. In such a case, the person is said "not to have" a name day, or they may choose to celebrate on All Saints' Day.
It is also common to shift a name day celebration to a more convenient day, e.g. the following Friday or a weekend. Name days can be celebrated up to 40 days after the nominal date.
The New Year's Eve
Every year in Greece, the first day of the year is celebrated with an abundance of sentiment, food, wine, and dance! The first day of the year is called "Protochronia" (Πρωτοχρονιά).
In Greek homes across the land, bakes the traditional "vasilopita" (def. "king cake), which contains a coin within it. The sweet is then shared amongst loved ones to see who gets the piece with the coin in it. The winner is promised to have luck for the whole year! Other charmed foods synonymous with this holiday are pomegranates along with pork. Break the fruit for the year to provide luck to the family and every individual in the dwelling.
Vassilis / Vassiliki
Saint Basil departed to the Lord on January 1st in the year 379, at the age of 49. He is celebrated for having established guidelines for monastic life that focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor. It is the Name Day of Vasilios, Vasilis, Vasos, Vasilia, Vasiliki, Vasoula, Bill, Billy, Vicky, and Victoria.
