UNUSUAL GREEK CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS
3 rd JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL OF CORINTH
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR’S CUSTOMS
SILENT WATER On New Year's Eve or on Christmas morning, in many villages in Epirus,in the west of Greece, young women empty all the pitchers that are filled with water at home.Then, they go to the nearest spring to refill them. On the way there, they don’t speak at all and so the water is called ‘silent’.The strange thing is that they carry with them butter, wheat, cheese, honey and other food.In this way, they want to feed and humour the... spring. The girl who gets to the spring first will have the best of luck throughout the new year.
THE BREAKING OF THE POMEGRANATE On the morning of New Year’s Day in the Peloponnese, a peninsula in the south of Greece, the whole family goes to church. The owner of the house keeps a pomegranate in his pocket and returns with the blessed fruit at home. Then, he must wait for somebody else to open him the door and once inside, he smashes it against the door with his right hand (right is for luck, left is for bad luck).The more the seeds ,the luckier and more prosperous the new year will be. After that, he enters the house with his right leg and says many wishes for a happy New Year. The pomegranate is a symbol of fertility related to Greek mythology,as well. Persephone ,who was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of harvest , ate six pomegranate seeds which committed her to return to the underworld for six months every year.
MOMOGERI The Momogeri is a very old custom with a history going back to ancient Greece. During the twelve days of Christmas, in villages in northern Greece, the Momogeri appear. They are seven men who get dressed in animal carcasses and disguise as the bear, which symbolizes strength, the old woman, who is a symbol of the past , the bride for the future, the horse for development, the doctor for health, the soldier for defence, the goat for food, and Father Christmas symbolizes the year which will arrive in a few days.
MOMOGERI These disguised men wander in the streets all day, accompanied by local musical instruments, and exchange jokes with the crowd that follows them. If a momogeros approaches you, he won’t let go of you and will keep teasing until you offer him something. If you don’t, the momogeros will throw sour yoghurt at your face! During the time of Byzantium, the momogeri symbolised fertilty, incorporating elements from Christianity as well as Byzantine folk. During the Turkish Occupation of Greece, the Momogeri also expressed satire of the corruption of the Turkish authorities and of their tyrannical behaviour towards poor, simple, Christian people.
MOMOGERI