Christmas Traditions in Greece (based on Orthodox Christian beliefs together with more modern customs)
The towns are decorated early with lights and Christmas trees.
The houses smell wonderful because people make traditional sweets (melomakarona, kourabiedes, diples).
They decorate a Christmas tree while on some islands the people decorate a small boat.
On the last day at school, there is a Christmas celebration or a party with children exchanging presents and singing Christmas songs.
On 24th December, 31st December and 5th January children go round the houses and sing the carols. People give them some money and sometimes sweets.
On Christmas Day, 25
th
.
December, families
gather in a house for the Christmas lunch which is usually chicken soup and stuffed turkey together with cabbage or lettuce salad
Those named Chris, Christina and Emanuel celebrate their nameday on Christmas Day, so their relatives and friends visit them.
The presents are put under the tree (sometimes on the people’s shoes) and people open them on
On New Year’s Eve families gather again to celebrate the coming of the New Year. At midnight, they turn the lights off and turn them on again with the New Year. They open a champagne and cut the New Year’s cake (vasilopita) which has a coin in. Whoever gets it is supposed to be lucky for the whole year. After that, they play lucky games or some go to night clubs till morning!
Those named Bill (Vasilis in Greek) and
Vasiliki (Vicky) celebrate their nameday on the 1st January.
6th January is Epiphany. After the morning service at church, the priest with the people go to the sea and there the priest throws a cross into the water. He also lets a pigeon free fly in the air. The young men dive into the sea and try to catch the cross. Whoever catches it takes it back to the priest who blesses him.