1) Christmas is celebrated in Greece from December 25th to January 6th and is preceded by a 40 day fasting period. It commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ.
2) Traditions include decorating Christmas trees, streets, and boats. Children sing "Kalanta" (carols) from house to house on Christmas Eve and New Year's Day to receive money and sweets.
3) Popular foods include stuffed turkey, melomakarona cookies, kourabiedes cookies, and roasted pork. Vasilopita cake with a coin inside is eaten on New Year's for good luck in the coming year.
3. Christmas = Χριστούγεννα
(Christougenna)
● Christmas is a major
religious holiday and the
reason for celebrating
Christmas in Greece is the
birth of Christ (Jesus)
● Christougenna means the
birth of Christ
4. Preparations for
Christmas holidays
● In Greece, Christmas
holiday refers to
twelve days starting
on 25 of December
till January 6th,
which is known as
the Feast of Epiphany
A fasting period starts 40 days before
Christmas and religious people fast
from meat, egg and dairy products
until the 25th
of December as sign of
their faith.
5. Decoration
● There is a Greek custom where
people (especially in islands)
decorate a boat to signify that
the sailor of the house came
back for holidays
● Most families decorate many
weeks before artificial or
natural Christmas Trees with
ornaments, music lights and a
star or an angel at the top
6. Every city or village decorates
streets and squares
Thessaloniki
Athens
7. ‘Kalanta’ is Christmas
Carol for Christmas Day
On Christmas Eve's morning, all
children sing Christmas Carol
(Kalanta) from house to house,
playing music while holding a small
metal triangle and they get money
and sweets.
‘Kalanta’ talks about the birth of
Christ and children announce the
good news to everyone.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wfYxlEpnjY
8. ‘Kalanta’ for the
1st day of the new year
In the morning of the first day of new year, children also sing carols for this
event in the same way but with another song. There is a diversity of
carols for this day depending on the place you live in Greece.
● Kalanta all over Greece
● Kalanta from Corfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAoDWXxIYpc
● Kalanta from Crete
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl82JL4JxjY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGvwCIfCyjk
9. Christmas songs
There are many Christmas
songs that refer to Santa Claus
(Agios Vasilis), Christmas tree
and winter.
Some of these songs are the
same as in other countries
with different lyrics in another
language.
● Trigona Kalanta (Jingle Bells)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79cfliTozek
● Rudolf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXmd0rwbDHc
● Agia Nichta (Silent Night)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-JoIvDJmB8
● Little Drummer Boy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlnUpPZots
● O, Elato (O, Christmas tree)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I---zUrvWws
10. Traditional Foods for Christmas
stuffed turkey
melomakarona
kourabiedes
roasted pork
11. Traditional Foods for Christmas
Christopsomo
It has a cross curved before it is
baked on Christmas Eve and we
eat it on Christmas Day
Vasilopita
At midnight on December 31 and after the coming of New
Year, the household cuts vasilopita and everyone gets a
piece. There is a hidden coin and the person who finds it, is
the lucky one for the new year. One piece is dedicated to
Jesus, another one to Panagia (Holy Mary), another one to
Agios Vasilis and one to the house.
12. Agios Vasilis (Santa Claus)
On the first day of the new year we celebrate
the memory of Agios Vasilis. He is the one who
brings the presents to children leaving them
below the Christmas Tree. Agios Vasilis is not
the same with Santa Claus, as he comes from
Caesarea and not from Northern Europe.
He helped poor people and he built hospitals.
Tradition says that he returned coins and
jeweleries to people that gave them for taxes,
through small round breads. This is the reason
why we dedicate Vasilopita to him and we put
a coin in this.
13. Theofania
On 6th of January we
celebrate the Epiphany Day.
Church celebrates the babtism
of Jesus and priests throw a
cross into the sea, river or
lake. Then people dive and
the person who manage to
catch the cross is considered
blessed.
