There are also carols, and what kind of “fees” do children receive for singing? What is christoxylo and why is it burned in a fireplace? How can you become happy next year by eating vasilopita, what surprise awaits inside? Since when have the ancient rituals of Christmas not changed, such as cleaning the fireplace and burning the olive tree? New Year for Greeks is a secular holiday with concerts in the squares and colorful bouzouki performances in restaurants and austerity afterwards.
If you are going to celebrate Christmas in Greece, first of all, don't be surprised why Greeks go to church. Secondly, do not be surprised that they celebrate Christmas at the same time as the entire Western Christian world - on the night of December 24th to 25th. Orthodox Greece has long switched to the Gregorian calendar, according to which it celebrates all holidays, secular and church.
In ancient Greece, the New Year fell on the longest day of the year - June 22, since the Greeks began their calendar from the first day of the Olympic Games, which were held in honor of Hercules.
Godparents on Christmas always give gifts to their godchildren and take them to church, and the whole country is decorated with figurines of the Holy Family, elegant Christmas trees and luminous boats. Prices in Greek stores drop to a critical level, and in taxis and food outlets, on the contrary, extra charges appear - the so-called "Christmas present" that you will give to the staff, whether you like it or not. In cities, the concentration of people per square meter will exceed all permissible norms, shops will switch to non-stop operation on the eve of holidays, and it remains to forget about transport, wear comfortable shoes and enjoy all this pre-holiday hype.
In Greece, it is also customary to exchange fotiks. Fotiki are skewers with fruit strung on them. Usually use oranges, figs, apples, lollipops. At the top, a symbol of light and hope is set - a candle.
Who really makes good money on Christmas in Greece is the kids. Regardless of the presence of hearing and voice, they learn "kalanda" - Christmas carols, a prototype of "carols" - and, accompanying themselves on a metal triangle, make all their neighbors happy with their appearance, including local shops, eateries and even offices. In pre-crisis times, their fee from each adult was estimated at between 5 and 20 euros. In the last two years, rates have fallen sharply. Let's see how the next Christmas goes, but, most likely, the guys will have to be content with candy. And also say thank you.
The feast of the Nativity of Christ in Orthodox Greece is celebrated on December 25, according to the new style. The inhabitants of Greece meet Christmas with a special joyful mood, because it is always accompanied by the tradition of decorating the house, preparing festive dishes and starting a new life in the new year, expelling all the bad things from the past.
When dividing the pie, the first piece of the pie is for St. Basil, the second for the house, the next for the oldest member of the family, and so on - until the youngest, who gets the last one. Some girls put their piece of cake under their pillow to see their betrothed in a dream.
In Greek villages and villages on the eve of three holidays: Christmas - New Year - Epiphany, once the owners of the houses went out into the forest and looked for the strongest spruce tree or instead used an olive tree, which they cut down and brought home. This tree was called "Christoxylo" - the Tree of Christ. The tree was cut down and transferred to the house, in order to burn it in the fireplace during the entire period of holidays - from Christmas to Epiphany. To date, this tradition is preserved only in some villages of Northern Greece.
Until now, another tradition has been preserved - this is cleaning the home fireplace. This was done in order to clean all the ashes from the previous year, the chimney and the chimney so that evil spirits and demons could not enter the house in the new year. On the eve of Christmas, in the evening, the whole family gathers around the fireplace, the head of the family lights a fire from firewood chopped from the tree of Christ. According to popular belief, while this tree is burning, Christ becomes warm in the cold cave of Bethlehem. In every house they tried to ensure that there would be enough firewood from this tree until the Epiphany holidays - "Ta Fota".
During the celebration of the Nativity of Christ, the main dishes on the Greek tables are two breads - “christopsomo” and “vasilopita”, as well as pork, which is cooked in all possible ways. The bread is decorated with various dough figures. As in many other countries, the Greeks serve a turkey on the festive table, which they stuff with rice, chestnuts and raisins. In addition to turkey, geese, ducks and game (hare and wild boar) are popular dishes of these twelve days.
There are many New Year signs and prohibitions: for example, you can’t scream, but also grind and drink coffee. Black dogs should not be allowed into the house, as the dog is a "demonic" animal. We must try not to break the dishes.
On post-Christmas days in Greece, it is unusually quiet. Overeating people sit at home, sort out gifts and enjoy family comfort. They have a week to recover and adequately celebrate the New Year.
If Christmas in Greece is celebrated at home, with the family, then the New Year is a holiday both family and public. A lot of entertainment venues make their New Year's program, and in the first place, of course, are "bouzukyas" - truly Greek nightclubs with live music in a national key. You need to book a table in such places long before the New Year, and such a pleasure will certainly cost a lot, but when did the Greeks stop it?
When celebrating the New Year with the family, the most long-awaited moment is cutting vasilopita - a traditional New Year's cake named after St. Basil, the local Santa Claus. Vasilopita has an intrigue: a coin is baked into it - “fluri”, symbolizing special luck in the coming year. The procedure for cutting the vasilopita will definitely have to be repeated in the work team, and then the already found fluri will bring very tangible happiness to its owner: a cash prize or other pleasant encouragement.
In coastal areas, specially carved wooden ships were hung with ribbons, flowers, bells. There were several such ships in the village, but they were not in every house: only a wealthy person could “equip” a ship. Then the children went around the village with them and sang carols.
In Greece, New Year's Day is Saint Basil's Day. Saint Basil was known for his kindness, and Greek children leave their shoes by the fireplace in the hope that Saint Basil will fill the shoes with gifts. Residents of Greece, when they go to celebrate the New Year on a visit, they take with them a stone that they throw at the threshold of a hospitable house. If the stone is heavy, they say: "Let the wealth of the owner be heavy, like this stone." And if the stone is small, then they wish: "Let the thorn in the owner's eye be as small as this stone."
In Greece, according to their custom, exactly at midnight, the head of the family should come out into the courtyard and smash a pomegranate fruit against the wall. And if his grains scatter around the yard, then in the new year happiness and joy await his family.
On the New Year's table, the Greeks serve pickled cabbage, cabbage rolls, chicken pieces wrapped in pickled cabbage. From sweets, on the New Year's table there must be "melomakarona" and "kurabye", as well as "diples" (deep-fried dough served with walnuts and honey syrup) and much more.
Christmas and New Year in Greece knock people out of their normal way of life for a long time, or rather, out of the budget. They are followed by weeks and even months of austerity, when bars will only fill up on Saturdays and taverns only on Sundays. The population of Greece will tighten their belts and, despising the cafeteria, will begin to master the coffee maker donated for the holidays. The most practical, however, will save part of their salary, because mass sales begin in Greece from mid-January - and this is also a tribute to tradition.
The next surge of revival will wake up Greece around February, when carnival weeks will come here - an analogue of Shrovetide, but that's another story.
Greece... this word is associated with the warm azure sea, rocks, white houses on them, the smells of delicious food, and, of course, with the delicate aroma of meat. How do they celebrate Christmas and New Year holidays in this country and what is customary to serve on the table?
The first mention of Hellas (the official name - Greece, more familiar to our ears, came to us from ancient Rome) dates back to the 3rd millennium BC. For many centuries, the Greeks managed to accumulate a colossal cultural and historical heritage. The celebration of Christmas and New Year is also associated with special Greek traditions.
98% of the entire Greek population is Orthodox, so at Christmas, both old and young go to church for a night service, and after the service everyone gathers at home at a large family table. At night, they celebrate, by Greek standards, quite quietly, talking. Kotosupa (chicken soup with lemon) is usually served on the table to prepare the stomach for heavier food after the Advent. But already in the morning a wide festivity begins: guests, numerous feasts and, of course, gifts and a Christmas tree! True, only wealthy families can afford a real live Christmas tree - they are brought from afar (usually from Denmark), in large pots. All Christmas trees are literally buried in sparkling toys and garlands, this is a real extravaganza of light and joy! Solemn presentation of gifts in Greece is not accepted - children and adults find them under their elegant Christmas tree. A small postcard with a wish and the name of the donor can be attached to the gift, perhaps.
The main dish of any festive table in Greece is meat meze. It usually includes sheftalia (fried minced cutlets), dolma (vine leaves stuffed with minced meat and rice), kleftiko (slow-cooked lamb), stifado (beef with onions and spices), and lukanica (grilled meat sausages). Without fail, meat dishes will be accompanied by wine (Greeks almost never drink champagne, even on New Year's Eve), warm homemade bread or pita, Greek village salad, olives, halloumi (fried goat cheese) and sauces: tachinosalata (consisting of young sesame seeds) , taramasalata (pink paste made from fish caviar) and hummus (pea-sesame paste sauce). Fresh herbs and sliced lemons will be offered on a separate plate, the juice of which is customary to pour over any hot dishes and snacks.
The feast of the Nativity of Christ for all Christians is associated primarily with the birth of Christ. But the New Year for the Greeks, in addition to the beginning of the new calendar year itself, is primarily associated with their favorite saint - St. Basil (Agios Vasilios), whose memorial day is celebrated on January 1 according to the old style and January 14 according to the new one. For all children and adults, he has long become the personification of the Greek Santa Claus. It is to him that all the guys write notes with wishes, which they leave on Christmas under their home Christmas tree. On the day of the memory of the saint, the Greeks have a tradition to bake "vasilopita" - a pie of St. Basil, in which, according to custom, a coin is baked. The Greeks greatly revere their Santa Claus - St. Basil, and therefore they often honor him both in the new and in the old style. In many homes, a cake is baked in memory of the saint on January 1, and on January 14 they go to church, where they also receive a piece of freshly baked basilopita. The New Year is usually celebrated much more modestly than Christmas. It is more of a family and friendly get-together. But the Greeks, who adhere to old traditions, also have noisy fun. For example, when the clock struck 12, it is customary to run out into the street and shoot into the air with guns, which are in almost every Greek family. On the New Year's table, your favorite meat and / or fish meze will be present without fail. We have already talked about meat meze. Fish is served in the same way as meat. It is based on octopus, squid, shrimps, oysters, mussels, crabs, as well as dishes from different types of fish.
Greece is an amazing country. Start with her alphabet, so deceptively similar to Cyrillic. Happy New Year is about the same. It seems that the first day of January is celebrated and it is called Happy Saint Basil, and the actions of this saint correspond to the actions of our Santa Claus - he generously distributes gifts to all those in need, especially the poor. However, in reality Day of Agios Vassilias- not quite the New Year, although it is very similar.
The small population of the sunny country believes that St. Basil comes to the house, jumping into the fireplace and chimney, so it is supposed to leave the shoes of each family member by the fireplace on New Year's Eve. Since tradition says that it is better if they are made by hand, then “real” shoes can be replaced with souvenir or simply homemade ones. Saint Basil should put gifts in them. By the way, his official residence is located in Northern Greece.
Of the New Year's dishes, the most traditional is a roasted pig with a potato side dish. Potatoes are supposed to be baked and served directly “in their uniforms”. On the islands that are part of Greece, pigs were not bred, so they often serve turkey in wine, and for dessert, special cookies, which are made with spices and soaked in mead. The main decoration of the table is a special cake, inside of which a coin is baked, making the one who finds it the happiest next year. This cake is called "vasiliopita" and decorated with patterns of dough, berries and nuts. The first piece of the pie is cut for St. Basil, the second piece is given to the house, the third to the oldest member of the family, then the next in age, and so on - up to the youngest. It is necessary to cut exactly according to the number of family members and guests, because the youngest must definitely eat the last piece.
If you are invited to a Greek house to celebrate the New Year, you must take a stone with you (you must pick up this stone yourself), which is thrown at the doorstep of the house. The stone can be anything: large or small. If it is large and heavy, then you should say: "Let the wealth of the owner be as heavy as this stone." If it is small, then diplomatically wish: "Let the thorn in the owner's eye be as small as this stone."
Another mandatory custom, which is performed exactly at midnight, is that the whole family goes out into the yard or outside near the house and the head of the family takes with him a pomegranate fruit, which he smashes against the wall of the house. By the way the grains of the fruit scatter, one can determine how this family will live next year: if the fruit is broken and scattered throughout the yard, happiness and wealth await the family; if not all of the fruit was broken, but nevertheless the grains were very scattered, then there will be prosperity in the family; if the fetus broke weakly or did not break at all, but only burst, the family will face failure and deprivation. After this ritual, according to tradition, family members dip their fingers in honey in turn and lick it, or drink honey tincture. Each family has its own special tradition, for example, after this ritual, all household members and guests enter the largest room, where there is a dressed-up fir tree and under it there are pre-prepared gifts for each other with a note. The note contains two texts: one is a wish, the other is a question. And the first one who takes the gift reads the wish, and then the question, and the second one, reading the wish, gives the answer to the previous question. The first wish is the answer to the last question.
A favorite place for a holiday is the central squares of the city, for example, the central square of Athens - Syntagme. Here the holiday begins with the changing of the guard of honor at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Spectators of this ceremony traditionally then wander off to buy cockerels on a stick with a taste “like in childhood”. All night people dance Sirtaki to the music.
How is New Year celebrated in Greece?
New Year in Greece is a holiday that incorporates the past and the present, uniting the secular and religious customs of the country. At first glance, the picture is well known to us - Christmas trees, garlands, festive fireworks. But it is worth taking a closer look, and you can easily find unique, primordially Greek New Year traditions!
Who brings gifts to children?
New Year, aka Προτοχρονια (Protohronia ) is the favorite holiday of Greek children, because it is on this day (and not on Christmas, as in most Western European countries) that they receive their gifts from St. yatogo Valisius (Greek analogue of Santa Claus).
Saint Basil (Agios Vasilis) was one of the fathers of the Church. And since the celebration of the New Year in Greece coincides with the day of remembrance of St. Basil (he died on January 1, 379), then his role in the celebration is special.
The legend says that during his short life this man constantly helped the poor and needy, and distributed all his fortune to the needs of ordinary people. Therefore, Basil, who has since received the nickname the Great, has become for the Greeks a symbol of generosity and kindness.
And by the way, his homeland is ancient the city of Caesarea, and not at all the North Pole).
It is interesting that a few decades ago the image of c. Vasily looked a little like Santa Claus. According to church tradition, this is a tall, thin, dark-haired man, in simple clothes with a long dark beard.
Festive image of St. Basil, in which children were congratulated at New Year's parties a few decades ago, resembled the clothes of a priest. On the head of the Greek Santa Claus was a hat like a miter, in his hand was a staff. The costume itself could be any color. Now St. Basil most often appears before children in the form of Santa.
Weather in Greece for the New Year sure to please those who do not like extreme cold and snowdrifts, but at the same time would not mind feeling the romantic charm of European winter. Shopping in the Christmas markets, fun attractions in the city center and a cup of fragrant warming coffee in the nearest eatery - a great "lightweight" option for a winter vacation in Europe!
How is New Year celebrated in Greece?
Almost the same as with us - friends gather in cafes, bars and restaurants or go to someone's house. City streets are crowded with people - the main Christmas tree flaunts in the central square of each city; trees, houses and shops around sparkle with festive illumination, here and there there are models of ships and boats decorated with bright lights (read about this tradition).
On the central square, you will definitely find a stage where festive concerts organized by the city authorities take place. For those who celebrate the New Year away from home, the chimes are accompanied by a cannonade of salutes and fireworks.
Greeks and tourists are strolling leisurely through all this hustle and bustle, while teenagers have fun in their own way. They gather in groups and arrange comic wars among themselves, using harmless plastic "weapons".
At the time of the New Year, when the clock struck 12, the lights are turned off in the house, and then turned on, and I begin to congratulate each other with the words Χρόνια πολλά! (long years), or Ευτυχισμένο το νέο έτος (happy new year).
gamblingGreeks consider New Year's Eve a happy day, so they are happy to play cards and dice, not only at home, but also in cafes, eateries, clubs throughout the country. What can we say, even the main prize of the national Greek lottery - several million euros - is played on the first day of the new year!
In the evening, in anticipation of the chiming clock, the Greeks spend their leisure time playing cards - this is considered a good omen. Moreover, they play for money, although the bet amounts are usually symbolic - so that the losers do not get upset.
Festive table
In every house on this day, there is always a vasilopita - a Greek New Year's pie (Saint Basil's pie). The preparation of such a pie is one of the oldest pre-Christian traditions that has survived to this day. On January 1, Greeks gather with their families to cut a cake together, which is baked with a gold coin inside. The head of the family cuts the cake and the first piece is traditionally dedicated to Christ, the second to the whole house as a whole, and the rest are distributed among the whole family. The one in whose piece of cake there is a coin will be happy all next year.
As a rule, housewives try to leave one place at the festive table empty. This place is dedicated to St. Basil, since such a symbolic presence of him is a good sign for the family.
Kalo Podariko or First Enterer
New Year's Eve in Greecedoes not do without another tradition. After midnight, the first guest in the house should be a good person who will bring good luck and prosperity to the owners. Therefore, the Greeks specially invite lucky relatives or acquaintances for this purpose, but most often–children, as they symbolize purity of intention and innocence. Following the first person who entered the threshold of the house, all household members take turns crossing the threshold, and the step must be taken from the right foot.
Pomegranate
In one of the previous posts about this custom was already mentioned. Pomegranate, since ancient times considered a symbol of fertility, rebirth and prosperity, plays an important role in New Year's rituals. In ancient times, pomegranates were hung over the front door to lure happiness into the house.
Now the Greeks even take this fruit to church to bless it for a special ritual. Before the clock strikes 12, marking the start of the New Year, everyone in the household leaves the house and turns off the lights.
The person who steps into the house after the First Enterer (see previous paragraph) holds a grenade in his right hand and smashes it with force on the threshold. It is believed that the number of fallen seeds symbolizes the amount of happiness for the family in the coming year.
KAli Hera
As you have already noticed, the traditions of the New Year in Greece pay special attention to children. For example, in addition to gifts from St. Basil, they also receive gifts from their closest relatives. Grandparents, aunts and uncles give money to kids (Hera) or sweets as a wish for the best for the coming year. By the way, on New Year's Eve, as well as on Christmas, children go around relatives, friends and neighbors, singing carols.
local customs
Each region has its own.K pFor example, in Crete, it was customary to bring a plant called “sea onion” (Drimia seaside) into the house for the New Year. It is a wild, onion-like poisonous plant that even animals do not eat - it causes a rash on contact with the skin. However, it has an interesting property - even if the squill is removed from the soil with a root, it does not dry out. It is believed that its ability to withstand the most adverse conditions can be transferred to humans and inanimate objects. This tradition has been known since the time of Pythagoras, from the 6th century BC, and is one of the oldest in Greece.
As you can see, the Greeks approach the celebration of the New Year with all responsibility, trying to attract happiness, money and good luck to the house. After all, faith in the good, as you know, can work wonders!
28.12.2016
New Year is a welcome holiday in every country. Greece is no exception. Adults and children are eagerly awaiting the onset of a joyful celebration with great impatience. Celebrating the New Year in Greece is fun and interesting. This holiday is always a warm, bright, memorable event for local residents and guests of the island state. The unusual traditions of celebrating the New Year in Greece cause delight and admiration.
New Year in Ancient Greece
It is known that in Ancient Greece the New Year began on June 22, since the Greeks began their calendar from the day the Olympic Games started, held in honor of the Idean Hercules. January 1 in Greece coincides with St. Basil's Day (Agios Vasilias), who is considered the patron saint of the poor.
New Year in modern Greece
New Year in Greece is considered a family holiday. But this does not prevent all interested local residents from celebrating the long-awaited event in national nightclubs with live music. Early booking of seats and the availability of funds are the main conditions for celebrating the New Year in such places.
New Year traditions and customs in Greece
If a decision is made to celebrate the New Year in the family circle, then the centuries-old Greek traditions must be respected. With the onset of night, the owner of the house must go out into the yard and smash a delicious juicy pomegranate against its walls. If the red grains of the sweet and sour fruit scatter far from each other, then prosperity and a happy life await everyone in the coming year. After breaking the pomegranate, all family members should alternately dip their finger into the honey container, and then lick off the delicious and fragrant bee product.
If the Greeks go on a visit, they take stones with them and leave them at the house of the owner who receives them. Large stones are associated with the wishes of good luck, money, well-being to the owners of the house. Small pebbles mean that in the new year this house will be bypassed by adversity, troubles, sorrows and bad weather.
Santa Claus in Greece
The prototype of the Greek "Santa Claus" is St. Basil (Agios Vasilias) - the protector of the poor, who is idolized for his help and justice. Greek children believe that it comes down from the roofs and enters the houses through the chimney. Next to the fireplace, children leave their shoes on New Year's Eve in the hope of finding gifts from St. Basil in them in the morning.
Greek New Year's table
The main place of honor on the New Year's table in Greece belongs to "vasilopite" - St. Basil's pie stuffed with currants and nuts, with a 1 euro coin baked inside, called "fluri". Whoever gets a piece with "fluri" will have great happiness in the coming year.
For the New Year's table, the Greeks always serve a roasted pig with baked potatoes or a turkey in wine. New Year's cookies in honey syrup cause great joy for children.
During the celebration of the New Year in Greece, bans are imposed on stamping your feet, drinking coffee, cursing, and the appearance of black dogs in the house. Broken dishes for the New Year are considered a bad omen by the Greeks.
New Year's Eve preparations begin in December. New Year's discounts are offered to customers in stores that switch to round-the-clock operation. Colorful, sparkling multi-colored lights, decorations appear on the streets and houses. Cultural events are held throughout the country. The atmosphere is filled with joy and fun. Locals believe in New Year's miracles.