!!!!our customs in greece!!!!
Christmas in Greece
On Christmas Eve, children travel from house to house offering good wishes and singing kalanda ( Greek carols). Often the songs are accompanied by metal triangles and clay drums. The children used to be given sweets and dried fruit as a reward for their singing. Now they are given money mostly.
The Christmas feasts it of major importance, especially since it ends 40 days of fasting period.Special loaves of bread, christopsomo (Christ Bread) are prepared for the meal.
Decades ago, Christmas trees were unheard of in Greece. People used to decorate a fishing boat instead.
Each day, during the twelve days of Christmas, the house is blessed with holy water by a family member as a protection against the kalikantzaroi , grome-like mischief makers. These goblins, which are said to live in the center of the Earth, make their way into homes via the chimneys. They create all kinds of mischief such as dousing the five riding on peoples back’s and making the milk sour. In order to help in the efforts to keep them away, the hearth is kept burning day and night throughout the twelve days of Christmas.
In Christmas children visit many houses and sing Christmas carols.
We decorate Christmas trees.
Mum makes some delicious sweets.
We exchange presents.
We also exchange wishes and gifts with our family and friends.
Many people make a cake called Vasilopita with a coin in it and the person who finds it will be lucky the year following.
On Christmas Eve children wait for Santa Claus to bring them presents.
At Christmas we make some traditional sweets such as ‘melomakarona’ and ‘kourampiedes’.
On the 1st of January we enter the house stepping on our right foot first. This brings good luck to the house.
We make small cakes with coins in them called Christopsoma.
People from Pontos sing Christmas carols wearing traditional Pontian costumes.
In some villages they make a traditional Christmas pie called koukvala made from flour walnuts raisings and sugar.In other villages they make a cheese pie or a spinach pie with a coin in it.
On Now year’s day we smash a pomegranate for good luck.
In Lefkada they make a vegetable soup on Christmas Eve.They also make a cake from flour raisings cinnamon and dry prunes.
On Epiphany Eve people light candles in day their houses for their dead relatives.On Epiphany’s people spill holly water in the fields some of which they drink too.
Forty days before Christmas there is a fasting period in order people to get prepared for the birth of Christ and enjoy the Christmas table.
In Thessaly, every family feeds a pig. This pig is slaughtered on Christmas Eve. The main meal on Christmas Day is sausages made from this pig.
In some cities residents marry fire. For example the take wood from a tree which has female name and an other one which has male name and the man of the house says: pantrebo se fotia gia to kalo tis kiras( I marry you fire to bring luck to the house).
Some very religious people do not eat meat for 40 days until 20th of December
All the people exchange Christmas cards with wishes for Christmas and for the first day of the year with other people.
On Christmas Eve, children travel from house to house offering good wishes and singing kalanda ( Greek carols). Often the songs are accompanied by metal triangles and clay drums. The children used to be given sweets and dried fruit as a reward for their singing. Now they are given money mostly.
The Christmas feasts it of major importance, especially since it ends 40 days of fasting period.Special loaves of bread, christopsomo (Christ Bread) are prepared for the meal.
Decades ago, Christmas trees were unheard of in Greece. People used to decorate a fishing boat instead.
Each day, during the twelve days of Christmas, the house is blessed with holy water by a family member as a protection against the kalikantzaroi , grome-like mischief makers. These goblins, which are said to live in the center of the Earth, make their way into homes via the chimneys. They create all kinds of mischief such as dousing the five riding on peoples back’s and making the milk sour. In order to help in the efforts to keep them away, the hearth is kept burning day and night throughout the twelve days of Christmas.
In Christmas children visit many houses and sing Christmas carols.
We decorate Christmas trees.
Mum makes some delicious sweets.
We exchange presents.
We also exchange wishes and gifts with our family and friends.
Many people make a cake called Vasilopita with a coin in it and the person who finds it will be lucky the year following.
On Christmas Eve children wait for Santa Claus to bring them presents.
At Christmas we make some traditional sweets such as ‘melomakarona’ and ‘kourampiedes’.
On the 1st of January we enter the house stepping on our right foot first. This brings good luck to the house.
We make small cakes with coins in them called Christopsoma.
People from Pontos sing Christmas carols wearing traditional Pontian costumes.
In some villages they make a traditional Christmas pie called koukvala made from flour walnuts raisings and sugar.In other villages they make a cheese pie or a spinach pie with a coin in it.
On Now year’s day we smash a pomegranate for good luck.
In Lefkada they make a vegetable soup on Christmas Eve.They also make a cake from flour raisings cinnamon and dry prunes.
On Epiphany Eve people light candles in day their houses for their dead relatives.On Epiphany’s people spill holly water in the fields some of which they drink too.
Forty days before Christmas there is a fasting period in order people to get prepared for the birth of Christ and enjoy the Christmas table.
In Thessaly, every family feeds a pig. This pig is slaughtered on Christmas Eve. The main meal on Christmas Day is sausages made from this pig.
In some cities residents marry fire. For example the take wood from a tree which has female name and an other one which has male name and the man of the house says: pantrebo se fotia gia to kalo tis kiras( I marry you fire to bring luck to the house).
Some very religious people do not eat meat for 40 days until 20th of December
All the people exchange Christmas cards with wishes for Christmas and for the first day of the year with other people.
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