A Greek welcome to 2007 |
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The New Year has made already its entrance all over the world! 2007 is already a reality for all of us and I welcomed it with the special traditional way that we celebrate every New Year in my country… with a big smile, following the Greek customs, eating a lot, singing a lot and of course… dancing a lot! At the New Year Eve the day is really busy. Everybody is busy preparing the home and themselves for the big Day. Children started early at the morning singing the New Years' Carols. My niece, Anna, with her friend came to sing us the carols. An amazing way to start a great day! Anna and her friend accompanied the songs using small metal triangles, named "trigona" and in appreciation of the morning concert they took money, called "hadziliki" from me and her other aunt, Yiota and continued visiting the other houses of friends and relatives. You can hear the Greek Carols fot the New Year with a simple click to this link . |
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NEW YEAR CAROLSFirst of the month and first of the year It is the beginning when Christ St. Basil is on his way and in Greek... Αρχιμηνιά κι αρχιχρονιά, Αρχή που βγήκε ο Χριστός, 'Αγιος Βασίλης έρχεται Βαστάει εικόνα και χαρτί, |
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| At the evening the town's band walked around the streets of Karlovasi playing the music of a Greek song. “Πάει ο παλιός ο χρόνος, Καλή Χρονιά... Καλή Χρονιά... Χαρούμενη χρυσή Πρωτοχρονια! ” It is an old happy song which says goodbye to the old year and welcomes the New Year. Because Greeks consider the New Year lucky, it is the custom to participate in games of chance on New Years Eve night. In addition to the state lottery which raffles million of euros on New Year's Day, people play cards and roll dice in coffeehouses, clubhouses and homes throughout the country. In the homes it is also the custom for cards to be played on New Year's Eve while waiting for the year to change. The betting sums are usually kept low, so as to offer a friendly diversion without upsetting the losers. We follow the traditions and we played our cards and we played for almonds. At the end we finished the game eating the almonds! |
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The moment that the New Year came we stopped playing our cards and we kissed each other wishing “Kali Chronia” which means “Good Year” to each other. We opened the bottle of our champagne and we cut our “Vasilopitta” The cutting of the Vasilopita is one of the few primordial customs still surviving. In the Kronia (the celebration of the god Kronos, who was worshiped in Greece ) and the Saturnalia of Rome, sweets and cakes would be prepared with a coin inside. The one who received the piece with the coin would be the lucky one of the group . . The Orthodox tradition combined this custom with the New Year cake. On New Year's Eve everyone gathers around waiting for the vasilopita to be cut as the New Year rolls in. When the time comes the father, in a solemn ceremony, starts to cut the cake. The first piece is for Christ, the second for the Virgin, the third for Saint Vasilios the forth for the house, and then pieces for everyone present. The one who gets the piece with the coin will be the lucky one of the year! For us, the lucky coin was located between the Christ and the Virgin's pieces. So… I believe that maybe we will not have a lucky year but we will have for sure a blessed year. |
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After the entrance of the New Year everybody cares also for the “Pothariko” My cousin George made the "Pothariko" for my aunt Giota's home and asked from Giota to be she which will make the "Podariko" for his shop and that was what happened. After Christmas, the children impatiently await the New Year ( Protohroni a ) because that's when Saint Vasilios ( A gios Vas i lios) delivers their gifts. In Greece it is the custom to exchange gifts on the New Year instead of Christmas. The presents are delivered by Saint Vasilios, who is the same as the Santa Claus of the western world. So... my family woke up at the New Year's Day and found the gifts from Saint Vasilios. They were a lot of small wrapped boxes with the names of each one of us on them. Funny... but I feel like a kid every year waiting my gifts. New Years' Day is also an important day for my family. We celebrate my ungle's and also my God father's Name Day. His name is Vasilios and organizes a big family gathering every year. I felt lucky to be present this year with all my family around this big dinner table and wishing the "Chronia Polla" to my God father. |
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The dinner for this year was in a very beautiful place, a tavern with an amazing view of Karlovasi from the mountain. We talked a lot, we ate lot and we sang old Greek songs. At the end of the dinner the children of the family, the new generation of Vasiliou - Eleftheriadis families took their "Boulstrina" a samian word of a greek custom. Several decades ago, the money was the only gift the children received on New Year's Day. And, in many cases, the gift was just sweets or pastries, as money was scarce and toy shops were almost non-existent. |
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| During the entire holiday period attendance in bars and clubs is much higher as people go out at night to celebrate. On New Year's Eve especially, you can't get a foot in these nightspots after midnight , and the streets are so crowded that the cars move at a snail's pace. The fun and excitement continues until sunrise. |
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My new "Koumpara", Angela invited me and my daughters at "Bouzoukia". Those are big clubs - taverns with Greek music and the main music organ at the orchestra is always the "Bouzouki". We accompanied our dinner with good Samian wine and we danced Greek dances until the sunrise of the new day. |
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| Angela and I celebrated also an event that happened this day last year. We talked that night and I am happy that I helped Angela to take a very important decision and added love and happiness at her life. |
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I am proud... I have honored the New Year and I have found the opportunity to present you the Greek welcome of a special New Year. Let's start a special New Year. Let's welcome 2007! |