Christmas in Greece |
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It is almost Christmas and I want to present with my blog what this celebration is for me and what memories brings back to my mind. As a Greek I will show you what is Christmas in our culture... to present you the part of our traditions for this big celebration of the holy birth. |
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The Christmas boats are made of paper or wood, decorated with small, colorful lamps and a few, simple ornaments. They are usually placed near the outer door or by the fire and the bow should always point to the interior of the house. With golden objects or coins placed in it, the ship symbolizes a full load of riches reaching one's home. And the Christmas boat is making inroads into mainland Greece. Many municipalities have decorated their squares and roads with Christmas Boats. Every December, Greece 's second city, Thessaloniki, erects a huge, illuminated metal structure in the shape of a three-mast ship next to the Christmas tree in its main Aristotelous Square. I have added this photo from Thessaloniki's Aristotelous Square at the start of my blog. |
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| Even the vast majority of Greeks who continue to stick to the Christmas tree consider it a foreign import. The modern Christmas tree entered Greece in the luggage of the country's first king, Otto of Bavaria, who ascended to the throne in 1833 but the tree did not become popular before the 1940s. |
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| The ship, by contrast, is viewed as a quintessential Greek symbol. Greeks have been seafarers for thousands of years and the country is today one of the world's mightiest shipping nations. |
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A very old custom which remains today practically unchanged is Christmas carols, which is called calanda in Greek. Children, in groups of two or more, still make the rounds of houses singing carols, usually accompanied by the triangle or guitars, accordions or harmonicas. The children on the islands sing Christmas carols holding illuminated model boats in their laps. For children, the Christmas boats served as a lantern in the dark or as a box for presents collected in return for singing carols. |
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The children go from house to house, knock on doors and ask: "shall we say them?" If the homeowner's answer is yes, the kids sing their favourite carols for several minutes before finishing up with the wish, "And for the next year, many happy returns." Years ago the homeowners offered the children holiday sweets and pastries, but today they usually give them some money. Christmas carols narrate the facts surrounding the birth of Christ and the Homage of the Magi. The well-known text that is still sung nowadays is the following, with the first two or three stanzas being the most popular. |
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Καλήν εσπέραν Χριστός γεννάται σήμερον Εν τω σπηλαίω τίκτεται |
Good day Christ is being born today In the cave he is born |
And something now, more personal. |
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Σένα σου πρέπει αφέντη μου καρέκλα καρυδένια, Βάλτε μας κρασί να πιούμε και του χρόνου να σας πούμε. Και πάλι ξαναπρέπει σου στα πεύκα να κοιμάσαι, Βάλτε μας κρασί να πιούμε και του χρόνου να σας πούμε. Και πάλι ξαναπρέπει σου καράβι ν'αρματώσεις, Βάλτε μας κρασί να πιούμε και του χρόνου να σας πούμε. Πολλά 'παμε τ'αφέντη μας, ας πούμε τση κυράς μας. Κυρά ψιλή, κυρά λιγνή, κυρά μαυροματούσα, Βάλτε μας κρασί να πιούμε και του χρόνου να σας πούμε. Αν έχεις κόρη έμορφη, βάλτην να μας κεράσει, Βάλτε μας κρασί να πιούμε και του χρόνου να σας πούμε. Κι αν έχεις γιο στα γράμματα, βάλτονε στο ψαλτήρι, Βάλτε μας κρασί να πιούμε και του χρόνου να σας πούμε. |
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| As a child I used to play the music of carols. I had a small accordion which for my small body was really heavy and I used to accompany my friends with my music at the carols. We tried every year to visit all the houses of our small town and at the evening, after the sharing of the money that the group had collected during carols we went back to our homes tired but happy to show proudly to our families how well we had worked all day. I have presented until now the image of Christmas which represented by the Christmas decoration and the sound of Christmas by the Christmas Carols. Let's talk now about the taste and the smell of Christmas. After 40 days of fasting, the Christmas feast is looked forward to with great anticipation by adults and children alike. Pigs, lambs and goats are slaughtered, women usually bake ceremonial pastries during this time for the big family meal, served after church services on Christmas Day. |
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| Melomakarona are a Christmas tradition in Greece (but enjoyed at other times of the year). All over Greece , kitchens will be filled with the wonderful smell of these honey-soaked spice cookies that will adorn tables, be given as hostess gifts, and eaten in huge quantities. |
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| Kourambiedes are a shortbread-type cookie that can be made withor without the almonds, and shaped with a cookie cutter, as well. Don't skimp on the sugar dusting! |
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Baklava, the traditional Christmas dessert at the big Christmas family dinner. |
| Christopsomo, or Christ's Bread, is considered a sacred tradition in many Greek Orthodox homes, and the care with which it is made is said to ensure the well-being of the home in the year to come. Only the purest and most expensive ingredients are used. The bread is often decorated with pieces of dough formed into representations of the family's life (boats, animals, etc.). The father at the Christmas family dinner crosses the "Christopsomo" and gives a piece to everybody wishing them Merry Christmas and "Hronia Polla" |
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One of my new friends, Georgina, asked at her blog page to learn what Christmas represents for us. I wrote this blog to show you what Christmas is for the Greeks. Christmas for me is most of all memories. Memories from the period I was a child. Children live the magic of Christmas most of all. They enjoy the decoration, the colors, the happy sounds, the Christmas cookies and the presents. Children could live the myth of the season. I feel like a child this Christmas. I expect to live the myth of Christmas! |
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