Traditions of Christmas, New Year and baptism in Greece. Christmas in Greece

Greek Orthodox Christians. But their New Year holidays, unlike Russians, begin with Christmas, December 25th. The fact is that they celebrate it according to the Gregorian calendar, which is almost 2 weeks earlier than according to the Julian calendar.

More than 90% of the country's population is Orthodox. Therefore, the Greek tradition includes the concept of “Christmas holidays.” New Year called St. Basil's Day. It is celebrated widely and en masse. Behind him no less main holiday– Epiphany (January 7).

Everyone who goes to Greece to celebrate Christmas and New Year should be prepared to spend the holidays in an unusual and fun way. Tourists in this country are welcome and are happy to demonstrate all the Christmas and New Year customs. The Greeks have similar traditions to the Russians. For example, gifts are expected from St. Basil in the same way as from our good Grandfather Frost. But he puts them not under the Christmas tree, but in the shoes displayed outside the door, filling them with sweets.

Preparations for Christmas begin long before it arrives. Shop windows and street cafes are decorated with festive garlands as early as November. They also decorate their homes by hanging bright lights on the windows. Beautiful lighting is present in every yard.

Not only Christmas trees are decorated for Christmas, but also ships. Greece is a country where the sea and marine fishing are revered. The ship is a symbol of a happy life, filled with joy and bliss. On the streets, squares and in Greek houses, next to the Christmas trees, there are the most beautiful ships, the sails of which are filled with the wind. The tradition of decorating boats arose much earlier than the custom of putting up Christmas trees, which were recognized in the country in the mid-19th century. The Christmas tree stood at the court of King Otto, and the capital of Greece at that time was Nafplio. Its squares were also decorated with green beauties.

It is customary to sing carols around Christmas. Children go from house to house, sing Christmas songs to the accompaniment of metal triangles, and receive candy and money for it. They come to all the neighbors, go into every shop. Godparents also give them gifts. The tradition of going to church with godparents at Christmas has survived to this day.

– a great time for those tourists who want to give unforgettable gifts to their relatives. It is at this time that every store lowers its prices to such an extent that you can afford literally everything. But do not take gifts to the hotel by taxi if you do not want to waste your capital. During this period, drivers greatly increase the cost of trips. Waiters of cafes and bars also want to receive Christmas gifts in the form of increased amounts of cash fees.

Moreover, in each of the cities, especially in Athens, there is a sea of ​​people. Everyone wants to visit Greece. During the Christmas holidays, the weather pleases locals and tourists with warmth. The climate in this country is quite mild. The Greeks consider January the coldest month of the year. The average temperature during this period drops to +10. At night – up to +3. Precipitation possible. Some daredevils swim in the sea, but this is not worth doing if you are not involved in winter swimming. The water temperature only reaches +16.

Anyone who comes to this country during the Christmas holidays will become familiar with another unique tradition – the exchange of cameras. Pieces of fruit are threaded onto small skewers. Most often these are bananas, apples, oranges, figs, and candles are attached on top.

In the family of every self-respecting Greek, on the first day of the New Year, the following ritual is performed: the head takes the juiciest and largest pomegranate fruit and throws it against a strong wall. Afterwards, all members look to see how the grains scattered and whether they survived. The more scattered they are in different directions, the happier and richer the coming year will be.

Gifts in Greece they do it in a peculiar way. Just before the celebration, neighbors and relatives present each other with huge wicker baskets. They are filled with bottles of expensive, elite wines, and card decks are placed between them. There is one more New Year's tradition. A cobblestone is placed in front of the neighbor's door. Its size and severity depend on what wish is made. If the stone is large, the neighbor will be rich, if small, it means there will be no troubles and adversities.

A secular holiday. Christmas traditions fade into the background during this period. A lot of people come out to the squares of Greek cities, performances are staged, the main characters of which are costumed actors, and wine flows like a river in restaurants, musicians play national instruments, and sirtaki are danced everywhere.

On the tables are roasted pigs with baked potatoes. This is a traditional Greek New Year's dish. Islanders often bake turkey, generously seasoning it with wine sauce. During the celebrations, children and adults eat spicy cookies. It is soaked in honey or various syrups. Favorite Greek sweet is vasilopita. It's a pie with a coin inside. It is decorated with a variety of nuts, braided dough, and berries. If the head of the family gets the coin, the year will be fertile and successful, but the first piece is saved for St. Basil, and the second is left within the walls of the house for good luck and prosperity. The head of the family receives the third piece. Next, the pie is distributed according to seniority. For the youngest child the delicacy is given in the finale.

On the eve of the festive night, the Greeks do a lot of fortune telling. Usually unmarried ladies do this. Wanting to see their betrothed in a dream, they place a piece of pie that they received at the table at the head of the table.

The Greeks adhere to certain rules prohibitions during the holidays. It is unacceptable to raise your voice or drink coffee (even grinding it is prohibited). There is a custom not to allow four-legged friends whose fur is black into the home. This color of dogs is considered devilish. Also, when the housewife accidentally breaks a glass or plate, it is customary to appease St. Basil with the most delicious morsel from the New Year’s table. Breaking dishes among the Greeks is an unlucky omen.

Christmas and New Year - family holidays. Holidays are spent at home with family. This sweet time is full of pleasant impressions and gifts.

Philosophy and tourism in Greece

Roman Agora

The Odeon is rightfully considered the “pearl” of this valuable archaeological and historical find. The marble-paved seats for spectators, arches and columns fascinate and attract the eye.

Ancient Macedonia, from savages to conquerors.

According to legend, he owes this name to the name of the mythical character Pelops, the son of Tantalus and grandson of Zeus. Having left Asia Minor, his hometown of Lydia and possessing great treasures, Pelops reached the shores of Elis and settled in the city of Pis.

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Crete.City of Heraklion

When planning your trip to the island of Crete, be sure to pay attention to the city of Heraklion, located on the northern coast of the island. The city is named after the legendary Hercules, whose exploits aroused fear and awe among the ancient Greeks. Heraklion was founded near the center of the once powerful Minoan civilization, the city of Knossos, famous for its mysterious labyrinth, luxurious royal palace and the terrible monster the Minotaur.

Holiday bread or pie. The main symbol of the Christmas table is Christ's bread - "Christopsomo". The best flour is chosen for it, spices are carefully selected, and the dough must be prepared with special love and warmth. It is baked with the addition of wine, dried fruits and nuts. The bread is decorated with a “cross” with a walnut in the middle and cut out figures from the dough. "Christopsomo" is considered sacred bread, so it is served only after church services.

The New Year's table must be decorated with the festive Vasilopita cake. The pie is decorated with nuts, berries, dough patterns or generously poured with glaze.

Variety of meat dishes. The Greeks do not ignore this tradition. Most often, their table is decorated with baked pork, cooked in various options along with a roasted young pig on a bed of potatoes, but some families prefer the traditional Christmas turkey, flavored with wine sauce. On New Year's table Housewives also prepare cabbage dishes, such as cabbage rolls (“lahanosarmades”) or pickled cabbage.

Traditional cookies. As a dessert for festive table, the Greeks bake Christmas cookies “melomakarona” with nuts and “kourabiedes”. While preparing the dessert, the female component of the family specially gathers to bake a huge amount of cookies, which anyone can enjoy.

Additionally, sweets are served on the festive table, for example “tiganitas” (cookies sprinkled with honey).

Pomegranate, like dried fruits and nuts, is also an integral part of the festive table, since since ancient times it has been considered a symbol of the well-being and prosperity of the family.

What do Greeks give each other for New Year and Christmas?

As mentioned above, shops and fairs in Greece are always crowded with various gift items during the Christmas and New Year period. In most cases, these are all kinds of souvenirs with a traditional theme, for example, a pomegranate decorated with various stones, or colorful small ships.

But still, the Greeks, as a rule, rarely deviate from old customs and give inexpensive gifts, such as a new deck of cards (perhaps from some New Year's gift collection) and a large basket filled with excellent varieties of wine.

A wonderful gift can be traditional cookies decorated in beautiful packaging. “Vasilopita” can also be used as a gift; just write a wish for happiness for the New Year with icing.

New Year and Christmas are the most long-awaited and wonderful time of the holidays. All the people around are in a pre-holiday and joyful bustle, and during the holidays friendly folk festivities take place in every corner of the streets. Ships of fantastic beauty and brightness float on reservoirs, people hold various New Year's competitions with water, and on land they put on funny theatrical performances and make fun of passers-by. Each establishment has its own festive program, which anyone can enjoy and celebrate the most unforgettable Christmas or New Year in their lives.

Christmas (Χριστούγεννα) is a holiday of remembrance of the birth of Jesus Christ, the biggest holiday of the entire Christian world.

In Greece, Christmas is one of the biggest religious holidays, celebrated on December 25th.

The Christmas mood in Greece can be felt already in November: shop windows and city streets take on a festive look, Christmas sales begin, residents of houses decorate their balconies and this makes the streets sparkle even more, a festive atmosphere is in the air.

On the eve of the Christmas holidays, Greek housewives buy everything they need for the Christmas table (χριστουγεννιάτικο τραπέζι).

The main meat dish on the Greek Christmas table will be turkey stuffed with chestnuts, raisins and rice or suckling pig, small cabbage rolls symbolizing Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes. Flour dishes include Christopsomo (Christmas bread), kourabiedes and melomacarona.

Many Greeks observe Christmas fast, which will begin on November 15, 2019 and will last until Christmas night on December 24 - 25. Then a series of holidays begins in Greece, twelve-day festivals (Δωδεκαήμερο) until January 6, 2020, the day of Epiphany.

The symbol of Christmas in Greece is the boat. It is decorated with garlands and toys, large ships are placed in squares, and small ships are decorated in houses.

The Greeks began decorating the Christmas tree after 1833; this custom came to Greece from Bavaria with King Otto when he ascended the throne.

The “predecessor” of the Christmas tree, one might say, was Christoxylos or dodecamiritis (χριστόξυλο or δωδεκαμερίτης). It was a strong and thick trunk of an alder, olive tree, wild cherry tree or the trunk of a prickly fir tree. The Greeks preferred thorny trees because folk tradition they scared away the kalikandzars - little demons who appeared on Christmas and entered houses through chimneys and vandalized the house for 12 days. Therefore, the father of the family lit a fireplace and burned Christoxilo, scaring away the Kalikanzars.

Before bringing Christoxylo into the house, the hostess did a lot of cleaning and special attention I cleaned the fireplace so that not a trace of the old ashes remained. On Christmas Eve evening, the whole family sat around the fireplace, the owner of the house lit a fire in the fireplace and everyone made wishes.

Over time, many traditional Greek customs were forgotten, and some survive to this day.

For example, carols: early in the morning, on the eve of Christmas, children go out to carol. They come to their neighbors, acquaintances, relatives, sing Christmas songs and play the trigon. It is believed that the arrival of children in the house is a good sign, because the ringing of a musical stick drives out evil spirits, for which household members should thank the children with sweets or small change.

At midnight, Greeks go to church (usually in their area) for the solemn Christmas liturgy. Returning home, gifts and tasty treats await everyone, congratulations are heard everywhere: “Καλά Χριστούγεννα!” (Merry Christmas!).

On winter holidays often plan trips to celebrate the New Year in a new environment and get acquainted with the traditions of countries. And in this regard, in Greece, Christmas will give tourists many pleasant moments. Cheerful kids singing Christmas carols, Greek Santa Claus Agios Vasilis walking through the streets, illuminated trees, buildings and even ships and, of course, Christmas sales in stores - all this is the unique atmosphere of the Greek Christmas. What customs do the Greeks religiously observe on this day, how and when do they celebrate Christmas in Greece, and what other prominent dates among the December-January holidays will we tell in today’s article.

Already from the beginning of December, Orthodox Greece begins to prepare for a series of holidays: here is St. Nicholas Day, Christmas, the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, New Year, and Epiphany. Just a magnificent five holidays, and these events are worth a special mention of themselves. We have already talked about New Year's customs and noted what is remarkable about the Greek New Year, and today it is the turn to talk about Greek Christmas. Well, let's find out when Greece celebrates Christmas and what traditions accompany this day.

Christmas traditions in Greece

Originally Christ's Nativity considered the greatest in Greece Orthodox holiday. It is noteworthy that initially no noisy celebrations were held on this day: everything was limited to church services, children caroling on the streets and modest home rituals; there were not even decorations or Christmas trees, let alone gifts! In houses they only placed a bowl of water and a sprig of basil. The mother of the family dipped her pectoral cross into this, as the Greeks believed, blessed water, after which she sprinkled splashes of water on all the premises, driving away the evil spirits “kalikanzari” from the home.

By the way, these little devils entered the house through chimneys, so thoroughly cleaning the stove is another Christmas tradition of the Greeks.

After the rituals were completed, the family sat down at the festive table and, with prayers, ate the dishes prepared for the holiday, which, by the way, by today’s standards were also very modest. But by the middle of the 20th century, Greece was increasingly joining global trends, and its lands were not spared Santa Claus, decorated Christmas trees and Christmas sales in stores. Therefore, today, when Christmas is celebrated in Greece, colorful lights are lit on buildings and ships, Christmas carols are played and there are decorated nativity scenes. At the same time, the Greeks preserved both long-accepted customs and new traditions of celebrating Christmas.

Thus, children who have memorized dozens of carols, or as they are called in Greece, kalandas, are still having fun on the streets. At the same time, one of the children accompanies those singing on a ringing trigon, or is engaged in making paper boats (greek new year symbol), which are immediately given as a gift to passers-by. As a reward for singing a song, adults treat the children with sweets, nuts and fruits, or give them hard coins.

And in homes, consecrated water and cleaning of fireplaces were replaced by a new custom - decorating the holiday tree. The coniferous beauty is decorated with bright toys and a Christmas star is placed on the top of her head. At the same time, those Greeks who have a fireplace or stove sometimes still honor the old custom of “Christoxylo” ( translated as “tree of Christ”). According to this tradition, the head of the family, going for firewood, looks for a good log, which will later be chopped into 12 pieces and used to light the fireplace during Christmastide. It is believed that if such a log burns brightly and for a long time, then the hearth will be happy and strong.

The history of celebrating the Nativity of Christ goes back centuries. The first mention of this is already in the 3rd century. Then Christians, who had not yet been divided into Orthodox and Catholics, began to celebrate the Epiphany, more often referred to as the Baptism of the Lord, and began to celebrate the Nativity of Christ only starting in the 4th century. The Roman Church was the first to celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Christ, in the first half of the 4th century, when Julius was Pope. From the second half of the 4th century, Christmas began to be celebrated in Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which became the center of Orthodox Christianity, before its capture in 1453 by the Ottomans. And the Christmas fast, cleansing itself before the light church holiday, parishioners Christian churches began to be kept only from the 6th-7th centuries.

Moreover, in Orthodox Greece, the Nativity of Christ is celebrated on December 25, and Epiphany on January 7, like Catholics, in contrast to Russia of the same faith, where the Nativity of Christ is celebrated on January 7, and Epiphany on January 19.

All this difference arose due to the use of different chronology by our countries. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, Greece has followed a new style of chronology - the so-called Gregorian calendar, introduced on February 24, 1582, while Russia has remained a follower of the old style, that is, the chronology introduced under Julius Caesar (46 BC), i.e. .e. when Christ was not yet born. From the Julian calendar, the Greeks switched to the Gregorian calendar for religious reasons - with the goal of simultaneous celebration of Easter by all Christians, which was supposed to be celebrated only on Sunday. Therefore, in Greece, the Nativity of Christ is celebrated first, then the New Year.

Since the Greeks are a very religious nation, more than 90% of citizens consider themselves believing (Orthodox) Christians.

Tavern at Christmas

The celebration of the Nativity of Christ and the New Year in Orthodox Greece begins on December 25 - according to the new style. In general, the holidays last 12 days - until Epiphany on January 6. For the Greeks, this is always a joy; in all corners of the country, Christmas is celebrated with a special mood, as it is accompanied by the tradition of decorating houses, preparing special holiday dishes and starting new life in the new year, expelling all the bad things from the past. In this they are very similar to us; we also love to start a new life in the New Year.

The Greeks have a lot of traditions of celebrating Christmas that other countries, including us, do not have.

Tradition one Christoksilo: In the cities and villages of Greece, on the eve of three holidays: Christmas, New Year and Epiphany, house owners went into the forest in search of a strong spruce tree, or instead of spruce they used an olive tree, which they cut down and brought home. This tree was called Christoxylo - Tree of Christ. The tree was cut into small logs and brought into the house to heat the fireplace throughout the holiday period - from Christmas to Epiphany. Today this tradition is preserved only in some villages in Northern Greece. Tradition of the second cleaning of the fireplace:

A tradition that continues to this day is cleaning the home fireplace. The purpose of this procedure was to clean out all last year's ash, chimney and pipe - all this so that evil spirits and demons could not enter the house in the new year. So, in the evening, on the eve of Christmas, when the whole family has gathered around the fireplace, the owner lights a fire from wood chopped from the tree of Christ. Popular belief says: while the tree is burning here, Christ becomes warm there, in the cold Bethlehem cave.

Aristotle Square

Traditional Christmas songs of Greece:

As for the Christmas songs of Greece, they are holidays must be performed by children and adults. This tradition is still alive. A very interesting pre-Christmas tradition is sartes, when a month before Christmas, in every town in the neighborhood, young people and teenagers gather in groups and learn carols, and then go home with performances, competing “in the catch” - gifts and treats. This tradition is still preserved in Greece. True, only among children and teenagers. They learn carols in groups and go from house to house, collecting as a reward not food, but money, the amount of which sometimes reaches significant amounts. Until recently, when crisis phenomena were not so severe in Greece, the fee from each adult was estimated at 5 to 20 euros.

Traditional Greek Christmas dishes:

In all parts of Greece, the traditional Christmas dish is cabbage rolls - lachanosarmades. They symbolize Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes. A butter pie is also prepared for Christmas, pickles (tursha) and dried fruit compotes are served, as well as Christopsomo - Christmas bread with the addition of nuts, raisins and oils. Christopsomo (Χριστόψωμο) is a sweet bread, like our Easter cake, sometimes its name is translated as Christmas cake, but there is no cream.

In addition, traditionally these days, roast pork, turkey stuffed with rice, chestnuts and raisins, sweet pie and boiled wheat with sugar are prepared. In addition to turkey, popular dishes of these twelve days are geese, ducks and game (hare and wild boar).

Taverns

In Greece, sweet treats are a must for Christmas and New Year. Christmas sweets appear on the shelves of confectionery shops (zacharoplastio) in Greece: dusted, as if with snow, with kourabiedes powdered sugar and sprinkled with pistachios or walnuts Melomacarona. Opinions differ about their origin. According to one popular version, these sweets came from Central Asia and Turkey, others claim that they are really Greek.

In large Greek families, to prepare kourabiedes and melomakarona, grandmothers and mothers usually gather and prepare large quantities of sweets so that later there will be enough to distribute to all relatives and friends. Boxes of homemade Christmas baked goods are brought to loved ones during holiday visits. The celebration of Christmas begins on the night of December 24-25, when the heavens opened and Christ was born.

Decorated Thessaloniki

And after Christmas dinner everyone goes to visit each other and congratulate each other on the Birthday of Christ (Christmas) - Χρόνια Πολλά! (Greeks use the same words to congratulate each other on a regular birthday). Καλά Χριστούγεννα! —(Merry Christmas! in Greek).

And so the whole day is filled with music, songs, dancing: Greeks fry and steam on barbecues anywhere - on the roofs of houses, in courtyards, on balconies, right on the streets... And they have fun!

Very interesting tradition, preserved since the times of Ancient Greece and recently revived in many places in Greece, are scenes played out right on the streets of the city, Momogera - from the ancient Greek “momos” and “heros”, that is, which translated means “old scoffer”.

Essentially this is theatrical performance, which has its roots in the Greek traditional theatrical art of the ancient era, which originally had ritual and cult significance. On Pontus, during the Byzantine Empire, elements were added to these performances Christian traditions and folk customs of medieval Byzantium. During Ottoman yoke The performance played out acquired a satirical character, ridiculing the debauchery and despotism of the Turkish rulers.

The performances of the Momogers on Pontus took place in the time period from Christmas to Epiphany, that is, on the “unsanctified days.” In this regard, despite the fact that this tradition arose in the pre-Christian era, it received the favor of the Orthodox Church and therefore has survived to this day. In the past, Momogeri went door to door collecting money for their schools, churches and underprivileged families.

Each hero of the play, according to folk tradition, has a specific symbol: for example, a doctor symbolizes health, a judge symbolizes protection, an elderly woman symbolizes the past, but the bride is always the future!

Decorated Thessaloniki

On all days of Christmas and New Year's holidays Until Epiphany, housewives are prohibited from washing clothes, sewing, knitting or embroidering.

Also, during the Christmas holidays, Greeks go to the cemetery to visit the deceased, light funeral candles, lay flowers on the graves of relatives and pray for the repose of their souls.

On Christmas, godparents 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 glowing boats.

In general, ship symbolism is an integral part of the Greek Christmas, since this period is also dedicated to one of the most revered saints - St. Nicholas, the patron saint of navigation. St. Nicholas Day falls on December 6, and it is the first in a series of Christmas holidays.

As you know, the custom of the Christmas tree came from the 8th century, from light hand Saint Boniface. Some sources report one unusual event that allegedly took place in the north of Hesse, near Geismar: not far from the border fortification of the Franks there stood a tree sacred to the pagan Germans - the Oak of Donar (Oak of Thor). Saint Boniface, who was trying to convert a group of Druids to Christianity, could not convince them that the oak was neither a sacred tree nor an invincible tree. In desperation, he cut it down. When it fell, the oak crushed everything in its path, except for one evergreen tree - a spruce. Boniface declared this a miracle, and then declared that the spruce belonged to the Christ child, since the evergreen tree symbolizes eternal life: its greenery never leaves the branches, so evergreens are believed to have the power over death and destruction.

The custom of the Christmas tree came to Greece in 1833, when the first Christmas tree in the country was decorated in the palace of the Greek king Otto in Nafplion, which was at that time the capital of Greece.

The similarity between Greece and the rest of Europe in celebrating Christmas is only one thing. During the Christmas and New Year celebrations, Greece, like all of Europe, is filled with a magical atmosphere. The windows of all stores are full of a variety of gifts, they switch to non-stop operation, and the streets shimmer with bright colors and lots of decorations. One of the most visited Christmas attractions in Thessaloniki is the huge model ships decorated with garlands in Aristotle Square. This is, so to speak, a Greek exclusive that tourists come to admire. Model ships are also installed in other large cities. Even ordinary work boats are often decorated with glowing garlands for the holiday.