Seasonal Holliday Attire: Christmas in Greece


Figure 1.--These Greek boys wear photographed in 1973 with their mother in front of a Christmas tree. Note that they are at an outdoor display. Most Greeks do not have the Christmas trees that are so common in America, England, and Germany.

Christmas is a major holiday in Greece. To members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as are most Greek Christians, Christmas ranks second to Easter in the roster of important holidays. Some of the Greek Christmas traditions are quite unique and somewaht different to traditions in Western Europe and America.

Saints

St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas is important in Greece as the patron saint of sailors. According to Greek tradition, his clothes are drenched with brine, his beard drips with seawater, and his face is covered with perspiration because he has been working hard against the waves to reach sinking ships and rescue them from the angry sea. While St. Nicolas is very important for Greece (especially in the islands, he is considered to be the protector of sailors), he is not the saint that is associated with Christmas and Santa Clause.

St. Basil

Santa Claus in Greece (and other Orthodox countries like Russia) is not St. Nicolas but St. Basil. Hense the Greeks do not talk about Santa Claus (Nicolas) but "Agios Vassilis".

Unique Customs

Yet there are a number of unique customs associated with Christmas that are uniquely Greek. On Christmas Eve, village children travel from house to house offering good wishes and singing "kalanda", the equivalent of carols. Often the songs are accompanied by small metal triangles and little clay drums. The children are frequently rewarded with sweets and dried fruits. In the islands people tend to have a ornated boat instead of a Christmas tree and children nowdays receive money instead of candies when they sing the kalanda.

After 40 days of fasting, the Christmas feast is looked forward to with great anticipation by adults and children alike. Pigs are slaughtered and on almost every table are loaves of christopsomo ("Christ Bread"). This bread is made in large sweet loaves of various shapes and the crusts are engraved and decorated in some way that reflects the family's profession.

Symbols

Christmas trees are not traditionally used in Greece, although in recent years they have become more common. In almost every home the main Greek symbol of the season used to be, and are still common, a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of wire is suspended across the rim; from that hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a wooden cross. A small amount of water is kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and fresh. Once a day, a family member, usually the mother, dips the cross and basil into some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water in each room of the house. This ritual is believed to keep the Killantzaroi away from the house. There are a number of beliefs connected with the Killantzaroi, which are a species of goblins or sprites who appear only during the 12-day period from Christmas to the Epiphany (January 6). These creatures are believed to emerge from the center of the earth and to slip into people's house through the chimney. More mischievous than actually evil, the Killantzaroi do things like extinguish fires, ride astride people's backs, braid horses' tails, and sour the milk. To further repel the undesirable sprites, the hearth is kept burning day and night throughout the twelve days.

Gifts

Gifts are exchanged on St. Basil's Day (January 1). On this day the "renewal of waters" also takes place, a ritual in which all water jugs in the house are emptied and refilled with new "St. Basil's Water." The ceremony is often accompanied by offerings to the naiads, spirits of springs and fountains.






Christopher Wagner






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Created: December 27, 1998
Last updated: April 24, 2002