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. Greek ships never leave port
without some sort of St. Nicholas icon on board.
On Christmas Eve small boys to the beating of drums and the
tinkling of triangles usually sing carols. They go from house to house and are
given dried figs, almonds, walnuts and lots of sweets or sometimes small gifts.
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 or "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.
Christmas trees are not commonly used in Greece. In almost
every home the main symbol of the season is 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 is a tradition kallikantzeri, where the
mischievous goblins appear from the earth during the 12 days of Christmas.
At Christmas very few presents are given to each other.
Instead, small gifts are given to hospitals and orphanages.
Priests sometimes go from house to house sprinkling holy water
around to get rid of the bad spirits who may be hiding in people's houses.
In most Greek homes an evergreen tree is decorated with tinsel
and a star placed on top. Gifts are exchanged on January 1st, St Basil's Day.
On Christmas Eve, groups of people gather around the holiday
table. Figs, dried on rooftops are served with the spicy golden Chrisopsomo
bread.
As people are they greet one another by saying Hronia polla
or many happy years. The table filled with food may include such dishes as
kourambiethes, a Greek nut cookie.
Are you looking for a unique Christmas gift
for an animal lover. Many of our original animal photos have
been turned into great gift merchandise.
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