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| Copyright 2004-2008 Carol Palioudaki. Christmas and New Year in Crete. Living in Crete www.livingincrete.net |
| Living in Crete |
| Christmas & New Year |
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Index > Greek Life > Christmas
| Christmas & New Year in Crete and Greece |
Epiphany covers the twelve days of Christmas, from Christmas Day through
New Year to Epiphany on 6th January.
Christmas in Crete & Greece
'XRISTOUYENNA' - in Greek it literally means Christ's birth.
Christmas is the second most important religious holiday in Greece, after
Easter.
It is usually celebrated with quiet church services, family gatherings and Name
Day parties.
Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December, but presents are usually given
to children on January 1st, St. Basil's Day (Agios Vassilis = Father Christmas).
In Western European countries St. Nicholas is celebrated as a great gift-giver,
and his name is given to Father Christmas, who is supposed to visit children
to give presents at Christmas.
In Greece St Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, and 6th December is St.
Nicholas Day. In centuries of Greek folklore, Nicholas was seen as "The Lord
of the Sea'. In modern Greece, he is still easily among the most recognisable
saints and December 6 finds many cities celebrating their patron saint. He is
also the patron saint of all of Greece.
In the past there used to be present giving on this day, and boats were
decorated instead of Christmas Trees. The decorated boats are still seen in
some places, but have mainly given way to the western tradition of the
Christmas tree.
In Greek tradition St. Basil (Agios Vassilis) name has been given to Father
Christmas. St Vassilis Day is celebrated on the 1st January, therefore the
Greek Agios Vassilis ' Father Christmas' visits children on New Year's Day to
give their presents.
Christmas is becoming more commercialised in Greece and the shops are full
of tinsel and trimmings from November. A week or two before Christmas most
Cretans decorate Christmas trees in their homes and many also have an
impressive array of lights hung outside on balconies and in gardens. The town
streets and villages are also well decorated with Christmas lights.
On Christmas Eve children go from house to house singing carols, the
'Kalanda' (see below).
Christmas Day is usually spent with family and the traditional Christmas dinner
is roast lamb, pork or turkey, usually without the trimmings! Or fricassee -
lamb or pork cooked with egg and lemon sauce. Loaves of 'christopsomo'
('Christ bread' - large sweet loaves) are usually on the Christmas table, along
with Christmas biscuits - melomakarana (sweet honey covered biscuits) and
kourabiedes (icing sugar -coated biscuits).
December 25th is also the Name Day of Christos, Christina and Chrysoula, so
many people are attending, or hosting, Name Day parties on Christmas Day
evening.
Other Christmas and New Year Name Days
26th December - Manolis, Manos, Manolia.
27th December - Stephanos, Stephania
1st January - Vassilis, Vaso
7th January - Yiannis, Yianna
X_MAS
The 'Xmas' abbreviation of Christmas is said to come from the Greek 'Xristos'
or Christos.
The Kalanda
The Kalanda, or Christmas Carols, are traditionally sung on Christmas Eve,
New Years Eve and the Eve of Epiphany. Groups of children go from house to
house singing the appropriate Carol for the day (there are 3 different songs
for each 3 days), usually accompanied by metal triangles (trigono). They will
ask the house owner ' na to poume?' (literally 'shall we sing it?') before
starting to sing. This is in case there has been a recent death in the family as
those in mourning celebrate Christmas quietly.
Afterwards the children are given sweets or coins by the house owner.
New Year in Crete and Greece
'PROTOXRONIA'
A Bank Holiday in Greece. The day of Saint Basil or Agios Vassilis, also known
in Greece as Father Christmas.
The 'Podariko' - First footing. It's considered to be lucky for a child to be the
first person to step over your doorstep on New Years Day. The tradition is to
bring a plant called the 'skylokremmyda' (which has thick green leaves and a
bulb) which is left on the doorstep, and the child should step into the house
right foot first. The child is then given a gift of money for the New Year.
Vassilopita - St Basil's Cake/ New Year's cake.
The vassilopita is a simple sponge cake and is baked in nearly every
household at New Year. A coin wrapped in foil (flouri) is placed in the cake
before it's baked. The cake is ceremoniously cut by the head of the household
and whoever gets the slice containing the flouri is said to have good luck for
all of the forthcoming year.
Gambling
Traditionally Greeks spend the days during Christmas and New Year gambling.
New Year's Eve is THE main gambling time - after seeing in the New Year many
will try out their luck until well into the early hours. Even houses and cars
have been lost over a card game or the throw of the zaria (dice)! In all the
cafeneons across the land around Christmas you will find the men sitting
around card tables. It is actually illegal to gamble in unlicensed places but this
doesn't stop the owners or the customers! The cafeneon owners actually
charge for the tables by the hour and will go around collecting a few Euros off
each player every hour. The most popular card games are 21 (similar to black
jack, but with a kitty in the middle), 31 (similar to black jack but each player
tries to get 31 instead of 21, and 'thanasi' (like rummy).
'Zaria' or dice is played with two dice by 2 players in turn and there are set
winning and losing combinations (win 6 and 6, 6 and 5, lose 1 and 1, 1 and 3
etc.). Betting takes place before the throw of the dice and there is also side
betting around the table .
Epiphany in Crete and Greece
Theofania or Ta Fota
6th January
On the Eve of 'Ta Fota' the village priests do the rounds of the village homes
and sprinkle holy water to bless the houses and all those who live there -
called the "ayiasmos" .
The Feast of Epiphany, or The Solomn Blessing of the Waters, commemorates
Christ's baptism in the River Jordan.
Waterside ceremonies are held across Greece by priests. During the ceremony
the Holy cross is thrown into the sea or river and swimmers dive in to retrieve
it. It is a great honour and a blessing for the one who retrieves the cross first.
______________________________________________________________
Many Crete Hotels are open all year round.
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR SHOP OPENING HOURS 2007/2008
Sunday 23rd December 2007 OPEN 10.00am to 6pm
Monday 24th December 2007 OPEN 8am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm
December 25th and 26th Closed
Sunday 30th December OPEN 10am to 6pm
Monday 31st December 2007 OPEN 8am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm
January 1st and 2nd Closed
January 6th Closed
Also the week leading up to Christmas and New Year, i.e. from 17th to 23rd
December and from 27th December to 30th December shops are open
extended hours for Christmas and New Year shopping.
The Sales in Greece usually start at the end of January or beginning of
February.
_____________________________________________________________
New Year to Epiphany on 6th January.
Christmas in Crete & Greece
'XRISTOUYENNA' - in Greek it literally means Christ's birth.
Christmas is the second most important religious holiday in Greece, after
Easter.
It is usually celebrated with quiet church services, family gatherings and Name
Day parties.
Christmas is celebrated on the 25th December, but presents are usually given
to children on January 1st, St. Basil's Day (Agios Vassilis = Father Christmas).
In Western European countries St. Nicholas is celebrated as a great gift-giver,
and his name is given to Father Christmas, who is supposed to visit children
to give presents at Christmas.
In Greece St Nicholas is the patron saint of sailors, and 6th December is St.
Nicholas Day. In centuries of Greek folklore, Nicholas was seen as "The Lord
of the Sea'. In modern Greece, he is still easily among the most recognisable
saints and December 6 finds many cities celebrating their patron saint. He is
also the patron saint of all of Greece.
In the past there used to be present giving on this day, and boats were
decorated instead of Christmas Trees. The decorated boats are still seen in
some places, but have mainly given way to the western tradition of the
Christmas tree.
In Greek tradition St. Basil (Agios Vassilis) name has been given to Father
Christmas. St Vassilis Day is celebrated on the 1st January, therefore the
Greek Agios Vassilis ' Father Christmas' visits children on New Year's Day to
give their presents.
Christmas is becoming more commercialised in Greece and the shops are full
of tinsel and trimmings from November. A week or two before Christmas most
Cretans decorate Christmas trees in their homes and many also have an
impressive array of lights hung outside on balconies and in gardens. The town
streets and villages are also well decorated with Christmas lights.
On Christmas Eve children go from house to house singing carols, the
'Kalanda' (see below).
Christmas Day is usually spent with family and the traditional Christmas dinner
is roast lamb, pork or turkey, usually without the trimmings! Or fricassee -
lamb or pork cooked with egg and lemon sauce. Loaves of 'christopsomo'
('Christ bread' - large sweet loaves) are usually on the Christmas table, along
with Christmas biscuits - melomakarana (sweet honey covered biscuits) and
kourabiedes (icing sugar -coated biscuits).
December 25th is also the Name Day of Christos, Christina and Chrysoula, so
many people are attending, or hosting, Name Day parties on Christmas Day
evening.
Other Christmas and New Year Name Days
26th December - Manolis, Manos, Manolia.
27th December - Stephanos, Stephania
1st January - Vassilis, Vaso
7th January - Yiannis, Yianna
X_MAS
The 'Xmas' abbreviation of Christmas is said to come from the Greek 'Xristos'
or Christos.
The Kalanda
The Kalanda, or Christmas Carols, are traditionally sung on Christmas Eve,
New Years Eve and the Eve of Epiphany. Groups of children go from house to
house singing the appropriate Carol for the day (there are 3 different songs
for each 3 days), usually accompanied by metal triangles (trigono). They will
ask the house owner ' na to poume?' (literally 'shall we sing it?') before
starting to sing. This is in case there has been a recent death in the family as
those in mourning celebrate Christmas quietly.
Afterwards the children are given sweets or coins by the house owner.
New Year in Crete and Greece
'PROTOXRONIA'
A Bank Holiday in Greece. The day of Saint Basil or Agios Vassilis, also known
in Greece as Father Christmas.
The 'Podariko' - First footing. It's considered to be lucky for a child to be the
first person to step over your doorstep on New Years Day. The tradition is to
bring a plant called the 'skylokremmyda' (which has thick green leaves and a
bulb) which is left on the doorstep, and the child should step into the house
right foot first. The child is then given a gift of money for the New Year.
Vassilopita - St Basil's Cake/ New Year's cake.
The vassilopita is a simple sponge cake and is baked in nearly every
household at New Year. A coin wrapped in foil (flouri) is placed in the cake
before it's baked. The cake is ceremoniously cut by the head of the household
and whoever gets the slice containing the flouri is said to have good luck for
all of the forthcoming year.
Gambling
Traditionally Greeks spend the days during Christmas and New Year gambling.
New Year's Eve is THE main gambling time - after seeing in the New Year many
will try out their luck until well into the early hours. Even houses and cars
have been lost over a card game or the throw of the zaria (dice)! In all the
cafeneons across the land around Christmas you will find the men sitting
around card tables. It is actually illegal to gamble in unlicensed places but this
doesn't stop the owners or the customers! The cafeneon owners actually
charge for the tables by the hour and will go around collecting a few Euros off
each player every hour. The most popular card games are 21 (similar to black
jack, but with a kitty in the middle), 31 (similar to black jack but each player
tries to get 31 instead of 21, and 'thanasi' (like rummy).
'Zaria' or dice is played with two dice by 2 players in turn and there are set
winning and losing combinations (win 6 and 6, 6 and 5, lose 1 and 1, 1 and 3
etc.). Betting takes place before the throw of the dice and there is also side
betting around the table .
Epiphany in Crete and Greece
Theofania or Ta Fota
6th January
On the Eve of 'Ta Fota' the village priests do the rounds of the village homes
and sprinkle holy water to bless the houses and all those who live there -
called the "ayiasmos" .
The Feast of Epiphany, or The Solomn Blessing of the Waters, commemorates
Christ's baptism in the River Jordan.
Waterside ceremonies are held across Greece by priests. During the ceremony
the Holy cross is thrown into the sea or river and swimmers dive in to retrieve
it. It is a great honour and a blessing for the one who retrieves the cross first.
______________________________________________________________
Many Crete Hotels are open all year round.
CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR SHOP OPENING HOURS 2007/2008
Sunday 23rd December 2007 OPEN 10.00am to 6pm
Monday 24th December 2007 OPEN 8am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm
December 25th and 26th Closed
Sunday 30th December OPEN 10am to 6pm
Monday 31st December 2007 OPEN 8am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm
January 1st and 2nd Closed
January 6th Closed
Also the week leading up to Christmas and New Year, i.e. from 17th to 23rd
December and from 27th December to 30th December shops are open
extended hours for Christmas and New Year shopping.
The Sales in Greece usually start at the end of January or beginning of
February.
_____________________________________________________________
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 |
Index > Greek Life > Christmas
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