I love returning to Greece at Christmas time, almost as much as I love returning to the Greek Islands for summer! I’ve put together this guide on Greek Christmas essentials to help you navigate Greek Christmas traditions, food, decorations, and expressions, what to do in Greece for Christmas, and where to go to experience the uniqueness of Christmas in Greece.
Experiencing a Greek Christmas might not be the first thing to think of when it comes to the holiday season, but Christmas in Greece is actually a whole month of wonderful festivities, filled with wintery tastes, smells, and activities; the whole country looks much like a giant Santa Claus factory – open-fire chestnuts, sugary treats, smoky chimneys and tons of presents.
Things to know about a Greek Christmas
The Greeks love winter and the festive season as the weather is mild and the whole sentiment is family-oriented – tourism season has finally ended and people have time for themselves and their loved ones.
And it’s not freezing cold, so most of it is spent outdoors – this alone makes it a different kind of Christmas for Northern Hemisphere visitors!
Christmas in Greece is one of many religious events in a month-long festive season that starts on December 6th with the day of Saint Nicholas and continues until the celebration of Epiphany on January 6th.
During this month, the country definitely has the Christmas spirit – streets are lined with Christmas lights, shops adorned with festive decorations, and people are out and about shopping, drinking, and having fun.
Things are a bit different in Greece than they are in the rest of Europe. St Nicholas is celebrated as the patron saint and protector of the sailors, navy, and maritime activities, but he is not a Greek Santa who brings gifts to Greek children.
That role fell upon Saint Basil (Agios Vassilis) whose day is celebrated on January the 1st, together with the New Year’s celebration.
Like everything else in Greece, the experience of Christmas will be different in big cities than in the islands or villages.
As much as Easter is the time to celebrate away from the urban crowds, Christmas is best experienced in Athens, Thessaloniki, or another big city in Greece.
Christmas Decorations
Greeks love to decorate their homes, shops, and streets and Christmas is when they overdo it, in a good way though.
Orange trees illuminated with lights, balconies with wreaths and your local corner shop will look fancier than the Harrods itself.
Instead of the Christmas tree, the Greeks traditionally decorate a small boat or karavaki. Once a centerpiece of festive activities, a karavaki symbolized the return of the sailors from the open seas, so small wooden boats were decorated in the harbors and tiny replicas at home.
Nowadays, centrally placed karavaki will be lit up in every city in Greece, next to the Christmas tree, which is seen as an imported tradition brought to Greece by the formal Royal family that is German in origin.
Christmas trees decorated in homes and gardens are slowly replacing the traditional Christmas boat.
Christmas Eve – singing, baking, and a party
Christmas Eve is the day the festive spirit really kicks in.
The day starts with groups of children roaming their neighborhoods singing Greek Christmas carols (called kalanda in Greek), expecting pocket change in return.
They ring the front door and in the city center, they enter shops and small businesses to sing.
The day continues at home with baking the Christopsomo – Christ’s bread – that is used on Christmas Day.
It is a ceremonial loaf of sweet bread different as the regions in Greece change, each having its own version, taste, and decorations.
It may range from a simple round loaf with a cross made of two stripes of dough over it, to those elaborate ones that indicate the identity of the family – fisherman or baker or something similar.
In cities, Christmas Eve is usually spent in bar crawls, and nobody does it better than Thessaloniki. Friends, young and old, gather for an afternoon snack, only to drink the early evening away in cafes and bars.
The faithful will attend the evening service in the Greek Orthodox Church of their neighborhood and in case they adhered to the 40-day long Advent fast, a post-midnight snack will follow.
Christmas Day in Greece – family and friends
Christmas dinner is a home-oriented celebration where a Christmas table is prepared and enjoyed during the day.
Much less elaborate than the Easter feast, the Christmas feast will still include a pork roast, cheese pie, sweet treats, Christopsomo with nuts symbolizing prosperity, and wine.
During the afternoon, people will gather outdoors, in one of the Christmas open-air markets, or visit a cultural center for an event, go ice skating, or just for a mulled wine or honey raki in a bar.
New Year’s Eve – formal and elegant
Days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve are full of public concerts, theatre performances, workshops, and quality time spent outdoors with family and friends.
It is time for buying Christmas gifts, window-shopping along the fancy central avenues, and eating out with friends.
New Year’s Eve is an important celebration for the Greeks and the people here dress elegantly, treat themselves to a pricey meal, and party in one of the fine-dining restaurants, 5-star hotel roof gardens, or sea-view restaurants.
If at home, finest attire and champagne are unavoidable, with one addition – Vassilopita.
Vassilopita is a ceremonial pie shared right after the midnight fireworks among the people invited to honor Agios Vassilis whose day is January the 1st. (St Basil’s Day).
Sweet pie, often elaborately decorated and filled with chocolate, hides a coin and whoever gets a piece with the lucky coin inside is considered fortunate in the New Year.
Epiphany – the end of the festive season
Another important religious holiday that is also a bank holiday is Epiphany (also called Ta Fota – the Light), a day when Eastern Orthodox tradition commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ.
The day is famous for an early morning service happening all around the country in which the Great Sanctification of Water occurs.
This is followed by an event in which a local priest throws a cross in the water (sea, river, or lake), for the faithful strong young men to compete in finding it and bringing it back.
Hundreds participate despite the freezing water temperatures, as the prize is the priest’s blessing lasting a whole year.
Greek Christmas food and festive treats
The scents, tastes, and smells of festive food and drinks are one of the main reasons people here love the Christmas season.
Here are the basics any Greek Christmas experience should include:
🎅 Melomakarona – semolina and olive-oil-based soft cookie, full of clove and honey scents and toppled with grounded nuts.
This king of Greek Christmas sweets is sold all around town, so try a different one every day.
🎅 Kourampiedes – hard vanilla cookies with almonds, coated in powdered sugar. Honorable No. 2 among the traditional Christmas sweets, kourampiedes are great with tea or morning coffee.
🎅 Rakomelo – honey-based raki (Greek Grappa), usually drank warm during the cold days of Christmas.
🎅 Salepi – Hot sweet drink made with orchid root.
Sold outdoors by street vendors, salepi is a locals’ favorite during the festive season and almost impossible to find outside Greece and the Balkan countries.
Christmas markets and fairs
Another imported Greek tradition is Christmas villages, markets, and fairs.
From the nation’s biggest market called Christmas Factory at Technopolis in Athens, to the nation’s cutest in the city of Trikala to all those small neighborhood Christmas stalls, Greece is crazy about its Christmas markets.
Selling everything – from French cheese to the farmers’ prosciutto, chestnuts, and marzipan – these pop-up winter fairylands usually feature huge Christmas trees and entertainment for the kids too.
What to do in Greece for Xmas
Greece is wonderful during the festive period – the summertime and tourist season are gone and the locals are relaxed and immersed in their activities and errands.
You will experience a different country than that during the summer.
Visit Athens
The capital of Greek Christmas, Athens is home to the majority of Christmas villages, concerts, ice-rings, cultural programs, and shopping.
Take a week-long Christmas holiday and celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Athens.
Further Reading: Athens Christmas 2023 – 21 Best Things to Do in Athens at Christmas
Visit Crete
Chania is the jewel of Crete (the biggest of the Greek islands) that puts its festive mask on during December to become one of the best seaside places to experience a Greek Christmas.
Visit Thessaloniki and Trikala
The second capital and the place known for the Christmas afternoon party that spills all over the streets of the city center is Thessaloniki.
A visit to Thessaloniki can easily be coupled with an excursion to Trikala for its Christmas village and to Meteora – the out-of-this-world monastery area, with buildings set on top of rocks, suspended in mid-air.
Visit Pelion and Volos
Half peninsula and half ancestral home of the mythical centaurs, Pelion is one of the most magical forest-covered areas in Greece and a place with the cutest stone houses with fireplaces.
Plus, Volos, the hometown of Tsipouro, is right next to it.
Forests, mythical creatures, and beautiful houses – what more do you need for a romantic Greek Christmas?
Visit Arachova and the Parnassos Ski Center
The Aspen of Greece, Arachova is where the Who’s Who of Athens goes to be seen during the winter months.
The Parnassos Ski Center is only a 5-minute drive away.
Easy Greek Christmas expressions to learn
- Kala Christougenna – Merry Christmas
- Kali Chronia – Happy New Year
- Kales Giortes – Happy Holidays
- Xronia Polla – Many happy returns
- Na ta Poume – “Shall we say it?” (meaning – can we sing you Christmas carols?)
Weather in Greece during Christmas
- Weather during the holiday season is mild in Athens, where you can expect temperatures between 5°C/41°F and 15°C/33.8°F
- The further north you go, the colder it gets, especially in the mountains.
- The Greek Islands can be rainy and windy.
