From annoying goblins, the pomegranate smashing, and street singing, all the way to the official blessing of the water, Greek Christmas traditions are a wonderful variety of cultural and religious activities undertaken all around the country during a month-long festive season.
In this article, I explain the most interesting Greek Christmas traditions, Greek Christmas food, and everything else you need to understand to enjoy the Christmas period in this storied country.
I often travel in Greece during the winter months and being invited to a friend’s house to spend a few days over the Christmas period is such a joyful and fun time.
Even if you can’t spend Christmas in Greece, you can discover, as I have, these wonderful 10 Greek Christmas traditions.
Greek Christmas Essentials
Greek Christmas is always on December the 25th.
Although Greeks belong to the Greek Orthodox Church and celebrate Easter with other Orthodox nations, Christmas in Greece is on the same date as in Western Christianity.
Christmas season and its festivities begin on the 6th of December – the name-day of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors.
It runs strong for a month until January 6th when Epiphany marks the end of the festive period.
Visiting Greece during the festivities is a beautiful experience of a country that is much slower than during the summer, full of interesting (and tasteful) Christmas traditions, and soaked in mild and sunny weather.
If you are not big on snow, celebrate Christmas and the Christmas holidays in Greece!
Greek Christmas traditions
Here are the 10 most wonderful Christmas traditions you’ll find in Greece.
1. Karavaki
My favorite Greek Christmas tradition is called karavaki and involves decorating a wooden boat (karavaki) instead of a Christmas tree!
Greece is a maritime nation and for millennia fishermen were out on the sea for much of the year, only to return home for Christmas.
To commemorate their return and their wish for safe travels in the New Year, the Greeks decorated wooden boats in harbors and tiny Christmas boats at home (usually on the mantelpiece).
Decorated boats have become key Christmas decorations, placed next to a big Christmas tree in a public square like Syntagma Square in Athens which is an amazingly festive place at Christmas.
The Christmas tree is seen as a symbol of Westernization and growing European influence on Greece.
The first Christmas tree appeared here during the 19th century, when the country’s first king, Otto of Bavaria, brought in the custom from his native Germany.
And of course, Christmas trees are decorated in homes as well.
2. Kallikantzaroi
Another folk legend that persisted as a Christmas tradition is the appearance of the underworld hobgoblins, called kallikantzaroi.
These malevolent creatures – evil spirits – are believed to enter the world of the living during the 12 days of Christmas (between December 25th and January 6th).
They climb down chimneys to wreak havoc on the households.
One way of keeping them away is to keep a Yule log burning in the fireplace for the whole 12-day period, or to place a colander on the threshold to confuse them.
They are finally banished on Epiphany when a priest blesses the house with holy water.
3. Agios Vassilis – the Greek Santa Claus
Greeks have another Santa Claus figure tasked with bringing Christmas presents to Greek children.
It’s not Saint Nicholas, who is busy protecting the sailors, but Agios Vassilis (Saint Basil) whose name-day is on January the 1st, conveniently coinciding with New Year’s Eve celebrations.
4. Kalanta – traditional Christmas carols
Another beautiful communal Greek Christmas tradition is kalanta – Greek Christmas carols sung by young children door to door along the whole country on Christmas Eve.
Starting early in the morning, small groups of children usually holding a triangle knock on the doors of houses, apartments, shops, and offices and ask “na ta poume” (shall we sing it?)
When the owner gives permission, kids start singing songs about Christ’s birth, followed by the high-pitched sound of a triangle, much to everyone’s amusement.
When the kids sing these beautiful Greek carols at my door, I reward their efforts with a few Euros and some Christmas treats.
5. Smashing a Pomegranate
The pomegranate is an age-long symbol of prosperity, good health, fertility, and good fortune, originating from Ancient Greece.
It is related to the Homeric myth of Demeter and Zeu’s daughter, Persephone, eating seeds of the pomegranate in the Underworld (she was stolen there by Hades (Pluto).
There’s much more to this myth that you can find out about at Ancient Eleusis where you’ll often find pomegranates left in front of the Plutonium, the entrance to the Underworld.
This is why you will see plenty of artistic pomegranates in galleries, shops, and bookstores displayed on sale during the Christmas period; it is considered a nice New Year’s gift among friends.
The real tradition, though, includes a man of the house placing a pomegranate in his pocket upon leaving the house for the church service with his family on New Year’s morning.
Upon returning, he is to be the first to enter the house with his right foot first, holding a pomegranate.
After that, he will break the pomegranate by throwing it to the ground in front of the house so the seeds can spread all over.
The more and stronger the seeds, the better the fortune of the household for the New Year!
6. Christopsomo – Christ’s bread
Preparation and baking of this special round loaf of bread eaten on Christmas day is a big thing all around Greece and the customs vary from region to region.
The Greek islands’ traditions differ from the mainland, due to the international influence brought in by sailors and invading armies.
Prepared at home several days ahead (or on Christmas Eve in some areas), Christospomo is a richly decorated loaf containing nuts, raisins, and other treats available in the area.
Its decoration must contain a large cross, but the rest is left to the imagination of the baker. Christopsomo is eaten on Christmas Day.
7. Christoxylo (Christ’s wood)
Remember the kallikantzaroi? Well, that piece of Yule log that is burning for 12 days straight in the home’s fireplace to keep them away is called the Christoxylo (Christ’s wood).
The tiny goblins are not the only reason to keep the wood burning. A more recent belief is that the flame of the Christoxylo provides warmth to the newly-born Christ.
Maintaining the flame and sprinkling the log with almonds and walnuts is an essential Greek tradition in Greek households.
The log itself is prepared well in advance and usually comes from an olive or pine tree.
8. Vasilopita (St. Basil’s Cake)
Vasilopita – St Basil’s cake – is a traditional New Year’s Day cake prepared to be shared and eaten during the first minutes of the New Year.
The secret is that every Vassilopita holds a coin placed in the cake before it is baked.
The first piece is cut for Christ, the second for the Virgin Mary, and the third for the house, while the rest is cut in as many pieces as there are guests around for the celebration.
Whoever finds the coin will be blessed with good fortune during the year.
Vasilopites are usually store-bought nowadays and can be anything from sweet bread to lavish chocolate cakes.
9. Traditional Greek Christmas sweets
The rich cuisine of Greece has its special chapter during the holiday season.
Smells and scents of clove, cinnamon, cardamom, sesame, and other spices fill the air, and patisserie shops and homes are full of special festive cookies. The essential ones are Melomakarona and Kourampiedes.
Melomakarona is the most traditional Christmas sweet. This semolina, olive oil, and walnut cookie is made exclusively during December and sadly disappears from shops in January.
It is the softest, sweetest bite of Christmas all over the world and a staple sweet on the Christmas feast day.
Kourampiedes is a hard cookie with an Ottoman-era background. It is a buttery vanilla almond bite that is perfectly coupled with coffee or tea during the cold December days.
Powdered sugar dusting of course makes it taste even better!
10. Epiphany celebration
The holiday season ends at Epiphany when the Greek Orthodox Church commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ.
All around the country priests perform the service of the Great Sanctification of Water.
After the service, a big richly adorned cross is thrown in any large body of water (sea, lake, river – depending on the region), so young men dive and compete in retrieving it and bringing it back to the priest.
The prize is a personal blessing and this is considered a real prize as it is supposed to bring a year’s worth of good fortune.
