- December 6th is the celebration of Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of Greece and protector of sailors. According to tradition, his clothes are soaked in salt water, his beard drips, his face is covered in sweat from the effort of reaching the ships and saving the sailors from the stormy sea. In his honor at Christmas, small fishing boats are decorated with white and blue lights, decorated boats occupy the squares of villages and cities and small decorated wooden boats are placed inside the houses, facing the center of the houses to show the sailors the way back
- Those who are in Greece during the Christmas holidays are forced (by glycemia) to make a difficult choice like the all-Italian one between pandoro and panettone: kourabiedes or melomakarona? Both sweets are part of Hellenic cuisine and are prepared in almost all Greek homes these days to be shared with friends and family. We vote for melomakarona but in reality you can't go wrong, both biscuits are incredibly good and smell of celebration, which is what matters most!
- What would Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve be without children's carols? If in the big cities this tradition encounters practical obstacles, in small towns and on the islands, such as in Kefalonia, even today children (accompanied by tireless parents) continue to go from house to house singing the typical "kalanta" and playing the triangle. At the end of the performance, sometimes interrupted prematurely by the host who will end up listening to the same song dozens of times during the day, the singers are rewarded with a tip and are free to run towards the next house.
- The kallikantzaros (in Greek καλλικάντζαρος) may seem like one of those scary stories told at Halloween, but it is actually a Greek Christmas legend. According to tradition, these monstrous creatures appear on Earth on December 25th and after twelve nights in which they play all sorts of mischief on mankind, on January 6th they return to the underworld thanks to the Blessing of the Waters. The kallikantzaroi enter homes through the chimney, so it is advisable to keep the Yule Log lit during the holidays. They also fear light and the Christian cross and can therefore be repelled with holy water or by marking the front door with a black cross. One last disturbing curiosity? It was once believed that a child born on Christmas night could transform into a kallikantzaros. For this reason, parents would hold their baby's feet to a flame to burn the claws hidden inside the flesh and thus save the child from evil.
- Lucky charms (γούρια in Greek) are very popular at this time of year and it is common to receive them from loved ones as a good omen for the coming year. Bracelets, pendants, ornaments... Among the favorite symbols are pomegranates (emblems of prosperity) and Allah's eyes (protection from the evil eye) but the designs and materials of these charms can vary. Whatever you choose, a γούρι is still a welcome testimony of love and protection for the person who receives it.
- New Year's Day here in Greece is an intense day, much more than a nap on the sofa to recover strength after the Big Dinner! For children it is a special morning, the most magical of the year. Santa Claus in Greece is in fact a different person than in the rest of the world, his name is Agio Vasilis and he brings gifts on New Year's Eve.
- According to tradition, on New Year's morning the first person who enters the house will bring good luck or bad luck. It is therefore better that the "podariko" is a small child who with his innocence and purity is a good omen and that the first step is taken with the right foot.
- On the afternoon of January 1st, the streets of Argostoli become the scene of a very special event. Young and old gather on the Lithostroto, the main street, to listen to traditional songs and spray each other with cologne. The origins of this custom are unclear, but several testimonies from the beginning of the last century tell how cologne, confetti and whistles were available to young and old to celebrate the end of the year. While the bands played traditional songs in the streets, the cologne was sprayed by young lovers towards the object of their desire (there were various types of sprayers, some even made of gold and silver by local craftsmen). When the scented water ran out, the kids would draw water from the fountains to continue the game, which ended with the entire street wet and perfumed and the passers-by soaked but happy. After the devastating earthquakes of 1953, the custom faded away, only to resume when the Lithostroto was paved and made a pedestrian street again
- To celebrate Agio Vasilis (Saint Basil) and start the year in the best possible way, Greek families prepare and eat Vasilopita with relatives and friends, a special type of "sweet bread" in which a coin is hidden. The tradition is also followed by organizations, schools, clubs and companies in the month of January. The sweetness of the bread symbolizes the hope that the new year will be filled with the sweetness of life, freedom, health and happiness for all those who participate in cutting the Vasilopita. The whole family gathers together and the eldest begins to cut the cake. The first slice is set aside for Christ, the second for the house, any third or fourth slice for other things dear to the family and then the remaining slices are divided among those present. Whoever receives the piece with the coin will be the lucky one of the year! There are several legends about the birth of Vasilopita. Our favorite is the one according to which Saint Basil the Great wanted to distribute money to the poor of his diocese. In order not to offend their sensibilities, he asked some women to bake sugared bread and placed gold coins on it. In this way, the families, when cutting the bread to feed themselves, were pleasantly surprised to find the coins. Ready to start the new year with sweetness and why not, a family bet on who will get a little extra luck?
- On January 6, brave swimmers take their places on docks all over Greece to dive in search of a blessed cross. Whoever finds the cross emerges from the water proud, knowing that they will be blessed for the year to come. On the day of the Epiphany, the Theophany is celebrated in Greece, or God who emerges into the light. On this third and final holiday of the 12 days of Christmas, the mischievous kalikantzari return to the dark depths of the subsoil and the new year officially begins in the light.
