Christmas in Greece
Before the onset of a bright holiday in Greece, it is customary today to decorate a Christmas tree. And once the owner of the house went into the forest and brought a strong spruce or olive tree to burn a tree in the hearth and drive away evil spirits for several days from Christmas to Epiphany. If you want to know what other holiday customs are honored by modern Greeks, take a winter vacation to this wonderful country and celebrate Christmas in Greece..
Evil spirits don't belong here!
One of the surviving Greek traditions is the cleaning of fireplaces. Before Christmas in Greece comes, the hostesses invite chimney sweeps and get rid of the old ash and soot in the chimney. It is believed that this prevents evil spirits from entering the house..
Christmas is a great occasion for the whole family to gather around a lighted fireplace and taste the best dishes prepared for the festive table. The main thing is special bread and pork. They are symbols of well-being and abundance. The Greeks also respect baked turkey with chestnuts, wild boar roast, pickled cabbage and grape-leaf cabbage rolls. For dessert, the hostesses serve kurabye and diples with syrup and nuts.
Carols: present sweet
An old tradition at Christmas in Greece is to go home with carols. In the early morning, the children gather in small groups and go to the neighbors. They perform songs based on biblical plots and ring with trigons - special metal triangles. This ringing, according to local residents, disperses evil forces and cleans houses. Everyone is happy: the owners of the houses of the magical «cleaning», and their guests are sweet tributes.
Museums and exhibition halls
A Christmas trip in Greece can also be devoted to sightseeing, which is countless in the country. Athens is a real open-air museum and everyone has something to see here. For example, her churches: the Greater Metropolis, which is the Cathedral, and the Church of St. Fedorov.
Ancient Greek monuments are an important part of Greek and world culture, and therefore a tour to Greece should include a couple of days in the capital. You can order a sightseeing tour of Athens at a travel agency in Russia or right on the spot, in Greece. As a rule, it is carried out by bus that stops at the most important city attractions..
You can and should see Christmas in Greece with your own eyes in order to plunge into the atmosphere of amazing unity of people. They are not afraid of difficulties and hardships, they have experienced many wars and upheavals, but through the centuries they were able to carry the warmth of their hearts and unique hospitality, which allows every tourist to come to Greece as a guest, and leave it as a good friend.
