Greek Christmas

[MarinaEllas]

Christmas in Greece is observed on December 25th, unlike Greek Orthodox Easter which is often celebrated on a different day. But the Greek version of Santa, Saint Nikolaos, has his feast day on December 6th, when children receive small gifts similar to Christmas gift-giving elsewhere.

In Greece, the "Twelve Days of Christmas" begin on Christmas and continue until the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. New Year's Day, or St. Basil's Day, is celebrated on January 1st.

Solemn Greek Christmas Traditions

Christmas in Greece is a traditionally a solemn, religious holiday. Throughout the festivities, there is never any question about whether Greece is remembering the Christ in Christmas. Beautiful carols called kalandas have been handed down from Byzantine times and add to the reverent quality of the celebration. And can the remote Greek villages, with whitewashed walls, stone corrals for the precious livestock, and clear starry skies be very far in spirit from a night in long ago Bethlehem?

Christmas Elves in Greece

While other cultures have Christmas elves, the Greek equivalent is not so benign. Mischievous and even dangerous sprites called the Kallikantzari (or Callicantzari), prey upon people only during the twelve days of Christmas, between Christmas itself and Epiphany on January 6th. Descriptions of them vary, and in one area they are believed to wear wooden or iron boots, the better to kick people, while other areas insist that they are hooved, not booted. Almost invariably male, other regions see in them the forms of wolves or even monkeys. In folktales, the twelve days of their power figure in a "wicked stepmother" story where a young girl is forced to walk alone to a mill through the twelve days, because her stepmother is hoping that the Kallikantzari will snatch her away.

Greece's Version of the Yule Log

Some households keep fires burning through the twelve days, to keep the spirits from entering by the chimney, a curious inversion of the visit of Santa Claus in other countries! The "yule log" in this case used to be a massive log set on end in the chimney, burning or at least smouldering for the entire period.Protective herbs such as hyssop, thistle, and asparagus were suspended by the fireplace, to keep the Callicantzari - or Kallinkantzari - away. Other households, perhaps less devout, were reduced to simple bribery and would put meat out for the Kallikantzari - again, this seems to be a more substantial snack than the milk and cookies put out for Santa. On Epiphany, the ceremonial blessing of the waters by the local priest was believed to settle the nasty creatures until the next year. Some local festivals still include representations of these entities, which may be a survival from Dionysian festivals.