Christmas in Greece!!!

Greek Christmas!!!

• Greece is a deeply Orthodox country . So Christmas is the biggest religious Holiday and Celebration in our country!

• People here start preparing for Christmas on November 15 ,when religious fast begins!

• So , those who choose to fast, don’t eat meat and dairy products from the middle of November till Christmas Day!

• At Christmas those who fast and young children receive the Holy Communion. We all go to church early in the morning. The bells ring at 5:30am!!

Here is a photo of Lenten food served in monasteries during Lent: beans, olives, vegetable pies, pickles , dried fruit and of

course bread!

As time passes and Christmas is approaching Greeks decorate their cities. Photos of Larissa ,our home city! It should be mentioned that we decorate Christmas trees and Christmas Boats since we are a

nautical country !

Christmas boats are decorated both outside and inside the house!!

There also are festivals and events organized to celebrate Christmas ! Look at the photos of the old mill in Larissa where

children enjoy Christmas time!

…Christmas funfair at the old mill in Larissa!

Athens ,the capital city, during Christmas time the previous years!

Christmas concerts are organized too!

We also decorate our houses and buy presents for our friends, family and especially for people who celebrate their name days during this

Holy period!

But apart from the decoration, Christmas is also smell and taste! The smell and taste of traditional sweets being baked while we wait to

celebrate Christmas.They are baklavas, kataifi, diples and melomakarona!

Melomakarona is the most famous sweet!

Ingredients1200 grams flour1 teaspoon2 teaspoons cinnamon1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon baking sodaSkin of one orange grated500 grams olive oil250 grams sugar2/3 of water glass orange juice1 wine glass of cognac Syrup1 glass of water1 glass of sugar2 glasses of honey Instructions Add one by one all the ingredients in a

bowl, mix well, make balls ,bake at 180o Celsius for 30’.Boil the syrup well and pour it over the baked melomakarona. Then pour melted dark chocolate and sprinkle with walnuts.

Another popular sweet is kourabiedes!!

Ingredients• 250 grams of butter• ½ cup of caster sugar• ½ cup of almonds baked• 2 vanillas• 2 tablespoons of cognac• 2 tablespoons of water• 3-4 cups of flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions Mix all the ingredientsCut the dough whatever shape

you like Bake at 180 o Celsius for 30’ Sprinkle with caster sugar

The sweets are ready on the 24 December when children go door to door singing Carols ,playing their musical instruments or their

triangles. People give them money and sweets!

The same day groups of pupils or soldiers or even grown ups wearing

traditional clothes visit politicians and sing the Carols to them!

While the youngest sing the carols mums prepare Christmas lunch! This day we usually cook pork,(pork chops ,pork steaks ,sausages) in the past all the villagers used to have their own pigs so they cooked

it after a long period of Lent!

Pork cooked in the oven, pork with plumps, pork cooked outside traditionally and pork with oranges!

The Greeks eat a lot of sweets on Christmas Day. They also give them to friends and relatives as a present during

Christmas and treat all visitors!

Kourabiedes ,kataifi , melomakarona!!!

Last but not least, we bake Christmas bread too. It is made with a basil yeast and it is decorated too!

More photos of Christopsomo (bread)!

…that’s the way celebrate Jesus Christ’s birth!!!!!!!!!!