Christmas in Greece
"Kala Christougenna"
The Greeks start their Christmas with a 40 day fast. This is called Short-Lent and ends on Christmas Eve. Mass on Christmas Day starts at 4am and finishes just before daybreak. Later they have a feast for Christmas dinner which includes a roast suckling pig.
They also eat a cake called Christpsomo which means "bread of Christ". This is covered in nuts and sugar powder. They have a special greeting which is "Eti Pola" which means "A long life to you". The Greeks don't have Christmas trees but most homes have a decoration which is a shallow wooden bowl with a sprig of basil attached to a wooden cross. Few presents are exchanged on Christmas Day. Greek children have to wait until New Years Day for St. Basil to deliver the presents.
A Greek custom is for young boys to sing carols, going round from house to house getting dried figs, nuts, oranges and money for their efforts. Once a day a family member dips a cross and some basil into holy water and sprinkles it in each room of the house. This is supposed to keep the Killantzaroi away. These are believed to be goblins who appear only in the 12 days of Christmas.
