"The Caryatids"

Ancient Greece in a 3D travel

Epiphany in Greece

Epiphany or Theophania or Phota is the last but very important of Christmas holidays for the Orthodox Church.  According to Klemes of Alexandria , it started from the 2nd c.AD from the Gnostics Christians of Egypt. They choosed the 6 th of January in order to replace the idolatrous celebrations  as it was an ancient Greek holiday in Apollo's honor. 

The Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Christ in the river Jordan from John the Baptist. According to the etymological interpretation "Theophania" means the appearance of the Saint Trinity for the first and last time. The other name "Phota" means light and it is symbolizing the light that the baptized accepts during the baptism. 

In Greece, Epiphany's Eve, children visit the houses singing the carols of this day. The mistress makes them welcome giving them some money or treating them goodies. The priests visit the houses and with a basil branch they sprinkle them with Holy Water. 

On the Epiphany's day in the churches they prepare the Great Holy Water. Faithful take into small bottles the holy water and they bring it at their homes. All members of the family drink some of it to be blessed. 

Young men dive into cold lakes, rivers or the sea in order to get the cross which has been blessed by a priest and thrown into the water. Whoever gets the cross first is meant to have good luck during the year. 

For the W.Macedonians Epiphany is the most important holiday of the year. They wear new clothes and news shoes.

In Thessaly, Kastoria, Drama, Karditsa, they celebrate the "Ragostaria". People disguise themselves, they use masks, black coats, they ring bells, they scream and they dance in order to terrify and send away the "Kallikantzari"(=Goblins), the ugly and troublesome  little creatures that live inside the earth and come to surface during the 12 day period from Christmas until Epiphany, when all waters are blessed. 

On the island of Lefkas they throw into the sea the old oranges and they baptize a fresh one that they keep next to the icons. 

On the island of Mitilini  they take the blessed Holy Water from the sea in a pumpkin and they wash their holy icons. During this ceremony they are not allowed to talk. 

The farmers sprinkle their farms and their animals with the Holly Water and they wash their farming tools in the seawater in order to be blessed. They also wash the holy icons. This reminds us the Athenians that in ancient times every year they washed the statue of Goddess Athena at Faliron's seawater. This was a great holiday called "Plintiria"   

Christmas in Greece

Christmas (Christougenna), is one of the most joyful celebrations of the Greek Orthodox Church. The Christmas season in Greece begins on December 6th, which is Saint Nicolas day and ends on January 6th, which is the Feast of the Epiphany (Theophania). During this period most greek towns are decorated with bright lights, bells, angels and the municipal authorities organize music concerts, theatrical performances and other cultural events.

There are many customs associated with the Christmas holidays, some of which are imported from other countries (like eating turkey on Christmas day and decorating the christmas tree). In the past, Greeks were decorating small Christmas boats in honor of St Nicolas, who is the protector of sailors. For this reason, you will often see boats decorated with sparkling lights in many Greek cities and especially in villages.

Today almost every home has a Christmas tree, a real one or an artificial one. Usually they  decorate them   few days before Christmas and they keep them in the homes until Epiphany.

Although the Christmas tree is assumed to be foreign custom, in reality it has  Greek roots, as in antiquity they used  to decorate green branches to welcome the  New Year.

A very old custom is the Greek Christmas carols, which is called “Kalanda” in Greek. Children are going  from house to house in groups of two or more singing the carols,  accompanied by the sounds of the triangle or guitars, accordions or harmonicas. Years ago the homeowners offered the children  sweets but today they usually give them some money. There are actually three  caroling days. The carols are sung in the mornings of Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve and January 5, the Eve of the Epiphany and they are different for each holiday

 There is a fasting period which starts  40 days before Christmas. The faithful would not eat any meat or any animal products, as dairy or eggs. Few days before Christmas housewives prepare the traditional Christmas cookies  “melomakarona” (honey cookies) and “ kourabiedes” (sugar cookies with almonds). For the Christmas Eve they bake the “Christopsomo” a special slightly sweet bread. Traditionally, the main course of Christmas dinner is roasted pork or lamb, spinach or cheese pies and various salads and vegetables but in the last years, Christmas turkey has become very popular as the main dish.

Melomakarona, Greek Christmas cookies

Kourambiedes, Greek Christmas cookies

Christopsomo, Greek Christmas bread

During Christmas vacation many Greeks choose to travel to picturesque villages, especially those located on the beautiful mountainsides.  They are the ideal places to spend a white Christmas! They visit also the most popular snow centers as Parnassos near the town of Arachova, Pertouli and Pilio in the region of Thessaly, Tymfristos at Karpenissi, Helmos in the town of Kalavrita, Mainalon at Vytina, Peloponnese, Vasilitsa at Grevena and Kaimaktsalan at Edessa. 

Christmas in Athens 2014

Christmas in Athens!
You can find the detailed schedule of the Christmas celebration events here:
http://www.thisisathens.org/files/avb/node_images/xmas2014/PROGRAM_CHRISTMAS_IN_ATHENS.pdf

The story of Santorini Volcano

Exhibition "Domenikos Theotokopoulos before El Greco"

On Wednesday, December 3, the Minister of Culture and Sports Constantine Tasoulas will inaugurate the exhibition "Domenikos Theotokopoulos before El Greco".

The exhibition is part of the Greek programme of events organized for the El Greco Year, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the death of the famous painter.

The exhibition seeks to shed light on the social and artistic environment of 26th-century Crete, where Theotokopoulos’ personality was formed before he left Candia for Venice in 1567, and to place the painter and his early artistic output in the context of this environment.

Duration of the exhibition 4 December 2014 - 31 March 2015.