Greek Christmas Traditions

Written by Kate Power

Even though Easter is a much bigger holiday than Christmas for Greeks, it’s still a great time of tradition, but with a twist. Greek Orthodox traditions mingle with familiar festive customs. Where some people decorate a Christmas Tree, lots of Greeks put model ships in their houses, and where gifts are presented on December 25^th in some homes, Greek give gifts on New Year’s Eve.

Christmas Tree in Greece. Photo Credit Tilemahos Efthimiadis

After a couple of years living in Greece, here are some of the most famous that I’ve heard of:

The Christmas Goblin

I had never heard of these even in my first few years of living in Greece. The kallikantzari are mischievous elves who visit earth for 12 days over Christmas. Their aim is to disturb people; they come out at night to steal food or knock things over. However they are not too effective as far as mischief goes, because usually they can’t agree on anything, so their plans are left on the shelf. In the past, villagers wouldn’t leave their houses after nightfall for fear of running into one of the creatures. On Epiphany (January 6^th), water is blessed and it forces them back underground.