Christmas in Greece

General The festive period lasts from 24th of December (Christmas) to 6th of January (Epiphany). People celebrate the born of Christ (on 25th of December), the first day of the new year (1st of January) and the epiphany (Christian feast day which celebrates the "shining forth" or revelation of God in human foam in the person of Jesus Christ)

Christmas in whole Greece Most families set up Christmas trees or Christmas boats (referring to the Greek shipping tradition) Also shops have decorations and lights. Presents are placed under the Christmas tree or under the Christmas boats and are opened on New Year’s Day

Christmas Greeks use to prepare special breads for the occasion called “Cristopsoma”, which can be translated as “Breads of God” They have a really nice taste and are a symbol of Greek Christmas

Cristopsoma

Christmas In Greek tradition, Basil’s of Caesarea name was given to Father of Christmas and is supposed to visit children and give presents on New Year’s Day (when Basil's memory is celebrated), unlike other European traditions, where this person is saint Nicholas and comes every Christmas

Christmas Carols Carol singing is another tradition on Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Children use to visit all houses of the village and sing for their owners Houses’ owners are supposed to give them for exchange some money or candies!

Christmas Carols

Christmas meal The Christmas meal usually includes lamb or pork Moreover there are some special desserts such as kourampiedes (κουραμπιέδες) and melomakarona (μελομακάρονα).

Melomakarona

RECIPE FOR MELOMAKARONA

Ingredients - 7 cups all-purpose unbleached flour - extra flour for kneading - 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda - 1/4 teaspoon of salt - 1 3/4 cup of mild olive oil - 1 1/4 cup of sugar - 1/2 cup of cognac or mavrodaphne wine - 3 oranges zested and juiced - 4 teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon - 1 1/2 teaspoon of freshly ground clove - 3/4 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg

Syrup - 1 pound of honey - 1 cup of sugar & 1 clove inch piece of cinnamon - 1 lemon zested & juiced - 1 cup of water

Topping - 1/2 cup of shelled almonds - 1 tablespoon of sugar - 1 teaspoon of freshly ground cinnamon

Prepare the syrup: put honey, sugar, cinnamon, clove, & lemon zest in a saucepan add water, bring to boil & simmer for 5-10 minutes add lemon juice & chill

Blanch the almonds: plunge into boiling water for 1-2 minutes, until skin loosens drain & de-skin onto a baking sheet roast in an oven preheated to 350 F for 10 minutes till they begin to colour cool & crush very finely by hand mix ground almonds with sugar & cinnamon

Main Preparation sift flour, baking soda & salt together put the olive oil & sugar in a large bowl & beat together with a wooden spoon beat in the Cognac, orange zest, spices, & juice from 2 oranges (about 1/2 cup)

The kneading: beat flour into bowl, a few spoonfuls at a time, until the dough is malleable, add more flour if it is too soft & more orange juice if it is too stiff turn dough onto a floured surface & knead for minutes until very smooth

Form the sweets: pinch off pieces of dough (approx. 2 tablespoons) & form into flattened oval shapes bake in an oven preheated to F for about 20 min on oiled or non-stick baking sheet until golden brown cool to 'hand' temperature, dip in syrup for approx. 1 minute & then place with a slotted spoon on a tray to cool

Kourampiedes

RECIPE FOR KOURAMPIEDES

Ingredients - 1/2 kilo of butter -1 coffee cup of icing sugar -2 egg yolks -1 ½ coffee cups of cognac -2 tsp. of powdered vanilla -1 ½ teacups of roughly chopped and lightly browned almonds -750 gr. approximately of soft flour

Procedure Beat the icing sugar and flour together, and then add all of the above ingredients and mix until the pastry is light and flaky. Knead the pastry into small oblong biscuits (diameter of 3-4 cm) and bake at medium heat. Before they are well browned take them out of the oven, and sprinkle them with rose water and icing sugar.