Cretan Christmas Customs

As most of the guidebooks will tell you, in the Greek Orthodox calendar Easter takes precedence as the main festival of the year. In comparison to the razzmatazz and hype accompanying the ’festive season’ elsewhere in the world, Christmas celebrations in Greece are comparatively low key. Times are changing of course, due in part to influences from Northern Europe and the US, and in recent years Christmas in Greece has become increasingly commercialised. However; here on Crete, especially in the villages, you will find that there are many fascinating ancient local customs and rituals associated with the Christmas period that are still observed in the traditional way.

Fasting and Feasting

For strict observers of the Orthodox religion, Christmas marks the end of a fasting period that lasts from 15th November until 25th December. The diet during this time consists of winter greens, pulses, cereals and sometimes fish — but no meat, dairy products or eggs. On Christmas Eve it is traditional among rural families to prepare for the Christmas Feast by slaughtering a pig. This is a custom that can be traced back to the ancient times when pigs were offered to placate the Gods Chronus and Dimitra (please see some follow-up notes regarding this tradition in our ‘recipe’ section) — and to ask for their help in providing good crops in the year ahead. After the Christmas meal, the left over pork is used to make a variety of winter dishes such as apakia (smoked pork), sausages and pork in aspic — thus providing a source of meat for the whole family for many weeks.

Cakes and Carols

Special breads, cakes and biscuits are made both for Christmas and New Year. On Christmas Day the meal begins when the head of the family cuts ‘Το χριστόψωμο’ (the Christmas bread). This bread has as its centrepiece the figure of the cross made out of dough and is also often decorated with symbols of birds and flowers. New Year’s Day, which is also the name day of St Basil, is marked by the cutting of the βασιλόπιττα - the New Year’s cake which always has a coin hidden it. Whoever receives the coin in their slice of cake is supposed to be granted good luck for the rest of the year. Some other seasonal treats definitely worth trying include ‘μελομακάρουνα’ (honey cakes) and ‘κουραμπιέδες’ (sugared buns).

Over the festive period children go from house to house singing ‘κάλαντα’ which are the equivalent of Christmas carols - usually the singing is accompanied by ‘music’ on the triangle and drums. In years gone by, children were rewarded for their carol singing with sweets and dried fruit. Now of course, hard cash is the order of the day. So be prepared to have plenty of loose change to hand — especially in Rethymnon where groups of children approach this enterprise with a great deal of enthusiasm, persistence and business acumen!

Seasonal Hobgoblins: ‘Οι Καλικάντζαροι’

Historically, in many cultures the twelve day period between Christmas and Epiphany has been seen as a liminal time, often associated with rituals and superstitions dating back to the pre-Christian era. Here on Crete, it is a time when the hobgoblins known as ’Οι Καλικάντζαροι’ (the Kallikantzari) emerge. According to legend these grotesque beings are naked, half human, half animal. They have huge heads, red eyes, dangling red tongues, tusks, long nails and either goat’s or donkey’s ears and hooves, …. A bit different to the benign ‘partridges in pear trees’ associated with the Twelve Days of Christmas in the UK! These spirits appear on Earth on Christmas Eve, disappearing at Epiphany after priests have carried out the ceremony of ‘blessing the waters’.

The Kallikantzari are trouble makers who wreak havoc whilst here on Earth. They are portrayed in stories as being anything from naughty to downright evil. They come out at night and break into houses and flour mills, steal food and drink, destroy furniture and generally make a mess. They also play tricks on those humans they encounter and in the more sinister versions of the legends try and carry off women and children. During the Twelve Days of Christmas householders would lock their houses up at night in order to try and keep the Kallikanztari out (in the UK it is customary to lock up your house all year round to try and keep the burglars out….), however, the Kallikantzari would - in a weirdly distorted parallel to the Santa Claus myth - often get in via the chimney. Other methods of trying to keep these creatures out of the house included marking the front door with the sign of the cross and keeping fires continually burning in the hearth. Hanging a sieve outside the front door is also thought to keep the Kallikantzari from causing trouble: because whilst the Kallikantzari are known for being tricksters, they are also not terribly bright. Once presented with a sieve the Kallikantzaros will start to count the holes, and this task will keep him occupied until dawn, whereupon, much like a vampire, he will have to go back underground.

The origins of the Kallikantzari myths are unclear, but you will find countless stories about them in Greek folklore. You can read more about these spirits and other fascinating Greek ’ghouls and ghosts’ in “Haunted Greece: Nymphs, Vampires, and other Exotica” by John L Tomkinson (2004), published by Anagnosis Press - www.anagnosis.gr - ISBN number 960-888087-0-7.