The Christmas Tree and Decorations
The Christmas tree made its first appearance in Greece in 1833. It was brought by Otto (later Othon, King of Greece) and the Bavarian dynasty as a German custom and from 1950 onwards, the tree began being established in Greek households and the Dodecanese. During the festive period, reminiscent of the manger in which Christ was born, usually the Municipality of Astypalea will set up a model of the Nativity manger in the town square along with a Christmas tree, and decorate the windmills with lights to create a celebratory atmosphere.
Christmas Carols and Well-Wishes
The message of the Nativity of Christ is announced by the children singing carols. On Christmas Eve, children take to the streets with triangles and various other musical instruments, holding lit up church-shaped lanterns or decorated boats, sharing well-wishes from house-to-house for the “kalohronia” (the good New Year). They stop at every house, knock on the door and ask “Na ta poume?” (Shall we sing?). The occupants will offer a sweet offering in exchange, sweets, typically melomakarona and kourabiedes*, as well as a symbolic amount of money.
Festive Gatherings and Culinary Delights
Naturally, on Christmas Day visits between relatives and friends are common, as well as exchanging gifts. On that day, Astypaleans go to church with their families before visiting their parents and grandparents to exchange wishes.
Also, at Christmas, the Astypaleans hang the bottom jaw of a pig in the chimney of their fireplace, so they escape from the ‘Kalikantzarous’’ (mischievous goblins, elves or gnomes) according to the old folklore belief.
Most Christmas customs revolve around the festive table. On Christmas Eve, every housewife kneads the “Christmas bread” adding a walnut in the middle for good luck. The table is set from the night before. “Hirosfagia” as Astypaleans usually call the festive pork dish, and "giaprakia" (dolmades, rice in vine leaves) are the honorary staples, while the Christmas bread takes centre stage in the middle of the table. Apart from the melomakarona and kourabiedes, the festive table isn’t without "xerotigana" or "diples" (fried dough strips) and doughnuts.
New Year Traditions
New Year customs involve the ‘podariko’, a custom involving the smashing of pomegranates at the entrance of the house, as well as the ‘Vasilopita’ (New Year cake) cutting, where said cake has a coin or trinket hidden inside and considered a sign of luck for anyone who ‘lands’ it in their slice.
The cutting of the Vasilopita is one of the few primitive customs that have survived for about 1500 years. Although in some parts of Greece the Vasilopita is cut on Christmas Day, the Astypaleans usually cut the Vasilopita immediately after the change of the year. The householder crosses it three times with a knife and then begins to cut the pieces. The first piece is of the Christ, the second of the Virgin Mary, the third of St. Basil, the fourth of the house, followed by pieces for the family members and the last piece, reserved for the poor.
Another New Year custom is the "bouloustrina". Young children on the first day of the year visit relatives, who give them the “bouloustrina”, a symbolic amount of money as a gift. This custom is still practiced in most parts of the Dodecanese.
On New Year's morning, the family goes to church to welcome the New Year, for it to be good and blessed. On the way back, the householder will have a pomegranate in their pocket, blessed since the liturgy of September 14th (the Day of the Cross). According to tradition, if a lucky and fortunate person enters the house as soon as the time changes and wishes all the best, then the whole year will go well, the family will have health, happiness, love and all financial comforts. Sometimes it’s preferred if a small child enters first, because they represent innocence and purity.
Usually, the householder is the one who will do the ‘podariko’. They knock on the doorbell for someone to let them in, since according to tradition they can not open with their own key. They are the first to enter the house with the pomegranate in hand. The moment they do – always with the right foot first, in order for the New Year to be lucky and everything to go right - they drop the pomegranate behind the front door, and with enough force to get the seeds to spread as much as possible. They ought to say at the same time “With health, happiness and joy may the new year find us, and as many seeds as the pomegranate has, the happier and blessed days the days of the new year will be”. Also, it is customary to step on an iron so that everyone is strong and resilient next year. The housewife of the house treats the person who did the ‘podariko’ with apples or walnuts and a spoonful of sweet quince preserve or whatever other dessert is prepared for the holidays.
According to tradition, if New Year's Day is sunny, then it’s believed the weather will keep the same for forty days. People will say: "The bear is sunning her teddy bears, we will not have a heavy winter". But if the weather is bad, then we should expect a heavy winter for forty days.
Epiphany (Fota)
The festive season ends with the glorious celebration of the Epiphany, the great celebration of the commemoration of the Baptism of Jesus Christ on the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist. On the day of the Lights, a holy communion takes place in the church of Agios Nikolaos and then Father Eusebius throws the cross into the sea to sanctify the waters. Young men dive into the water and the one who finds the cross first is considered blessed. Despite the low temperatures, the divers will hold their breath to stay under water for as long as they can. And as long as that icy dive lasts, fishermen will form a protective barrier around the divers with their boats. The celebration of the sanctification of the waters in the Dodecanese is special and worth witnessing.
