Christmas
Greece
Kalikantzaroi: The Greek Goblins that Run Wild at Christmas
From Christmas Day until the Feast of the Epiphany, on January 6, Greeks watch over their homes especially carefully, looking for moved items or stolen Christmas goodies. That's because, according to Greek folklore, a group of tiny goblins, called...
Diaspora
Greece Celebrates the Most Family-Oriented Christmas in Recent Memory
Due to coronavirus restrictions, Greeks are celebrating the holidays in the most traditional way in decades, foregoing outings at the bar or parties with friends -- activities which are now banned -- to spend time with their families on...
Greece
Five Traditional Greek Treats to Sweeten Up Your Christmas
During the holiday season, Greece is filled with the delicious aroma of sugary-sweet traditional treats, floating out from houses and bakeries as people prepare for the holiday season. Featuring traditional Greek flavors like nuts, citrus, spices like cinnamon and clove,...
Greece
Stray Puppies Seek Refuge in an Outdoor Nativity Scene in Greece
In a moving and somehow very appropriate Christmas scene, a group of stray puppies sought out shelter from the elements in an outdoor creche in the village of Neochori on Mount Pelion. The adorable puppies kept warm and safe in...
Greece
Christmas and New Year’s Carols From All Over Greece
Although Greece is known internationally as a top summertime destination, the Mediterranean country is also quite festive during the winter. Greece is steeped in fascinating holiday traditions, with its Christmas carols, or kalanda, being some of the most heartwarming seasonal...
Greece
Greeks Need to Press 6 for Holiday Family Gatherings
Greeks who will choose to share their Christmas day or New Year’s lunch with family or friends should send an SMS with the number 6 to leave their home, government spokesman Stelios Petsas said on Tuesday.
According to the lockdown...
Diaspora
Archbishop Elpidophoros Issues Encyclical for Christmas 2020
Elpidophoros, the Archbishop of the Americas, has released an encyclical for Christmas 2020, during this most unusual of any holiday season most of us have ever experienced. Likening our many challenges, losses -- and even sometimes despair -- during this...
Diaspora
Pandemic Upends Christmas and New Year Festivities All Over Europe
As expected, the global coronavirus pandemic has overturned Europeans' plans for the 2020 holiday season, as governments search for measures to prevent the further spread of Covid-19, while allowing citizens to celebrate with their families and friends as much...
Greece
Europe's Largest Christmas Nativity Scene Displayed in Thessaloniki
The largest Christmas nativity scene anywhere in Europe for 2020 is in Greece's second-largest city of Thessaloniki, in Central Macedonia.
The impressive display, the creation of famous Greek artist Vasilis Michailides, is located inside the Cultural Center of a well-known hotel...
Fashion
New Year's Good Luck Charm Highlights 200 years of Greek Independence
In 2021, Greeks will celebrate 200 years since the Greek Revolution of 1821; the armed uprising waged by the Greek revolutionaries against the Ottomans, which resulted in the eventual overthrowing of the Ottoman Empire and creating an independent state.
As...