New Year
Culture
Record Breaking 5-Ton Vasilopita Cake Made in Greece
A record-breaking five-ton vasilopita was created at Peristeri, the western suburb of Athens, and was distributed to all inhabitants of the city.
The vasilopita consisting of fifty thousand pieces and containing two hundred lucky coins was set up on the...
Culture
The Pomegranate: Greek Symbol of Good Fortune for the New Year
Smashing a pomegranate on New Year’s Day is an Ancient Greek custom that continues to this day as the fruit is considered a symbol of good fortune.
Greek News
Millions Around the World Welcome New Year 2023
Millions around the world are welcoming the New Year 2023 in massive celebrations that started at the small Pacific island nations of Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati/Christmas Island.
More than a million gathered to watch the incredible firework display at the...
Ancient Greece
How the New Year Was Celebrated in Alexander the Great’s Empire
Celebrating the arrival of the New Year is a popular custom around the world, as it has been for thousands of years. We find the same basic celebration—although expressed in different ways—in various ancient cultures.
In Greece itself, there is...
Greece
Vasilopita and the Lucky Coin: A Greek Custom to Welcome the New Year
The story of the Greek Orthodox custom of the Vasilopita, or the New Year's cake with a lucky coin inside, began in Asia Minor, and more specifically in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia, more than 1600 years ago.
This...
Culture
Celebrate the New Year in Traditional Greek Style
The city of Athens will welcome the New Year with live music at Syntagma Square on Saturday night and an all-night party with DJs at the Varvakeios Municipal Market.
Festivities at Syntagma Square will start at 22:30, where...
Art
“The Carols”: The Most Celebrated Painting in Modern Greek Art
The beloved painting titled "The Kalanda," The carols created in 1872 by the Greek master Nikiforos Lytras, is one of the most famous works in the history of modern Greek art. It is still admired today and is widely...
Festivals
The Surprising Science Behind Champagne Bubbles
The fascinating science behind champagne bubbles is something we really should take a little time to appreciate as we celebrate the best of what this year has given us and the hopes for the upcoming new year.
Champagne has marked...
Food
Savory Vasilopita Appetizers: A Unique Recipe by Giorgio Pintzas Monzani
You can't deny it, we all have Vasilopita leftovers every year that we don't know how to use, so why not create some savory Vasilopita appetizers? Instead of letting them become dried out, and regretting letting this happen each...
Greek News
Greece Mandates Face Masks, Cancels Christmas Festivities
Greece announced new measures to stem the spread of Omicron and Delta variants of Covid on Thursday that include the mandatory use of face masks and the cancellation of Christmas and New Year festivities in open spaces.
Since the omicron...