Christmas in Greece: A Look at Greek Holiday Food Traditions

Christmas is an important cultural and religious event in Greece, second only to Easter and the Lenten season. Food plays a major role of the holiday season, as gifts, feasts, and symbols. Baked goods are especially important and every region added its own special twist to the traditional recipes.

The Greek Christmas celebration lasts for thirteen days, from Christmas Eve until Epiphany, January 6, the day that the Magi arrived in Bethlehem, bringing gifts to the Christ child. Most of the predominantly Greek Orthodox residents fast during the four weeks of advent, so elaborate preparations are made for the Christmas feast.

Greek culture has succumbed less than most cultures to the commercialism of the holidays. They decorate simply, often without a tree. Although, as an exception, Athens boasts the largest Christmas tree in Europe and its lighting is an annual tradition. On the islands, traditional fisherman communities, families still decorate a small ship instead of a tree, symbolizing their ties to the sea. Greeks, traditionally, give simple gifts, just one or two, usually on Epiphany, instead of on Christmas, symbolizing the gifts of the Magi.

Greek Holiday Baking 

Baking, as in most cultures, is an important part of Greek cooking for Christmas. Bread is the most important of the Greek holiday foods. Historically, flour and yeast were scarce and expensive and thus saved for special meals. Traditional items, such as Christmas bread or stravropsomo, a fruit-filled loaf, decorated on top with the sign of the cross and Chistopsomto or “Christ’s Bread”, a leavened bread made of flour, sesame seeds, and spices, such as anise, orange, cloves, and cinnamon accompanied by dried figs, are eaten on Christmas Eve.

Other traditional Greek Christmas sweets include thiples, fried dough strips dripped with honey, kourabiedes, holiday butter cookies, kataifi, phyllo-wrapped confections made from cinnamon and sugar and drizzled with honey, melomacrona, popular honey cakes, and the ever-popular sweet pastry, baklava.

Christ’s Bread