| December, the time of storms and tempests, is the month of St. Nicholas, patron of seamen. His feast, which occurs on December 6th, is observed with great devotion. According to tradition, his clothes are always drenched with brine, his beard drips with sea water, and his brow is covered with perspiration because of his efforts to rescue sinking ships from the angry waves. Because St. Nicholas is master of wind and tempest, no Greek ship travels without his icon on board. Before putting out to sea, seamen always take with them a dish of kollyva (boiled wheat grain). If the ship encounters rough seas, they cast kollyva on the water, saying, "Dear St. Nicholas, cease your rush". Faith in the saint's miracle powers has made his name popular throughout Greece, and many churches have been dedicated to him, especially on the islands and along the coast. Everywhere his icons are literally covered with silver ex-votos (tokens) representing ships. When a ship is in danger, in praying her skipper makes a solemn promise to bring St. Nicholas a silver or gold ex-voto, representing his ship, if he reaches land safely. Both the skipper and his sailors carry their offering to church bare footed, then a service is held and the ex-voto is hung on the icon of the saint. Thus, in Greece, St. Nicholas, the great protector, is a figure of much more significance than as a mere bringer of gifts and goodies to children as he is best known in the West. Though Easter outranks Christmas as a feast day in Greece, the Christmas season is observed as a religious festival and many ancient customs are linked with the birth of Christ. At the break of day on Christmas morning, children in the villages go from house to house singing the kalanda (carols), with the boys in the group providing a rhythmical accompaniment on their small metal triangles and tiny clay drums. The kalanda not only tell of the birth of the Christ Child but also include good wishes and praise for the master and mistress of the house and other members of the family. Since the long four-week fast of Advent is over, elaborate preparations are made for the Christmas table. This is the time when the pig, having been fattened since midsummer, is slaughtered. Although pork is the staple dish of the Christmas meal, chicken is eaten in some villages and the pig is killed the day after Christmas. Every housewife bakes a christopsomo (Christ-bread), which is decorated with elaborate frosted ornaments, usually representing some aspect of the family occupation. At Drymos in Macedonia, the farmer's Christmas loaf usually bears a plow and oxen, a wine barrel, and a house. The shepherd's wife uses lambs, kids, and a sheepfold to decorate her loaf. There are special buns for the cattle and the hens, baked in a variety of shapes. In the Kozani area, a bun dedicated to the land and the sheep, made in the shape of a harness, is kept in the house all year, nailed to the wall. Buns dedicated to the kettle are usually reduced to crumbs, salted, and given to the beasts to eat as a protection against illness. On the eve of the great day, when the table is ceremoniously laid, the housewife first places thereon the Christmas loaf and a pot of honey. Around it she arranges various dried fruits, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and similar sweets. Then the master of the house makes the sign of the cross over the loaf with his knife, wishes everyone chronia polla, cuts the loaf, and gives each member of the family a slice. Honey is eaten first, after which the family lift the table three times with their hands. Then several other dishes are served, varying according to the region. At Sinope in Pontus, on Christmas Eve it is the custom to insert a sprig of olive in the center of the Christmas loaf. Then it is taken down and eaten. In the vilage of Simitli near Raidestos in Thrace, the housewife prepares nine different dishes on Christmas Eve. These are set on a low table and burning incence is swung over them, after which they are placed in front of the household icons so that Mary may eat and be content. At Koroni in Messenia, the first slice from the Christmas loaf is given to the first beggar who happens to pass by. Since the bits and crumbs left from Christmas dinner are considered sacred, they are scattered near the roots of the fruit trees. "Even if the tree has been persistently barren, it will bear fruit next season without fail", is the belief. In the rural of Greece, many practices intended to assure good crops are connected with the heart. Thus, the plowshare and the Christmas table are placed near it. The Christmas cake is set in the center of the table and covered with a plate filled with wheat grain, garlic, silver coins, pomegranates, dried fruit, grapes, wateramelon, and a glass of wine in which the housewife dips the Kallikantzaros buns. Family and guests drink wine, wishing each other "a good year". It is believed that these practices will protect the cattle from evil and ensure good crops and prosperity for the household. The plowshare is placed close to the fire, and the smoking embers are used instead of incense to bless the Christmas cake. Then the censer is carried to the stable and the sheepfold, where it is swung over the cattle and sheep and farming tools. This is done three times a year: at Christmas, on New Year's Day, and again at Epiphany. In some villages, the women stay up all Christmas night to see the heavens bursting in glory, and they believe that any wish made at this time will come ture. At Kios, near the Sea of Marmora, on Christmas Eve it was the custom of the village girls to gather at a friend's house, open the shutters, and place a sprig of dried basil in a basin of water on the windowsill, along with an icon of the Virgin Mary. They censed the basin and the whole room, read and sang Christmas hymns, glancing at intervals through the window in the direction of the East. It was believed that, if they were true Christians, at the moment of Christ's birth, they would see a great flash like lightning on the horizon. Some girls are said to have had visions of the Virgin Mary hersef, holding Jesus in her arms. This is also a good time for weather forecasting. In Thrace, the notion was held that an abudance of snow at Christmas signified good summer crops. In many villages, from Christmas to Epiphany, during the time the waters are blessed, villagers never go out into the street without carrying a candle or torch. They firmly believe that the only effective way of dispersing the Kallikantzaroi is by blessing the waters at Epiphany. Then all evil spirits scuttle away in a hurry, pursued by the priest's sprinkler (a cluster of sweet basil dipped in holy water). |
