It is widely acknowledged that Christianity has integrated pagan festivals into the daily life of believers, after first redesigning their content to fit its religious context. So we will examine what "Christmas" looked like in ancient Greece.
The Twelfth Day of Christmas probably replaced ancient Greek or Roman religious celebrations, like Saturnalia, Kronia, etc., which were associated with the winter sun (the winter solstice on December 22nd).
It covers the days from the eve of Christmas (24 December) to the eve of the Epiphany (5 January). It is therefore understood that Christian celebrations such as Christmas, the feast of St. Vasileios and Baptism are associated with pagan customs aimed at appeasing demonic beings and bringing good fortune (good year).
The main feature of these days are the carols, the masquerades, the actions for the good of the year, etc.
The children went from house to house, holding olives or laurels in their hands, decorated with wool (symbol of health and beauty) and fruits of all kinds, singing for the better happiness and fertility of the earth. Many of the children brought the branch home and hung it on the door, where it remained all year round, something we are used to on May 1st.
A very interesting article from Apostolos Arvanitopoulos, which refers to the customs of the Christmas tree and carols, is written by Filippos Vretakos in his book "The twelve months of the year and their most important holidays". In this book Filippos Vretakos mentions:
"The Christmas tree symbolizes the eternity of life because it does not grow old and therefore does not lose its youth. However, the Christmas tree is not a foreign custom, as is generally assumed, but comes from ancient Greece. In other words, they are remnants of the famous "Iresion" and "Iketeria" of the ancient Greeks, namely the ancient Athenians. Iketeria was an olive branch, and it was brought by those who wanted to pray to God in groups to liberate the place from evil, for example from disease. In most cases, however, Iketeria was performed by a man who wanted to be placed under the protection of God and higher authority to make revelations against powerful people or lords. "
The tree, as a Christian symbol, symbolizes the happiness that the birth of Christ brings to man. Little by little, various useful items have been added to the tree - mainly food, clothing and other items of daily use (something that happened in the ancient Greek temples) symbolizing the sacrifice of Divine Gifts. In modern Greece, the custom was introduced by the Bavarians with the decoration in Otto's palace in 1833. After the Second World War, the tree with the colorful baubles was seen in all Greek houses.
According to some historians, the Christmas sleigh of Santa Claus, which is driven by flying reindeer, also has ancient Greek roots. In December, the Greeks celebrated Dionysus and Illuminator Apollo-Sun, who sat on his flying chariot and shared the Light. With the advent of Christianity, the chariot became a sled, the horses became reindeer and the "gift" of light that was distributed to the people... literally became a "gift-sharing".
Helios driving his chariot of four winged steeds
Finally, the cutting of the Vasilopita (cake) is a further development of the ancient Greek custom of the festive bread that the ancient Greeks offered to the gods at great agricultural festivals such as Thalysia and Thesmoforia.
Regardless of the origin of the customs, Christmas has always been a time of celebration and joy for everyone and especially for children.
Merry Christmas to all!
