«CHRISTMAS CAROLS»

On the evening of Christmas, the priest and the children chant Christmas carols and songs in the forum of the village or in the school, in front of a tree that is decorated with balloons. "Good afternoon, lords ..." sing the children with their sweet voices, and the hearts are sanctified by devoutness and hope for a nurturing and pure world.

 The cutting of vasilopita, with the advent of the New Year at twelve o’ clock, at midnight, is a true family ritual. The father, after crossing it three times, begins to slicing it: "one piece for Christ, for the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary, for the Saint Basil, for the father, the mother, etc. ... "and all other family members by age, present and not. They also cut pieces for the land, the animals of the house and the poor and they offer it to a poor person the other day or leave it to the water fountain. The lucky man who finds it, he/she has to sleep in the "straws" in order to spread his/her fortune in the warehouse with the babies in order to be full of the whole year. He/she has to put the lucky currency in the icon or the wallet and keeps it all the year round in order to offer him/her good luck. In order not to cry the little children, if they do not find it, their parents are putting secretly a coin, a "tripoukira" in their piece. The pieces of Christ, the Virgin Mary and St. Basil are kept them for good luck. The piece of animals has to be fed by their pets, because "Santa Claus (St. Basil) will pass the evening, ask the animals if they have eaten their pie and bless them."