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Theophany
January 6th marks the Feast of the Theophany—a sign from God for Orthodox Christians in Greece—while serving as Christmas Eve in Serbia and Russia. It is worth remembering that more than 200 million Orthodox Christians worldwide celebrate Christmas on January 7th, as they follow the Julian calendar. Except… in Greece.
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South Side
As this year draws to a close, everyone agrees that Christmas 2023 feels “a bit like our Orthodox Easter”—in other words, a moment of spring. This impression is further reinforced by the mild weather, especially in the south, between the Peloponnese and the Aegean islands. “The Nativity, in all its Light,” as the priest in this Peloponnesian village puts it, in his own way.
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Christmas in Thessaly
Thessaly is a historic, largely agricultural region of Greece, situated in the northern part of the country—south of Macedonia and east of Epirus. Its vast plain is encircled by mountainous terrain, including Mount Olympus to the north and the expansive Pindus massif. As of December 2023, according to the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, the region is part of the 14% of Greek territory currently covered in snow—a figure well above the average recorded since 2004.
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Christmas Pig
In every traditional culture, time is defined by the meaning it holds for human beings, in connection with the tasks they must carry out throughout the year. Life is paced by the cycles of day and night, the seasons, and the harvests. This relationship between humanity, nature, and weather conditions—along with the impact these factors have on the means of subsistence—largely shapes the unfolding of daily time, as well as the structure of the calendar, which is then termed “traditional”.