Religion

The Greek population is composed of 97% Christian Orthodox (with the remaining 3% comprising of Roman Catholic, Muslims and Jews). According to the history of Orthodoxy it was St Paul who first came to the Greek world to preach Christianity in 49AD. But the real founder of Orthodoxy was Emperor Constantine the Great, who converted to Christianity in the 4th century. Officially and as in all European countries the Greek State and the Orthodox Church are separate, however the Greek Orthodox Church has great power in Greek society.Baptism

Children of Orthodox families are normally baptized shortly after birth. Orthodoxy sees baptism as more than a mere washing but a rebirth. Baptism is by full immersion because the word "baptizo" means - to immerse. During the service the water is blessed and the infant fully immersed in the water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity. According to the Holy Tradition of the Orthodox Church ONE name of Orthodox Christian origin should be given to the child at the time of baptism. The child is anointed with olive oil and then dressed in the new clothes especially purchased for this occasion alone. Four locks of hair are cut from the child's head in the sign of the cross. The role of the God parents is an important one, since the infant is unable to make the necessary confession of Faith, the Godparents stand and accept the responsibility.Marriage

Within the Orthodox Church marriage is seen as an act of God in which he sanctifies the joining of two people into one. Marriage in the Orthodox Church has two distinct parts: The Betrothal and The Crowning.The Betrothal includes: The exchange of the rings, the procession, the declaration of intent, and the lighting of candles. The priest blesses the rings, holds them in his right hand, and makes the sign of the cross over the Bride and Grooms heads. The exchange of rings symbolizes the unbreakable bond of Christian Marriage and the rings are placed on their right hands, for it is the right hand of God that blesses and it was the right hand of God to which Christ ascended.The Crowning includes: The readings from the epistle and gospel, the Blessing of the Common Cup, the Dance of Isaiah, and then the Removal of the Crowns. The focal point of the crowning ceremony is the exchanging of the wedding crowns (stefana) which are joined by a ribbon symbolizing the unity of the couple and the presence of Christ who blesses and joins the couple and establishes them as the King and Queen of their home. The priest takes the two crowns and blesses The Bride and The Groom, in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Spirit and then places the crowns on their heads. The Koumbaro (best man) then steps behind the Bride and Groom and interchanges the crowns three times as a witness to the sealing of the union. Wine is then drunk by the couple from the Common Cup which serves to impress upon the couple that from that moment on they will share everything in life. Whilst three hymns are chanted the priest leads the Bride and the Groom in a circle around the table (the Dance of Isaiah) on which the Gospel and the Cross are placed. The circle symbolizes eternity and the triple circling honours the Holy Spirit. At the conclusion of the Ceremonial Walk, the priest removes the crowns thus ending the marriage ceremony.There is no exchange of vows. There is a set expectation of the obligations incumbent on a married couple, and whatever promises they may have privately to each other are their responsibility to keep. Finally there is the greeting of the couple. Divorce is rare in the Orthodox Church.National Holidays

1st January - New Years Day6th January - Epiphany

Orthodox belief acknowledges this as the day of the baptism of Jesus and this is where the day's association with water stems from, so it is on this day that the traditional blessing of the waters takes place. Part of the ritual is when the Priest throws the cross into the cold January waters and young men brave the icy temperatures to dive in and retrieve it. The one who brings the cross to the surface will enjoy good luck for the entire year.30th January - Three Heirarchs Day

This school holiday commemorates St Basil the Great, St Gregory the Theologian and St John Chrysostom, although each Saint has their own special day to honour them individually the 30th January honours them collectively as the Patron Saints of Education as they are considered the Fathers of Orthodox Education and Literacy.25th March - This day has dual status as both a National and Religious holiday:- The Feast of the Annunciation

Marks the visit of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce that she would conceive a child to be born the Son of God.

- Greek Independence Day

The celebration of the start of the Greek Revolution when the Greeks rose up against the oppressive Ottoman Empire which had occupied Greece for 400 years. After a long and bloody struggle, independence was finally granted by the Treaty of Constantinople in 1832.Easter

The Greek Orthodox Easter is calculated on the Julian calendar whilst the Western Church uses the Gregorian calendar and this is why the festivities do not usually occur on the same day. Greek Orthodox Easter should fall on the Sunday after the first full moon of the spring equinox and this is why Easter and the holidays related to it are moveable feasts.Clean Monday

This is the first day of the Eastern Orthodox Lent which occurs at the beginning of the 7th week before Easter Sunday Referred to as 'clean' because Christians are called upon to begin the Holy season with 'clean hearts and good intentions'. Marks the beginning of the Lenten Fast the period during which the Greeks abstain from eating meat, fish, poultry and diary. Families take to the beaches and countryside to celebrate with outdoor picnics and the widespread custom of flying kites.Megali Evthomatha (Holy Week)

The Holy week of Easter begins on Palm Sunday and Church services commemorating the last week in the life of Jesus Christ are held everyday.Holy Thursday

Thursday mornings service commemorates the Last Supper and the Betrayal of Christ and is the day the Greeks prepare the Red Eggs. Hard boiled eggs are dyed red to signify the blood of Christ.Good Friday - The Procession of the Epitaphios of Christ.

The Epitaphios is a large piece of cloth embroidered with the image of Christ. On this day Greek women and children go the Church to decorate the symbolic coffin (that will carry the Epitaphios) with flowers. Christ's burial is re-enacted in Church and in the evening the Epitaphios is taken from the Church and carried through the streets in a solemn procession.Easter Saturday

The Saturday midnight mass is the one dedicated to the celebration of Christ's Resurrection. Each person takes an unlit candle to the Church. Just before midnight the Church lights are extinguished. At exactly midnight the Priest comes from behind the altar carrying a candle lit with the Holy light of the Resurrection. He will announce 'Christos Anesti' (Christ has arisen) to which the reply is 'Alithos Anesti' (Truly he has risen) and he will light the candle of someone inside the Church and then the flame is passed from candle to candle filling the Church with light. The Church bells ring joyfully and fireworks are set off. People carefully return home with their lighted candles and before entering their houses make a cross with the candle smoke on the front door in order to bless its inhabitants. They will feast on Magiritsa a thick soup made from Lambs sweetmeats and herbs and crack the red eggs. Each person takes an egg and challengers attempt to crack each others eggs. The owner of the last uncracked egg is assured good luck for the rest of the year.Easter Sunday

Visits are made to family and friends and the Easter meal which is truly a feast is shared with everyone. Spit roast lamb is the centrepiece of the table accompanies by salads, rice dishes, vegetable dishes and breads. Retsina, wine and ouzo flow ensuring that celebrations last throughout the day and into the night.Easter Monday

A more low key day with everyone preparing to return to work and school.1st May - Labour Day

The day when flower festivals take place in many parts of Greece and many Greeks collect flowers to make wreaths to hang from their doors.15th August - Assumption of the Virgin Mary

Also known as the Feast of the Dormition it is the biggest Holy day of the summer as it Commemorates the ascent into Heaven of the Virgin Mary after her death.28th October - Ohi Day

The famous 'No' day in 1940 that commemorates the Greek Dictator Ioannia Metaxas rejection of the Italian Dictators demand to allow Axis bases on Greek territory, thus entering Greece into World War II on the side of the Allies.25th December - Christmas Day

Although gaining in significance, Christmas is not considered as important as Easter to the Greeks as the Faith itself centres around the Resurrection rather than the birth or death of Jesus Christ.26th December - Boxing DayName Days

In Greece a person's Name Day is considered more important than their birthday and is always celebrated. Great significance is attached to the naming of a child and the process of choosing a name follows fairly rigid conventions. Children are never named after their parents but more usually after their grandparents, with the eldest son in the family being named after his paternal grandfather and the eldest daughter being named after her paternal grandmother.Names are usually of religious origin. According to the Greek Orthodox tradition nearly every day of the year is dedicated to a Christian Saint or Martyr. When someone is named after one of these Saints, this day becomes their name day and is celebrated.Some popular name days:

7th January - Yiannis/Yianna

10th January - Grigoris

17th January - Antonis/Antonia

3rd February - Stamatis/Stamatia

10th February - Charalambous

25th March - Evangelos/Vangelis

15th April - Leonidas

23rd April - Yiorgos/Yiorgia

5th May - Irini

21st May - Constantinos/Constantina/Eleni

29th June - Petros/Pavlos

7th July - Kyriaki

20th July - Elias/Eliana

24thJuly - Christina

6th August - Sortiris/Sortira

15th August - Maria/Despina (married)

30th August - Alexandros

14th September - Stavros/Stavroula

17th September - Sophia

29th September - Kyriakos

20th October - Artemis

23rd October - Iakovos

26th October - Dimitris/Dimitra

8th November - Michalis/Angelos/Gavriel/Stamatis

14th November - Philippos/Philippa

21st November - Maria/Despina (unmarried)

30th November - Andreas

5th December - Savvas

6th December - Nikos/Nikolas/Nikoleta/Nikolina

27th December - Stephanos/StephaniaEach island or area in Greece has a patron saint, and people living in that area often name a child after its Patron Saint, for example:

St Dimitrios - Thessaloniki

St Andrew - Patras

St Dionysos - Zakynthos

St Gerassimos - Kefalonia

St Spyridon - Corfu

St Nectarios - Aegin