My Greek Orthodox Christmas
As many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas this week Embrace friend and co-author of The International Community of the Holy Sepulchre’s recent report on the situation of Christianity in the Holy Land, Deacon George Tsourous, reflects on his childhood memories of the celebration of Christmas in Greece.
The Feast of the Nativity of Jesus is one of the most joyful celebrated days in the Orthodox Church. It ranks second, only to the greatest holiday, the Resurrection of Jesus, which is the largest and most central celebration of Orthodox Christianity. The Feast of the Birth of Jesus is also known as the ‘Incarnation of Christ’; which means that Jesus Christ, entered into the world as a Godman and revealed Himself to humanity. This understanding of His incarnation is better portrayed in the commonly used phrase attributed to St. Athanasius the Great, ‘God became man, so that man can become god’.
In Orthodox countries, such as in Greece, where I grew up, Orthodox people celebrate the Feast of the Nativity over three days. On Christmas Eve, there is usually a church service (in some places in the morning) which includes the service of the Great & Royal Hours where the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ's birth are read, followed by the Vesperal Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great (according to ancient practice). Following the conclusion of the service, a festive spirit prevails as people start preparing for the next day’s Feast.
In Athens, on Christmas Eve, as children we would go out on the streets singing kalanda (carols) from house to house and even in stores, playing drums and triangles while singing. Some of us would also carry model boats decorated with nuts and painted gold. Decorating ships is an old tradition practiced on Greek islands, where small model boats we put up in homes upon the return of sailors from their sea voyages. “Na Ta Poume?” (Shall We Sing?), we would yell waiting for that special ‘nod’ to start.
Much like folk song traditions elsewhere, the lyrics and music of the kalanda vary depending on the region, and this is evident not only in the musical instruments accompanying the carollers, but also the rhythm, the dynamics, the lyrics, as well as the type of wishes. In some regions, the musical accompaniment includes guitars, drum, harmonica, clarinet and even the accordion. Popular carols are drawn from Byzantine times and are still mostly sung in katharevousa – a heavily archaised form of modern Greek - offering poetic allusions to Gospel or other Scriptures. One of the most popular one goes:
Good evening noblemen
If this is your will,
Christ's holy birth
May I sing in your noble house
Christ is being born today
In the town of Bethlehem
Heavens rejoice
All of nature is happy
The carols always culminate in a wish:’Ke tou Chronou, Hronia Polla’, which translates into ‘May we be well again to celebrate next year and for many years to come.’ We would offer wishes for good health, happiness, and prosperity. In return, we were offered treats such as traditional Christmas sweets, including honey-dipped melomakarona (moist semolina biscuits) or sugar-topped kourabiedes (shortbread biscuits), pies, and cross buns as well as being tipped with change. These gifts were shared fairly between all of us.
On Christmas day, the morning was spent in the church celebrating the Feast of the Nativity, along with our families. The Orthodox Feast starts with the order of Matins (morning service). Here, for the first time, the full Canon of Christmas (structured hymn consisting of 9 biblical canticles) ‘Christ is born’ is sung while the faithful venerate the icon of the Nativity of Christ. Central in the celebration of the Feast is the Divine Liturgy (known as Mass in the West). It begins with psalms of glorification and praise and continues with the singing of the troparion and kontakion (short hymns of one verse) of the Nativity and the Gospel reading of the familiar Christmas story from Matthew (2:1-12) concluding with the Liturgy of the Faithful (Eucharist).
Today the Virgin gives birth to the Transcendent One, and the earth offers a cave to the Unapproachable One! Angels, with shepherds, glorify Him! The wise men journey with the star! Since, for our sake, the Eternal God is born as a little child (Kontakion written by St Romanus the Melodist, 600 AD).
Following the end of the Christmas Liturgy, we would return home to exchange gifts, and break the 40 days advent fast, eating and enjoying each other’s company. I also remember a tradition that my family and close friends followed on the Christmas day, which has been difficult to keep under the pandemic. That was to visit one of the main hospitals in Athens to sing the kalanda to those people, that, due to a health issue had to spend Christmas in the hospital. We would sing the kalanda trying to alleviate the suffering of the patients on that joyful day, offering wishes for health and recovery. I remember myself and patients tearing up from the overflow of a joyful-sorrow emotion, which remains until this day, a heartwarming recollection of Christmas solidarity with those away from their families.
By Deacon George Tsourous