Don't Forget to Give Your Wood a Proper Wedding

"Wait.... what?" is a reasonable reaction... but, in Greece this is a real and traditional way of warding off the bad kalikantzaroi on Christmas Eve. And there's more...

The traditions in Greece regarding Christmas are as many as its villages: countless. Aside from the religious "traditions" or, for some "obligations," such as 40 days of fasting from meat and dairy products and the early dawn church service on Christmas morning, which are common throughout the country, the rest are localized.

Christmas tree or ship? Although decorating the Christmas tree is a wide-spread in Greece, many still prefer to decorate a ship. Especially in areas near the sea, the tradition of decorating a small model ship is kept dearly and is considered more "Greek."

Make sure you feed your little piggy until it's big and fat. Because that's gonna be your Christmas dinner (and you'll be eating its leftovers for the next 2 weeks). Many families would raise a pig the whole year for the sole purpose of eating it on Christmas. And make sausages out of it, too. The tradition of eating turkey is a fad that has thrived the last couple of decades.

And while you're at it, feed the village water spring (vrisi). On the dawn of Christmas Eve, the village girls go to water source of their village, making sure not to utter a sound on the way there. While they're there, they throw food and sweets into the spring in hopes that their lives will be just as sweet and their harvest will be just as rich. Before they left, they would take some of the water home and make sure to drink it all for good luck.

Watch out for the elves-gone-evil, or else "kalikantzaroi." This is why people marry off their wood, silly! Ok, lets start from the beginning. Christmas Eve is a night when the house is full of delicious food for the next day and sweets. This is why the evil kalikantzaroi come from under the earth and tiptoe through the house, bothering children and old people, going through the food, and generally messing everything up. Not only do they mess things up, they "magarizoun" the food, which is even worse, because it's something like contamination. So, these little gremlins are afraid of the fire and holy water. This is why people keep both handy, just in case. They take a piece of wood from a tree with a male name and another from a tree with a female name. Then, the owner of the house gives a mock-wedding and lets the wood burn all night to prevent the evil elves from coming into the house. Another reason for keeping the fire lit all night is to keep baby Jesus warm as he comes to this earth.

If you see any Momogerous running around, don't worry, because they're only pretending to be kalikantzaroi.They're men dressed in animal hives trying to cause a rucus, just like the kalikantzaroi from Christmas till the Theofania, when the water is holy again after Jesus' baptism is celebrated. This is also when the kalikantzaroi disappear.

When you hear your doorbell ring at 5 a.m. on Christmas Eve, get your wallet. It's just the neighborhood children going around caroling and trying to make money. Despite the fact that it's quite early, it does brighten your day, so keep opening your door and listening to them, even after the 10th group of kids that come to your doorstep!

Where does Santa fit in, you may ask. He doesn't. At least not at Christmas. Saint Vasilis brings gifts on New Year's day to children in Greece, not Saint Nick.

Read more about Christmas in Greece at www.allthegreeks.com