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4 THE SHEPHERD • DECEMBER 2020 • SAINT SPYRIDON GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAN DIEGO GREEK LANGUAGE SCHOOL Christmas in Greece Traditions and customs are a very crucial part of the everyday lives to Greeks. On Christmas Eve, children, especially boys, o en go out singing ‘kalanda’ (carols) in the streets. ey play drums and triangles as they sing. Sometimes they will also carry model boats decorated with nuts, which are painted gold. Carrying a boat is a very old custom in the Greek Islands. Every December, in Aristotelous Square in the city of essaloniki (which is the second biggest city in Greece), a huge Christmas Tree and a three masted sailing ship are put up. It’s a popular tourist attraction. ere are also large boat displays in other large Greek cities like Athens. Decorated ships are an old tradition in Greece where small ships were put up in homes when sailors had returned from sea voyages. Christmas Trees are popular in Greece. e rst known Christmas tree in Greece was in 1833 and was set-up by King Otto next to a large, decorated boat. Over time, especially in the late 20th century, decorated Christmas trees became more popular than decorating a boat. But now having a boat as well as a tree is becoming more popular! e main Christmas meal is o en lamb or pork, roasted in an oven or over an open spit. It’s o en served with a spinach and cheese pie and various salads and vegetables. Oth- er Christmas and new year foods include ‘Baklava’ (a sweet pastry made of lo pastry lled with chopped nuts and sweetened with syrup or honey). Katai (a pastry made from a special form of shredded lo dough and avored with nuts and cinnamon), eeples (a kind of fried pastry). Another popular Christmas pastry is Melomakarona, oblong shaped cookies made from our, olive oil, and honey rolled in chopped walnuts. In Greece, presents are o en brought to children by Aghios Vassilis / Άγιος Βασίλης (Saint Basil /Saint Vasilis) on the 1st of Janu- ary as that is St. Basil’s Day. ere is also a special St. Basil’s Day cake called “Vasilopita” (va-si-LO-pi-ta). e cake has a coin cooked inside it. In some parts of Greece, the cake is sweet, but in other parts it is more like a bread. Whoever nds the coin in their slice is thought to be lucky for the new year. In some families, the father of the house cuts the Vasilopita and gives out the pieces. Traditionally, the rst slice is for Je- sus, the second is for Mary, the third is for the poor people and the fourth is for the household. en the rest of the slices go to the members of the family depending on their age, with the oldest person rst. In Greek, “Merry Christmas” is “Kala Chris- tougenna!” – Καλά Χριστούγεννα! In keeping with past tradition, our Greek School students and sta would like to share with you the spirit of Christmas by o ering you this poem: Χριστούγεννα Να ᾽μουν του σταύλου έν’ άχυρο, ένα φτωχό κομμάτι την ώρα π’ άνοιγ’ ο Χριστός στον ήλιο του το μάτι. Να ιδώ την πρώτη του ματιά και το χαμόγελό του, το στέμμα των ακτίνων του γύρω στο μέτωπό του. Να λάμψω από τη λάμψη του κι εγώ σαν διαμαντάκι κι από τη θεία του πνοή να γίνω λουλουδάκι. Να μοσκοβοληθώ κι εγώ από την ευωδία, που άναψε στα πόδια του των Μάγων η λατρεία. Να ᾽μουν του σταύλου ένα άχυρο ένα φτωχό κομμάτι την ώρα π’ άνοιγ’ ο Χριστός στον ήλιο του το μάτι. Κωστής Παλαμάς Καλά Χριστούγεννα με Υγειά! Αγάπη και Ειρήνη για όλο τον κόσμο! Athena Kotinopoulos Georges, M.Ed. Greek Language School Director San Diego Greek Language School athenakotinopoulos@gmail.com 619-992-4452 GREEK SCHOOL DIRECTOR Dear St. Spyridon community, Mrs. Athena Georges will be retiring at the end of the school year June 2021. We are preferably seeking someone with a background in education and uent in all aspects of the Greek and English language. We sincerely thank Mrs. Georges for her hard work, love for our Greek culture, heritage, and our community. e school is currently being o ered online with over 80 students by our full sta of dedicated teachers. Traditionally we have over 120 students. Greek school is a Ministry of our church. For more information, please email greekschoolboard@gmail.com ank you, Saint Spyridon Greek Language School Board ANNOUNCEMENT SUNDAY SCHOOL Our Sunday School Teachers would like to wish all of our Families a wonderful Christmas season! Although we won’t be able to meet in person for our Christmas Celebration, Pageant, and Luncheon, our Sunday School students will be participating in a fun virtual Zoom Christmas Party on December 6th from 11:45 AM to 12:45 PM . We will have games and activities for all! Sunday School will be on Christmas break from December 20th – January 10th . We will resume Sunday School on January 17th, 2021 . If your children were unable to participate this semester, but would like to join, please email Julie Dennis at sundayschool.stspyridon@gmail.com. If you are not receiving Sunday School emails, but would like to be on our email list, please email Julie Dennis at sundayschool.stspyridon@ gmail.com.