- Sky, plane, New Year
- Preparation for celebrations
- How New Year is celebrated in Greece
- Revitalizing water
The Greeks are very fond of holidays and in the homeland of Odysseus and ancient myths they are celebrated widely and on a grand scale. One of the favorite days of the year is December 31, when all residents of the country see off the old year and meet the next. In the era of Ancient Greece, the New Year came on June 22, the day of the summer solstice. It coincided with the start of the Olympic Games held in honor of Hercules. Today the country is celebrating the coming year together with the whole world according to the Gregorian calendar.
Sky, plane, New Year
If you decide to celebrate your favorite winter holiday in Greece, take care of planning your trip well in advance. First, go looking for and booking plane tickets. If you do this in advance, the cost of the flight can be reduced by a third or even more. In order to keep track of all the special offers of air carriers, subscribe to the email newsletter on their websites. This is how you will be the first to know about discounts, bonuses and price reductions on air tickets.
You can easily get to the Greek capital:
- Direct flights from Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport to the capital of Greece are operated by Aeroflot. If you book tickets for the New Year holidays several months in advance, they will cost about 300 euros. The journey takes 4 hours. Slightly cheaper - from 270 euros - is a direct flight on the Greek carrier Aegean Airlines.
- With the most budgetary connections, Turkish Airlines will take you from Moscow to Athens. Flights are operated from the capital's Vnukovo airport, with a transfer to be made in Istanbul. In the sky, passengers spend about 4, 5 hours, for a ticket you will have to pay 270 euros.
- The services of German airlines are more expensive, but it is not a pity for comfort and service and pay a little more. Lufthansa lifts its cars into the sky from Domodedovo, docking takes place in Frankfurt, and the cost of tickets starts at around 280 euros.
- If you live in St. Petersburg, then on New Year's in Greece you will have to fly only with transfers. Fastest of all - Aeroflot with a connection in the capital for 330 euros and 7 hours, taking into account the transfer. The Germans and Swiss will deliver the residents of St. Petersburg to the Greek capital for 360 euros and with transfers in Frankfurt and Zurich. The airport of departure in the northern capital of Russia is called Pulkovo.
Not too beach season on New Year's holidays in Greece will not hurt fans of cool weather and picturesque views to fly to Thessaloniki. At this time of year, it is especially pleasant to rent a car and go on excursions around the city. Moreover, a direct flight from Moscow on the wings of Aegean Airlines will cost you only 170 euros in both directions. The boards rise from Domodedovo, and the journey takes no more than 3 hours.
Do not forget about the opportunities that open up for transit passengers at some airports in the world with long connections. Before choosing and booking tickets, check if a Russian citizen needs a visa in the country where the transfer takes place. For example, in Serbia and Turkey, it is not required to enter the city, and a long connection in Belgrade or Istanbul can be used for a sightseeing tour of the city. Moreover, the Turks organize it for transit passengers free of charge.
Useful sites where you can subscribe to the email newsletter are www.turkishairlines.com, www.aegeanair.com, www.aeroflot.ru.
Do not forget to book hotels and car rentals in advance if you are planning to celebrate the new year in the Balkans. Greece is a very popular tourist destination and prices soar closer to the holidays, and the choice of options is significantly reduced.
Preparation for celebrations
Like residents of any country in the world, the Greeks approach the process of preparing the New Year celebration thoroughly. New Year's markets and fairs are opening on the streets and squares of cities, where you can buy fresh food for the festive table, and gifts to loved ones. Houses are decorated with solemn illumination, Christmas trees are everywhere.
A home fireplace or stove is cleaned in advance to prevent evil spirits from entering the house. A special tree is harvested, which is put on firewood and used to heat the fireplace during all the holidays, in order, according to custom, to fill the Bethlehem cave with warmth. The women clean the houses, and the little ones prepare shoes for gifts. Shoes are left on New Year's Eve by the fireplace for Saint Basil to fill them with sweets.
The Greek patron saint of the New Year holidays, Saint Basil is the twin brother of western Santa and Russian Santa Claus. The Greeks' Christmas tree is a pine tree, to which they even dedicated a special song. "About Elato" is often heard on New Year's holidays both on the radio and on TV screens.
How New Year is celebrated in Greece
Greeks prefer to celebrate the holiday at home, with family or friends. If you were invited to celebrate the New Year in someone's house, take a heavier stone with you and throw it at the doorstep with the wishes of the same heavy riches to the owners.
After the clock struck midnight, the owner goes outside and throws the fruit of a ripe pomegranate into the wall of the house. The sign says that a large spread of sprays, grains and peels guarantees the family well-being and health in the coming year. The next indispensable attribute of the New Year's ceremony of attracting good luck is dipping your fingers in honey. This custom contributes to the appearance of wealth in the house.
On the festive table, the hostess will certainly put a fried pig with baked potatoes and basilopita - a pie in honor of St. Basil made of dough with currants and nuts and a baked coin for luck. And also - spicy honey cookies, which are designed to attract prosperity and well-being to the house.
Guests and hosts exchange skewers with fruit and sweets strung on them. Meanwhile, the children go around neighboring houses and collect a sweet tribute. This custom is called "kalandas".
Young people more and more often do not sit at tables with adults and go to celebrate the New Year in the main square of the city or in the center of the village. In the capital, the holiday is celebrated on the central square, where they arrange fireworks and dance sirtaki.
Revitalizing water
January 1 is dedicated to honoring the heavenly patron saint of Greece, Saint Basil. According to legend, the Greek Santa Claus consecrated all fresh water, and now the inhabitants of Athens, Thessaloniki and other cities and villages take advantage of the moment and conduct an appropriate ritual every year. On the first day of January, all containers in houses are filled with fresh water, which becomes holy.
All prices in the material are approximate and given as of April 2017. It is better to check the exact cost on the official websites of service providers and carriers.
