Belongs to Dominical feasts, Christmas in Santorini refers to the life of Christ and bishop with Easter being the biggest celebration of the Orthodox Church. On this day Orthodox celebrate the incarnation of God the Word, the descent of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity in the world. God comes from Heaven to earth, to climb the man from earth to Heaven.
Experiencing Christmas in Santorini
Let’s look at a few miscellaneous things for the way of experiencing Christmas in Santorini.
People of Cyclades experience the “Twelve Days”, beginning for the day of Christmas till the 6th of January, when the orthodox feast day of the Epiphany is celebrated. A general superstition is that they consider it a good sign if a pigeon lands at their front yard and/or the wind is blowing from the north on the first day of the new year. The opposite happens if the landing bird is a raven.
In Santorini, there is a really old custom, since the Byzantine era, that people of Santorini still follow on the first day of the year. After the completion of the service, all elementary school students give the “Kalichera” (good hand) to their teacher.
Things are a little different at Christmas time
Christmas is normally a time of frantic shopping, dinners & drinks with friends, traffic jams and lots of street noise. Well, in Santorini things are a little different at Christmas time. Santorini goes into complete lock-down around mid-December.
Santorini’s celebrations are a quieter affair, with a huge focus on traditional food. The traditional dip of fava takes a leading role. The broad beans are grown and used locally. Traditional Santorini tomato meatballs (no actual meat involved) are served with the island’s famous, delicious wine Vinsanto.
Plans to visit Santorini for the Christmas holidays?
If you plan to visit Santorini for the Christmas holidays, here are some tips to consider when planning your winter trip:
- The average temperature for Santorini in December is 13C, 56F.
- Ferry schedules often depend on the weather.
- The low season of tourist facilities
- On Christmas day many bars and restaurants will have some celebration with food and drinks.
Traditional Santorini’s Christmas carol
