Christmas in Cyprus

Enjoy Christmas in Cyprus in the Sunshine...

Christmas (Christouyenna) in Cyprus is perhaps the biggest celebration of all and it's a great time to visit the magical island of Cyprus.

You can sample all the seasonal traditions at your hotel and at the same time enjoy the sunshine. If you want to eat out for Christmas book well in advance as restaurants and hotels get booked very quickly.

If you just want to relax and chill out, there are the lovely beaches of Cyprus to enjoy. Temperatures are normally around 20 degrees, the sun is shining and many people still go swimming.

Christmas in Cyprus - Traditions
Christmas is celebrated as a religious holiday and on Christmas Eve everyone goes to church and many children go from house to house singing seasonal carols (kalanda).

Cypriot families celebrate the 12 days of Christmas which end with the feast of Epiphany on 6 January.

Goblin-like spirits known as kallikantzeri make a lot of mischief during the twelve days of Christmas and many homes protect themselves by wrapping a sprig of basil around a cross and then sprinkling it with holy water. The water is then sprinkled in each room throughout the 12 days of Christmas.

Christmas Gifts
Children receive their presents on New Year's Day as this is the day of Ayios Vasilis (St Basil) the Greek Santa Claus.

When all the children have gone to sleep a cake (with a coin inside) and a glass of wine are placed by the Christmas Tree. Ayios Vasilis (St Basil) drinks the wine and blesses the cake and places presents around the tree.

In the morning the Christmas cake (Vasilopitta) is cut and the one who finds the coin will be lucky all year.

Traditional Christmas Food
An enormous amount of cooking and great merriment is enjoyed over the Christmas period. Loaves of Christopsomo (Christ Bread) are eaten on Christmas Eve and dishes such as stuffed turkey (Γαλοπούλα γεμιστή), chicken and roast lamb are traditionally eaten on Christmas day. Also very popular are the traditional mezes and cakes such as kourabiedes (Κουραμπιέδες - small almond cakes coated in icing sugar), melomakarona (Μελομακάρονα - honey cakes) and Finikia (Φοινίκια - walnut cakes).

Pomegranates are associated with Greek mythology and Persephone and the Underworld. They're also a symbol of joyous times, good fortune, fertility and prosperity and associated with the gods Demeter, Aphrodite, and Hera. Over the Christmas period pomegranates are eaten and also used for decoration.

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