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“Vasilopita,” a special Greek New Year’s cake

The story begins in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia, where the benevolent ruler, Mega Vasileios, faced a ruthless tyrant enemy, threatening to besiege the city unless all its treasures were handed over. Mega Vasileios prayed for divine intervention, and miraculously, Saint Mercurius appeared, leading a heavenly army to defeat the tyrant and save the city.

However, Mega Vasileios now faced the challenge of distributing the recovered treasures fairly among the city’s inhabitants. With divine guidance, he decided to bake small loaves of bread, each containing a few pieces of treasure. These special loaves, known as Vasilopita, were then distributed among the people as a blessing. Every family cutting their loaf found the hidden treasures, bringing joy and blessing.

Since then, the tradition of making Vasilopita with a hidden coin inside has continued as a symbol of good fortune and unity during the New Year’s celebration. The act of sharing the Vasilopita represents the spirit of generosity and communal support, honoring the historical events that led to the city’s salvation.

If you are interested in this, check the full article in the link below:
https://greekreporter.com/2023/12/31/vasilopita-new-year-cake-coin-greece/

Photo credits: Olive magazine

Mediterranean diet is the well-kept secret at this crossroad island of Europe, Africa, and Asia. The Greek Island of Crete has the recipe “blueprint”.

What are the most know ingredients, that making this diet world famous, in this small piece of land :
– Olive oil from the centuries-old olive trees
– Wine, Crete vineyards are famous back to Minoan era
– Cheese, in each every small village you can taste different varieties of cheese

Seasonality and sustainability are taking part on the Cretan table, as tastes, food, beverages are following the ancient way of “life elixir”.

You are in an island but Cretan diet is not consisted only with seafood. So yes, near the beach you would taste fish and shellfish and sea delights, but as you moving in to the mainland of Crete, menu is changing to vegetables, cheese meat and pies ` believe us it worth the drive.

Venetians, Ottomans, Egyptians had left their food print, even at Culinary at this landscape shaped by the God’s of Crete and it is delicious.

To read the full article check the link below:

Why Crete, Greece, Is Such a Special Place to Eat

As we are counting down for the new year, in the Greek island of Crete, we Cretans have unique traditions to celebrate the new year arrival.

Saint Vasilis or Agios Vasilios (a Greek version of Santa Claus) is coming around bringing presents, traditionally at New Year’s Day ( 1st day of the year).

Vasilopita (Agios Vasilios cake) the special cake of New Year’s day is an ancient Greek era tradition. It is a sweet cake baked with”flouri” a hidden coin inside.

Families in Crete are making a special cutting of Vasilopita (the cake) and offering the pieces with a particular order.  Christ symbolically is taking the first slice of cake and it is kept aside, second is also set aside for the household, and then pieces are given in a certain age order to everyone present. It is said that all the luck of the year is for the person who has the coin in his/her cake piece, from the gathered group.

Podariko (the first foot – person that would enter the house) After the frist minute of the new year, on New Year’s Eve, they will ask a close friend or relative, whom they consider lucky, to be the first to come into their house. Very often, a children is preferred, for this special practice as children’s hearts are free of malice and envy and considered innocent. The house would follow the good or bad ome,n for the whole new year following “podariko” of the person who had first entered the house.

Hanging of the “Askeletoura” (squil scilla maritima) commonly called the sea onion, a very old Cretan tradition said to have started in the 6th century BC.  This wild plant is not eatable from the animals as it is poisonous and cause a rash in contact with the skin. This plant is special as even after it’s pulled from the soil, it continues to bloom and produce new leaves. Cretan’s believe this long surviving power can be transmitted to humans. That’s why around New Year they would hang the sea onion in their home.

22nd Annual August Full Moon events program, organized by The Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, with free admission to selected archaeological and historical sites, monuments, and museums on Friday August 12th , the night of the full moon.

This year, on the hundredth anniversary of the Asia Minor Catastrophe, the event will be dedicated to the Exodus of Hellenism from Asia Minor and the imprint that this disaster left on the collective memory.

As the theme of this year’s poster, we have chosen a photograph by Boissonnas entitled “Acheiropoietos, as a camp for Greek refugees from Thrace and Asia Minor”. The immortalized children of the photograph taken in 1919, were displaced in the camp as a consequence of other disasters brought by the First World War. However, this photograph serves as a timeless record of uprooting and unexpected loss, flight and wonderment in the face of an imposed fate.

Events in the Crete island:

The events will be carried out in accordance with the health and safety protocols set by Greek authorities for the operation of archaeological sites and museums to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

We cordially invite you all, to the archaeological sites, museums and monuments, on the moonlit August night.

For more details visit the official Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports page here:

Full moon published detailed schedule for 50 archeological places in Greece

Le Figaro article from Maud Vidal-Naquet

Western Crete can be discovered from its capital with Venetian influences, the starting point for sublime beaches and the gorges of Samaria.

La Crète occidentale se découvre depuis sa capitale aux influences vénitiennes, point de départ vers des plages sublimes et les gorges de Samaria. Notre guide de voyage.

Appelez-la La Canée, les locaux disent aussi Hania ou Chania. Une chose est sûre: on ne peut avoir qu’un coup de cœur pour la plus séduisante ville de Crète, qui est une destination à part entière pour les amoureux de la Grèce. S’enroulant autour de son charmant port vénitien et protégé par des murailles, son centre historique est un paradis pour flâner sur les quais et dans ses ruelles. Longtemps capitale de l’île, elle est couverte de monuments ottomans, vénitiens, juifs et grecs.

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This very special time of the year, aromas (smells), tastes and flavors, remind us our warm childhood memories. In Greece food is strongly connected with almost every good and bad moments and Christmas festive is celebrated traditional in the whole country, with many different recipes “kaloudia”, from east to west, in the mainland and the islands.

Melomakarona or Phoenikia

The most traditional and typical of all Greek Christmas sweets, that can be found in all Greek households, during the holiday festive of Christmas.

Melomakarona is a kind of a cookie made with olive oil, flour, honey, and lemon. The addition of cinnamon and walnuts makes them unique.

The origin of the cookie is coming from the Ancient Greece. Ancient Greeks at funerals, would eat a barley mixture called “makaria” (rest in peace).

“Makaria” transformed to the cookie we know today, through the years. With the addition of Greek honey (meli in Greek), to the cookie, gives us the new name “melomakarona”.

During the twelve days of Christmas festive, this sweet had become one of the most popular delicacy eaten. Greeks who lived in Asia Minor also ate this delicacy but gave them the name “Phoenikia” (from the Greek Fenix).

Kourabiedes

One of most famous Christmas sweet cookies.

Kourabiedes are delicious cookies (shortbread-type) made with butter, flour and powdered sugar on top, filled with almonds.

“Kourabiedes” word refer to this type of cookies and is origin comes from the Turkish word “kurabiye”, which itself was borrowed from the Arabic word “qurabiya”. Biscuits like “Kourabiedes” are made across the Balkans and the Middle East.

Make your own homemade Melomakarona and Kourabiedes following the detailed recipes in the link below:

GreekReporter | Traditional Greek Christmas Sweets to fall in love with

Photo credit: Bovary.gr

by Maud Vidal-Naquet LE FIGARO (translated from French)

Our travel guide essentials for Chania and its surroundings.
Western Crete can be discovered from its capital with Venetian influences, a starting point for sublime beaches and the Samaria gorges.

Call it Chania, the locals also say Hania or Chania. One thing is certain: one can only fall in love with the most attractive city of Crete , which is a destination in its own right for lovers of Greece . Wrapping around its charming Venetian port and protected by walls, its historic center is a paradise for strolling on the quays and in its alleys. Long capital of the island, it is covered with Ottoman, Venetian, Jewish and Greek monuments.