Christmas is one of the major Christian celebrations and in Corfu, Greece, it is still strongly connected with the
Greek Orthodox tradition. For Greeks, who in their majority are Orthodox, Christmas is second only to Easter in religious importance. The name 'Christmas'declares exactly the purpose of the celebration, which is the birth of Christ. Christmas in Greece, like many other countries, is celebrated on the 25th of December. During the early Christian years, Christmas was celebrated on the day of Epiphany, but in the 4th century, the 25th of December was settled as Christmas Day because it was connected with the 25th of March, when Greeks celebrate the Holy Conception Of Christ (Evangelismos). On Christmas Eve, children travel from house to house offering good wishes and singing Kalanda, Greek Christmas carols. Often their songs are accompanied by small, metal triangles and little clay drums.

Corfu is inscribed by UNESCO
as World Heritage Site

Christmas gifts are exchanged on St. Basil's Day (January the 1st). St. Basil is the Greek version of Father Christmas and some families leave a log in their fireplace for him to step on as he slips down the chimney with a bag of toys
. The 25th and the 26th of December are Bank Holidays and Greeks usually attend Holy Mass on the morning of the 25th of December, and then gather together with friends and family to eat and celebrate the birth of Christ. They fast for 40 days before Christmas because they believe that they should celebrate this Holy Day with clean body and soul.

After 40 days of fasting, the Christmas feast is looked forward to with great an ticipation by both adults and children alike. The Christmas table is rich and, in every part of Greece, local dishes special to the particular day of celebration are added. Usually on the Christmas table there is meat (roast pork or stuffed or boiled turkey) and loaves of the famous Christopsomo (Christ's Bread). It is made in large, sweet loaves in various shapes, and the crusts are engraved and frosted with symbols that in some way reflect he family's profession. It is served with dried figs, nuts and honey. In many places the housewives prepare various pies and of course they treat their guests to Kourabiedes (almond cookies) and Melomakarona (honey glazed cookies), the Greek traditional sweets for Christmas.

The decoration of the Christmas tree is not originally Greek. It was introduced by the Bavarian King Otto, around 1830. Of course, today, like in most European Christmas traditions, the Christ balls, stars, angels, fairy lights and other mas tree is decorated with colourful ornaments. It is placed in the sitting area of the house and underneath it, St. Basil is supposed to leave the presents for the children on New Year's Eve. The typical Greek wish for Christmas is Chronic Polla and many presents are also exchanged on the 25th of December. The custom of Christmas cards is also very popular and Greeks decorate their sitting rooms with them, and also put them underneath the Christmas tree.

Christmas gifts are exchanged on St. Basil's Day (January the 1st). St. Basil is the Greek version of Father
Christmas and some families leave a log in their fireplace for him to step on as he slips down the chimney with a bag of toys. The 25th and the 26th of December are Bank Holidays and Greeks usually attend Holy Mass on the morning of the 25th of December, and then gather together with friends and family to eat and celebrate the birth of Christ.
They fast for 40 days before Christmas because they believe that they should celebrate this Holy Day with clean body and soul. Christmas in Corfu is a fantastic experience and if you are lucky to be a guest in a Greek home, you will be treated like a real guest of honour, since the message of Christmas for the Greeks is love, peace and hospitality.