In the villages of northern Greece, on Christmas Eve, the housewife of every
home searches in the fields and chooses the most beautiful and sturdy wood of
pine or olive and takes it home. This is called Christoxylo (Jesus’ wood) which
will be burning for twelve days, from Christmas to Epiphany, at the fireplace.
It is believed that the ashes left from Christoxylo will protect the home and
the fields from evil.
The housewife has already taken care of cleaning the house and especially the
fireplace with great care so that no trace of old ash is left. She even cleanses
the chimney of the house, so that the goblins cannot come down, the evil demons,
as mentioned in the traditional Christmas fairytales.
On Christmas Eve, when the whole family gathers around the fireplace, the
housewife in the house lights up the new fire and Christoxylo is put in the
fireplace.
According to tradition, as Christoxylο
is burning, Jesus Christ is warming himself
up in His manger.
Every family tries to keep this fire on for the whole 12 days of the feast, from
Christmas to Epiphany.
On
the island of Thassos until today, families have a very old custom, the BURNING
of the leaves, and it is done as follows:
Everyone sitting around the fireplace, pulls coal out and throws olive leaves
around it, making a wish without revealing it, though. The person, whose olive
leave changes its shape, will have his wish come true.
On
the islands of the Ionian Sea, on New Year's Eve, the inhabitants full of joy
for the New Year, walk down the streets holding bottles with perfumes spraying
one another. In this way, they celebrate the advent of the New Year and sing:
"We
came with roses and flowers to wish a happy New Year".
At
dawn, on Christmas Eve, elsewhere on New Year’s Eve, young girls get to the
closest drinking fountain to steal the "silent water", called like this, because
girls remain silent on their way there.
When they get the water, they coat the fountain with butter and honey wishing
for a sweet life as sweet as honey and that growth flows in their home
throughout the New Year, just as water flows through fountains. In addition,
when they reach the fountain, they feed it with various products like butter,
bread, cheese, legumes or olive branch so that their families have a good crop.
They even believe that any girl who reaches first the old drinking fountain,
will be the luckiest one all year round. Then, they put herbs and three pebbles
in a jug, ‘’steal” the water, get back home silently till everyone drinks from
the "silent water". Using the same water, they sprinkle all four corners of the
house and scatter the three pebbles around the house as well.