Today is Janyary 5th. I will go with Maria to sing carols again!!! This time is the Epiphany, or Fota as they call it here in Greece, carols. So, once again we will go out knocking on doors and enter shops and shout out '' na ta poume'' which means
should we say it? Everybody says yes as it is a time for children. When we are finished we will wish Many happy years ahead, then some
people give us a christmas biscuit but most people give us coins. Here are the Fota carols:
The next day, January 6th, the "twelve days" of Christmas officially come to an end. This day,
takes on a special meaning in Greece. Here, there is a special ceremony
of blessing the waters and of the vessels that ply them.
The modern observance takes the form of a priest hurling a large crucifix into the waters.
Young men brave the cold and compete to retrieve it. These days, the
cross is generally attached to a nice, safe long chain.
After the diving, local fishermen bring their boats to be blessed by the priest.
What does all this have to do with Christmas? Orthodox belief says that
it was the day of the baptism of Jesus, and that this is where the day's
association with water arises. But the observance itself may
pre-date Christianity. There was, in Roman times, what was said to be a
ceremony that opened the season of navigation.
The day is also said to be the date of a festival of emperor-worship,
also dating from Roman times. Possibly that, with attendant offerings
for the emperor, is the root of this ceremony. Or it may also reflect a
survival of the custom of giving precious offerings to sea, river, and
spring spirits to assure their benevolence or halt their interference.
On Epiphany, the kallinkantzari, the malicious spirits who are
said to be active during the twelve days of Christmas, are believed to
be banished for the rest of the year.
Epiphany is also called the Phota or Fota, in reference to the day being a Feast of Light.
Now, with Kyriakos, Eleftheria and Anastasia we will talk about New Year's dishes... Yummyyyyyyyyyyy, i think is the best day!!! Here in Greece people on New Year's day usually eat pork and turkey. Sometimes, a meat pie, which in Greek is called Kreatopita, takes the place of Vasilopita and in this case they put a coin inside. Everything i tried was delicious! So, i thought would be a good idea to write down the recipes!
Kreatopita (Meat Pie)
Fresh herbs make this a special treat. If fresh aren't available, use
dried; however, instead of dried oregano, substitute with dried
spearmint. This quantity is for a 16 1/2 x 12 inch (or equivalent) pan
(roasting or lasagna pan)
Ingredients
1 quantity of Best Homemade Phyllo for Filled Pies
6 to 6 1/4 pounds of beef or lamb, cut in small pieces
2/3 cup of olive oil
1/2 cup of dry red wine
2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cup of long-grain rice
2 medium onions, finely chopped
5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 heaping tablespoon of fresh finely chopped rmint
1 heaping tablespoon of fresh finely chopped oregano
1 level tablespoon of fresh finely chopped dill or fennel leaves
2 tablespoons of fresh finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
3-4 cups of water
Instructions Sauté the onion and garlic in hot olive oil. When the onion softens,
add the meat and brown well. Dissolve the tomato paste in the wine and
stir in, along with salt, pepper, herbs, and water. Cover, reduce
heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat is very tender and
there's some liquid in the pan. (Cooking time and the amount of water
needed will depend on the meat. If more water is needed during cooking,
add boiling water.)
Stir in rice and turn off heat.
Preheat oven to 340F (170C).
Oil a 16 1/2 x 12 inch pan (or equivalent). Place the bottom
sheet of phyllo on the bottom and spread filling evenly. Place the
smallest sheet of phyllo on top of the filling, brush with olive oil,
and place the final sheet of phyllo on top, and brush with oil. Tuck or
crimp edges of the dough, and bake at 340F (170C) for 1 hour. The kreatopita is done when the corners of the crust don't stick to the pan.
Remove the pan from the oven and cover with a clean towel for 1 hour before serving. Cut into 4-inch pieces and enjoy!
Slow - cooked "aromatic" pork shoulder
Ingredients
1poundporkshoulder(fulltrack) 1clove ofgarlic 2bay leaves 2 tspdriedcoriander 1pinchwhite pepper 1pinchgroundallspice 4-5driedrosemaryleaves juicy of 1orange salt, blackpepper, oregano 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions 1. Preheatoven to170. 2. Wash themeatand placeinpot. 3. Cut thegarlicinto slicesandrubonthe meataround.Thepieces of garlicsweep thembetween the meatwhichhasaspects ormakeholeswith a knifeand put theminside. 4. Salt itwell withplenty of saltand betweenaspects.Addthe remainingherbs andspices and finallyadd theorange juice. 5. Mix in theoiland sealthehull. The totalcooking timefrom the momentwe putthepotin the ovenis3 1/2hours. Somewherein the middleof cookingoncewe openthe hull andsprinkle thepork withthe juicesthathaveturn out,making sure togoand betweenaspects. The last quarterwe leaveopenthe lidto makethecrustwhilewe goand on the otherside.
Peel the chestnuts from the outer peel and put to boil with water and a pinch of salt. Once half boiled, drain and clean the outer skin being careful to stay whole. Clean and wash the turkey thoroughly. Let it drain.In a saucepan, add the butter to burn and add the onion to golden brown. Mix in the breadcrumbs and stir with a wooden spoon. Add the milk and stir until it becomes a thick cream. Sprinkle the parsley and pine nuts and stir remove from the heat. And add the chestnuts with raisins also washed and dried.Put salt and pepper in the opening of the turkey and fill with the stuffing. Carefully sew the thin white string and thick needle and put a similar pan. Bathe our turkey with lemon juice and pepper. Pour into the pan and melt the remaining butter and bake for 2 1/2 hours in a moderate preheated oven. To prevent drying, cover the turkey with buttered greaseproof paper or foil. When cooked turkey to put on a nice platter and decorate accordingly to our liking.
Vasilopita is the New Year's cake. It is cut after the change of the year and also for some period after New Year's Day. Konstantina will tell me more about Vasilopita.
Filled with sweet or savory ingredients, traditionally decorated with
the year written in almonds or walnuts (now frosting) on top, and
sometimes accompanied by ‘Χ’ and ‘Π’ standing for Xronia Polla, it has a
gold coin (now a euro coin or button wrapped in gold or silver foil) or
flouri baked into the pita crust or filling, depending on the region of
Greece.
The eldest person of the house cuts symbolic pieces for Christ,
the Virgin Mary, Ag. Vassili, the church, the house, the poor and then a
slice for each family member by age from eldest to youngest. Some also
cut two additional slices for animals and Sparta, and some say there’s a
slice for the business. Whoever gets the coin or flouri is said to have extra good luck all year.
The slices for Christ, the Virgin Mary, Ag. Vassili and the church
are usually given to visitors to the home or the poor, in order to share
good fortune with others. Many homes also have a special Christopsomo
(Christ’s bread).
Story of the Vassilopita
In the 4th century, Ag. Vassili was the Archbishop of Caesarea, an
area of Cappadocia. A local tax collector came and demanded that all the
citizens of Caesarea hand over their valuables, which caused them to
pool everything together in a panic and give them to Ag. Vassili. When
the tax collector saw the worried look of the Archbishop, he collected
nothing and took his leave. Ag. Vassili found it difficult to return all of the valuables to
their rightful owners, so he asked parishioners to bake a lot of sweet
breads, inside which he placed one valuable each. When he passed out the
sweet breads the next day, everyone was pleasantly surprised to find
the valuable inside belonged to them.
Traditional Vasilopita's recipe
Ingredients
250g margarine
2 teacups of sugar
6 eggs, preferably organic, separated
1 teacup of milk
½ k of self-rising flour
1 wine glass of brandy
1 orange (grated zest)
⅓ teaspoon of vanilla essence powder
2 teaspoons mahlab, bashed
a pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teacup of almonds, blanched, roasted and coarsely chopped
Instructions Sieve the flour and baking powder together in a
bowl. Whisk the margarine, sugar and salt together, until pale and
fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one by one and then add the grated zest,
mahlab, vanilla, milk and brandy.
Whisk the egg whites to a thick meringue. Fold it
gently to the mixture, a little at a time, alternately with the flour,
with the help of a spatula. Then add the almonds and combine everything
gently. Grease with margarine a 30cm baking tin and empty
the mixture in. Add the traditional coin and, if you wish, sprinkle with
flaked almonds. Bake at 180ºC, in a preheated oven, for approximately
55 minutes. Let it rest for 5 minutes, then, remove the cake from the
tin and place it on a rack to cool. You may sieve some icing sugar on
top.
After i have finished singing kalanta with Thomas i have to learn more about New Year's customs. I think tradition here is a bit different than the other countries. So, i have asked Yiannis, Dimitris, Anestis, Konstantina, Sofiana and Anastasia to tell me how they spend and what they do on New Year's Eve and day. I was right! Things here ARE different! The Greeks call father christmas Ayios Vasilis (Saint
Vasilis), the saint's name day celebration is on the 1st of January. The first of January is celebrated as the first day of
the year and the day that all children accept their presents. For
the Orthodox Christians Santa Claus dates back to Basil the Great
(Ayios Vasilis), who lived in Cappadocia which is the capital of
Caesarea (an ancient city of the Byzantine years) he spent almost his
entire life helping his fellow man and is in world history as the
initiator and first author of organized philanthropy. According to tradition, St. Basil the Great was a lanky, with black eyes and a white beard. The kids here write their letters to Ayios Vasilis asking him to bring them the gifts they want.
All presents are given on the New Year's Eve midnight. Children wait for
Ayios Vasilis to visit and to leave their presents underneath the
christmas tree. Rarely he brings presents for the older members of the family! Usually they exchange presents they have to buy alone!!! According to the tradition they do this in memory of the gifts the three magicians brought to the new born Christ.
Late at night families gather to welcome the new year
together and partake in a number of traditions all having to do with
good fortune, health/longevity and prosperity for a new stage of life.
In addition to a dinner of lamb, roast pork or turkey, with an extra place set
for Ag. Vassili at the table, everyone plays cards or other games of
chance to not only pass the time until midnight, but also because it is
considered a lucky night whether you win or lose.
Before the stroke of midnight, the lights are turned off to cast
darkness on “the old” and all family members exit the home. A person
considered lucky is selected and handed the pomegranate, which had been
hanging either on or above the door since Christmas.
When the new year turns, the pomegranate is smashed on the floor in
front of the door or on the door itself to break it open and reveal an
abundance of seeds symbolizing good fortune and prosperity (the more
seeds, the more luck), the lights are turned on to cast light on “the
new,” and everyone wishes each other “Kali Chronia” or “Chronia Polla.”
The same person, or another considered good or lucky — usually a child
because their hearts are innocent and without malice — then steps into
the home using the right foot (Kalo Podariko in Greek or good foot), thus giving
the family an omen of good luck for the new year. All other family
members then follow, also entering with the right foot.
After that everybody starts looking if Ayios Vassilis has come with the presents!
Today, with Thomas, i will learn the New Year's kalanta! Like in Christmas, kids go out and sing from door to door on New Year's Eve, usually in the morning hours.
The New Year's Kalanta say: First of the month and first day of the year, my tall christmas tree And the beginning of the new year Church with the holy throne. In the beginning, when Christ appeared as a holy saint to walk upon the earth and to welcome us with his heart. Santa Claus is coming-land lords do you realise that- From CaesereaYou are the land lady of this house He is holding a picture and a paper, a shaped piece of rock (candy) a paper and a quill Look at me, a young man The quill wrote, he was writing about his fate and the paper speaks for its self Saint Vasilis (Father Christmas)
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