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Greek Christmas and New Year Traditions

Read this article in Greek & listen to the audio

Looking forward to the Christmas Period? Here below you will find information about some Christmas traditions in Greece.
In the meantime, in order to improve your listening skills,  you can click on the button above, where you will find the text in Greek as well as the Audio Weiterlesen

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Greek traditional product : mastic or mastiha

Mastiha is a product that comes from the mastic tree. The sticky secretion, the resin, has the color of old wax and might not seem very special, but it has become a product that is known and wanted all over the world. Mastic has not only a unique taste but it has also been shown by scientific research that it is beneficial for the health. When a mastiha tree produces the resin, locals often refer to it as “tears”, or the “crying mastiha tree”!

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Kourabiedes – Greek Christmas cookies – a recipe

It is nearly Christmas and preparations have begun. We decorate our house, and we buy or make sweets. In Greece, there are two kinds of cookies you can buy or taste all over Greece, during the Christmas Holiday season: melomacarona and kourabiedes. Maybe you would like to bake those delicious cookies yourself? Below you will find our recipe.

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The Greek Cuisine

Whether you are living in Greece or just visiting, you will quickly notice that food has an important role in Greek society. Greeks consider a meal as quality time with friends and family. It is their way to socialize, to discuss various topics and concerns, to make fun and to offer hospitality. 
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Picking Olives on the Island of Kythira (by Marianne Both*)

It’s been over two years since I first visited Kythira. I got to know the olive oil of this beautiful Greek island through a friend in Holland. The moment I tasted it, I wanted more. While I have been to Greece over the last 20 years, I had never visited Kythira. It was early October when I checked the island out on the internet. To my surprise, I read that it was possible to go to Kythira and pick olives right then. Albert and Anita, (also former Omilo-students and the Dutch owners of Fos ke Choros guesthouse**), apparently organized olive picking holidays. I found the idea of a holiday that blended work and pleasure immediately appealing.
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How to order coffee in Greece?

Let’s go for a coffee! Πάμε για καφέ! Drinking coffee is a vital part of the Greek culture. It is not just about drinking “a coffee”, a whole ritual goes with it. Coffee breaks in Greece are serious affairs and last long! When a Greek tells you: “Let’s go for a coffee”, make sure you don’t have any plans for the next few hours.
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