| Hi, everybody! Do you know how Greek people celebrate New Year's Day? In this lesson, you'll learn some important phrases about the Greek New Year and some valuable cultural tips. |
| In Greek, New Year's day is called... |
| Πρωτοχρονιά |
| [slowly] Πρωτοχρονιά |
| On Πρωτοχρονιά, Greek people greet each other by saying Καλή Χρονιά! |
| (slow) Καλή Χρονιά! |
| This means "Happy New Year." |
| When you meet someone for the first time in the new year, be sure to greet them with this phrase. |
| Greek people also celebrate the holiday with special events and customs. The most popular one is... |
| ρεβεγιόν Πρωτοχρονιάς |
| (slow) ρεβεγιόν Πρωτοχρονιάς |
| This means "New Year's Eve dinner party." |
| The celebration of New Year's Day starts on December 31st, with families intensively preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner party. |
| Apart from cooking and preparing the table, women pay special attention to their appearance, as it is the party of the year and naturally, they want to look their best! The menu mainly consists of meat, but also includes lots of traditional sweets like sugar coated biscuits, or [κουραμπιέδες], honey biscuits, or [μελομακάρονα] and, of course, the famous New Year's cake, called [βασιλόπιτα]. |
| On this special day, Greek people eat βασιλόπιτα |
| (slow) βασιλόπιτα |
| This means "New Year's cake." |
| On the night of New Year's eve, many people open a bottle of champagne as well for good luck. Then, the householder cuts the [βασιλόπιτα] after making the sign of the Cross on it three times using a knife. The first piece is cut for Christ, the second for the Virgin Mary, and the third for St. Basil. Then the subsequent pieces are cut for the rest of the family members. After this, one can expect a lively party and possibly gambling with cards. |
| Let's wrap up this lesson by recapping what you've learned. Listen to the expression and repeat after me. |
| "New Year's Day" |
| Πρωτοχρονιά |
| * beep |
| Πρωτοχρονιά |
| "Happy New Year!" |
| Καλή Χρονιά! |
| * beep |
| Καλή Χρονιά! |
| "New Year's Eve dinner party" |
| ρεβεγιόν Πρωτοχρονιάς |
| * beep |
| ρεβεγιόν Πρωτοχρονιάς |
| "New Year's cake" |
| βασιλόπιτα |
| * beep |
| βασιλόπιτα |
| Well done! [pause] Here's a fun fact! |
| What is a pomegranate used for on New Year's Day in Greece? |
| The pomegranate, or in Greek [ρόδι], is a symbol of abundance, fertility, and good luck. In many parts of Greece, after the year changes, Greeks forcefully throw a pomegranate outside the threshold of their front door, smashing it into many pieces. It is believed that this brings good fortune and an abundance of goods to the household. |
| You just learned how Greek people celebrate "New Year's Day" and some important facts about the holiday. |
| And if you want to learn Greek twice as fast, just click the link in the description and download tons of PDF lessons for FREE! |
| I'll see you next time. Γεια χαρά! |
Comments
Hide