Christmas customs, Epirus

"The lighted kermes oak"

When Christ was born and the shepherds went to worship, the night was dark. They found dry kermes oak somewhere and cut its branches. Each one took a branch in his hand, put it on fire and the dark mountain filled with joyful fires and cracks and clicks. Since then up to nowadays, in the villages of Arta, whoever goes to a neighboring house to wish ‘Merry Christmas’ as well as all the married children who will go to their parents house to kiss the hand of their father and mother, have to hold a branch of kermes oak or a branch of any other plant that takes fire. On the road, they light it up; they go it to their parent’s home and fill in beautiful flames and clicks through the dark alleys of the village.

Even in Giannena they do the same thing. The only difference is that they don’t hold the whole branch of kermes oak lighted in their hands - as Giannena is a big town - but they hold only bay leaves and kermes oat leaves in their hand that drop them in the fireplace as soon as they get in the house and say ‘Good-morning’. When the leaves dry out, catch fire and start spitting, they wish: "Lambs, kids, brides and grooms!" This is the best wish for every landlord in order to prosper his flocks, to get a larger family, to raise his children (girls and boys), to bring brides and grooms to his house and to give him grandchildren who will not let the father's name go out.

"Epiphany Day"

On the morning of the Epiphany Day’s Eve, the women cleaned the house, the courtyards and the alleys, for the priest to pass later. The priest, according to custom, passed through the whole village and hallowed the inhabitants, all the facilities of the house as well as the animals. From where the priest once passed, everyone threw a coin into the billycan.

On the Epiphany Day, everyone was going to church and put clean water into flasks, goumia (a type of coffee pot or jug), bottles, jars and pots in order to be hallowed. This is a custom that is preserved in nowadays.

When they came back home, all the members of the family drank of the water and they sprinkled the house, the animals, the fields and the gardens. They kept the water that left over for using it as remedy.

As far as the celebration of Aghios Giannis that followed, they turned on the well known ‘tzamales’ in order to leave the goblins and the evil demons that had not left on the Epiphany Day by the priest’s sanctuary. This custom is still preserved in nowadays.

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