Christmas and the New Year are celebrated with coloured lights and bright ornaments. The decorations begin on December 6, St Nicholas Day, with Nativity motifs, as well as images of Santa Claus (St Vasilios in the Orthodox Church) and his gifts to young and old alike, and the New Year.
On Christmas and New Year Eve, children go around the houses, singing carols.
On New Year’s Day, as many as fifty of the inhabitants gather together and make a round of all the houses in the village singing carols to the accompaniment of a lute and violin. Householders offer them raki or rakomelo and traditional pastries.
On Epiphany Day, Mass begins at the church and continues at the harbour.
The vicar throws the Cross into the sea to consecrate the water and the young men dive in and race to find it and deliver it into his hands.
After Mass, the Cross is placed on a silver tray ornamented with flowers. Those who dived in to recover it take it around all the houses and receive the householders’ thanks and good wishes.
