History and meteorology tells us that the climate in Ancient Greece showed significant similarities to the modern mild Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot summers and mild winters.

Ancient Greek art, especially as expressed in statues and vases from the 5th and 4th centuries BCE, depicts men and women wearing simple, light clothing suitable for a warm and dry climate, as if winter didn’t exist.

The lack of depictions of ancient Greeks in winter clothing is due to various artistic, cultural and practical ideas at the time

Every culture has its own unique, sometimes quirky, customs and traditions.

Greece is no exception and seems to have more than its fair share of Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Greek Father Christmas is not Saint Nicholas, but Saint Basil (or Vasilis), being Greek and true to form, he arrives late, a week late; on New Year’s Eve.

Saint Vassilis, or Agios Vassilis, has much in common with Saint Nicholas;

Both are known for their compassion, kind heartedness and their commitment to helping the unfortunate, both bring gifts around Christmastime, one, just a little later than the other.

Christmas trees were introduced to Greece in the 1830s by King Otto, but didn’t really become popular until about the 1940s.

The Greek equivalent of the Christmas tree, is the Christmas boat, a wonderful tradition.

For the observant Orthodox Greek, the forty day fast, for Christmas, know as the advent fast, ends on Christmas day, with the breaking of ‘Christopsomo’, Christ’s bread, which was baked the day before, on Christmas Eve.