“”Can you remember how many times you asked the question “how many days are there left until Christmas?”‘ wrote in 1930 a columnist in the Thessaloniki newspaper Macedonia, noting a little further down that “in Siatista, children are even more impatient and eager!”1 And it is true that Christmas season in the town of Siatista is remarkable, with many customs that have been preserved for hundreds of years.2
Everything begins on December 12th, the feast day of Saint Spyridon. The residents who live in the outskirts of Siatista start ringing bells to announce the arrival of Christmas celebrations. Then, children and young people begin the preparations for the Kladaria. They work in groups, collect dry branches and grass, and finally dig a 70-centimeter-deep hole in the middle of Siatista’s central square on December 23rd. At the center of the hole, they place the vergí, a large wooden pole that will support the collected dry branches. They decorate its top with a leafy lózio, adorned with ribbons and balloons. People gather in the square and, as the night falls, sing and ring bells around the Kladaria. Once it gets dark, they set the Kladaria on fire, singing traditional songs in the background. The Kladaria symbolizes the fires lit by the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ. As the fire dies down, people start to jump over the embers hoping for good luck for the new year.
Apart from the Kladaria, in the midnight of December 24th, children sing the kolianta (carols). According to tradition, children form groups and visit every house to sing the carols. With them, they carry bags to collect whatever Siatistians wished to offer to them. A special feature of carols in Siatista is the tzomáka. The word originates from the word tsompanos (shepherd) and refers to the shepherds’ staff. It is a tall wooden cane soaked in water for days to prevent cracking. It is used to knock on the doors of those who wouldn’t open themselves. Notably, in addition to the carols, in the past children used to sing two more songs: one for families with an emigrant child and another for families with a literate person.
On Christmas Day, the people of Siatista gather in the houses of relatives and friends to eat and celebrate. A traditional Siatistian Christmas dish is sarmades, made of pork and rice wrapped in cabbage leaves, symbolizing the swaddling of newborn Jesus. According to tradition, from Christmas until Theofaneia (Epiphany), Kalikantzaroi —mischievous goblins— roam the town looking to cause trouble. And while the goblins were never good, you never knew what to expect of the Stia, a ghostly figure with uncertain intentions!
As New Year’s Day approach, preparations for the coming year begin in Siatista. One old custom was Sourouva: on December 31st, children light fires with dry grass and sing the Sourouva song to celebrate the arrival of the New Year. On New Year’s Day, a cheese pie or sweet pumpkin pie with a hidden coin is prepared and cut before the meal. Whoever finds the coin is believed to have good luck for the year ahead.
On the eve of Theofaneia (Epiphany), another Siatistian custom is prominent. People gaze at a body of water, and if the water ripples, it signifies that the heavens have opened! Then, people run to find a place from where the sky is clearly visible. On Epiphany Day, the blessing of the waters takes place, and the church distributes a pie to families. The family that finds the little cross hidden in the pie is responsible for preparing the next year’s pie. Last but not least, the Boubousaria custom has been preserved by Siatistians to this day. The Boubousaria, originating from the Ottoman period, resembles a carnival. On January 6th, the people of Siatista dress up, parade, and dance!
Thus, the festive season in Siatista concludes —a period filled with customs and traditions that the people of Siatista strive to revive and preserve to this day!
About the Author
Sofia Pitsineli is a historian, graduate of the University of Athens, and researcher at Greek Ancestry.
