Name day celebration
Most of the Greeks owe their names to a religious saint. A very important Greek tradition that takes place in the entire Greece is that everyone who has a name coming from a saint celebrated by the church celebrates his name on a given day of the year. On the “name day” of someone, his friends and family visit him without invitation and offer their wishes (long life to you, live many years, etc…) as well as small presents. The hostess of the house offers pastries, sweets and hors d’oeuvres to the guests.
In Greece, name days are more important than birthdays.
During a nameday, it's always a good idea to call your friends to wish them 'chronia polla', or 'have a good year' as a sign of appreciation, and at this point in the conversation, your friend will usually let you know if he's having a nameday party or not at his house. If he is and you are invited, whatever you do, don't come empty handed because it's customary to take along a gift. Usually a box of sweets, flowers or a plant will do. In some cases, you can even have the plant delivered if you can't get to the florist. Another good idea is to bring along some wine, liquor, or a more personal gift if you wish, depending on how well you know the person.
In business it's always good to remember namedays as a sign of mutual respect for bosses and workers alike. In fact, many business people these days send telegrams to associates and clients on their nameday as a way of keeping up good public relations. All in all, namedays are a fun and charming aspect of Greece which are celebrated with more flare in the small towns and villages.

Easter
Easter is the more important celebration for the Greeks, even more than Christmas.
Women dye eggs in red, godparents buy news shoes, clothes and a candle to the kids and, in villages, the exterior of the houses and the streets are whitewashed.
During Good Friday, the day of mourning, the Epitaphio, the tomb of Christ with its icon, decorated with thousands of flowers, is taken out of the church and carried away through the village or the neighbourhood (in the big cities) to the cemetery followed by a slow procession. At the cemetery everyone lights a candle for the dead; then, the Epitaphio with its procession returns to the church where the believers kiss the image of the Christ.
During the night of the Holy Saturday (Megalo Savato), everybody dresses well and goes to the church where a ceremony is hold. Just before midnight, the priest turns off all of the churches’ lights, symbolizing the darkness and silent of the tomb; at midnight, the priest lights a candle from the Eternal Flame, sings “Christos Anesti” (Christ arises) and offers the flame to light the candle of the people that are the closest to him. Everyone passes the flame one to another while the priests sing the Byzantine Chant Christos Anesti. Then, everyone goes out of the church to the streets. The church’s bells ring continuously and people throw fireworks. People say one to another “Christos Anestis”, to which the reply to is “Alithos Anesti” (indeed he has rise).
People go home and share with their families the Resurrection Meal which consists of Mayiritsa (a lamb’s entrails soup), Tsoureki (Easter cake) and Easter biscuits.
The following day, Easter Sunday, is spend in family around a meal consisting of roasted lamb (turned over open pits), various appetizers and a lot of wine and ouzo. Everybody dances and celebrates until late in the night.

Christmas Holidays and New Year's Eve in Greece
In Greece, Christmas, Easter and the assumption of the Virgin Mary are the most important religious celebrations in Greece. Many will agree that for the Greeks, Christmas is less significant than Easter with regard to religious celebrations. The measure of significance can be gauged by how many days during these religious festivals that the average Greek will go to church. During the Easter week this could be more then 3-4 times but between Christmas and New Year's Eve maybe once or twice, mostly for communion. However, the point of this article is not to analyse Christmas as a religious holiday but to see Christmas and New Year's Eve as a Greek holiday with its traditions.
ChristmasThe Greek Christmas has almost no difference from celebrations in the rest of the Christian world. Most importantly, like everywhere else, Christmas is the best holiday for the children. It means 2 weeks away from school, presents, sweets, Christmas tree and Carols (Kalanta or Kalanda) .Of course something we miss most in southern Greece is the white Christmas but the northern regions have no problem with that as many northern areas of Greece snowy winters every year. For the Greek mother or wife, Christmas is a very busy time in the kitchen. Almost one week before Christmas, in every Greek house, you can smell the cloves, cinnamon and baked almonds from the Kourambiedes and Melomakarona- the famous Greek Christmas cookies . Big trays with Kourambies, Melomakarona, Nuts, Oranges and Mandarins are part of the Christmas decoration of a Greek living room.
The decorated Christmas tree, artificial or natural, is in many houses many weeks before Xmas with Christmas lights, stars ,angels, and any kind of shining Christmas ornaments. Also, most Greek houses will decorate the exterior of their house with Christmas lights, deers, Carol singing Santas and the latest Xmas decorations. In Athens almost every balcony of the concrete jungle of Athens is decorated with small illuminated Christmas trees and singing Santa Clauses which are give a unique, if somewhat kitsch, atmosphere that Athens can have only during Christmas and New Year's Eve. All this can be more magical if Athens is covered with snow (something very rare and very short) .
Christmas Eve is the main day of celebration. From the crack of dawn, children all over Greece get ready for their Carols, equipped with their triangles they go all over the neighbourhoods singing the Kalanda, the Greek Christmas Carol, "Kalin Imera Arhontes an in o Orismos sas Hristou ti Theia Gennisi na Po sto Arhontiko sas" . This means "Good Morning Sovereigns if you allow me in your Mansion I will tell you about the Holy Birth of our Christ". After they finish their song people will give them some money and both sides will say the wish "Ke tou Hronou" (Next year again). It is truth that the most beautiful sound of Christmas is the sound of children singing accompanying themselves with their little triangles. On Xmas Eve many families, as in many western countries, will celebrate with friends with a big feast and, later on, will play board games.
Traditionally however, the majority will play the popular Christmas card game "Triantamia". In big towns many Greeks will spend the evening in restaurants, music clubs or hotels with live music and floor shows. On Christmas Day the Greek house will be busy with the dinner preparation. The main dish is roast turkey, stuffed with rice and chestnuts.
The holiday continues with the New Year's Eve celebrations, where the home gathering is the same as in Christmas only, this time, the main food will be mostly roast pork or lamb. On New Year's Eve the children will sing again but this time the New Year Carols "Arhiminia ki Arhihronia........Agios Vasilis erhete" (beginning of the month beginning of the year.....Saint Basil is coming). On this point I must mention that for the Greeks, Father Christmas is St. Basil of Caesarea or Agios Vasilios and not the western Santa from the North Pole. In both cases though the figures are the same: with red clothes and a long white beard and carrying presents for the children. On New Year's Eve the home entertainments concentrates mainly on card games. The reason probably for this is the so called Guri (Luck). Which means that if you win that night the new year will bring you luck. At 12 O'clock the lights will be switched off for a few seconds and every one will go out to light fireworks. If it happens that the town or the village has a port the sounds from the ships are amazing, especially in the Port of Piraeus where all the ships and ferries hoot their sirens while the whole sky of Athens is shining from multicoloured fireworks. Traditionally, as the New Year arrives the head of the house, usually the man, will step out of the door and smash a pomegranate for good luck and afterwards he will cut the "Vasilopita", the Greek New Year's cake.
In the Vasilopita cake from tradition the Greeks put a coin inside. Depending on your wealth it can be a gold sovereign or a simple coin. The one that finds it in his piece will be the new Year's lucky one.
The Christmas season ends on 6 of January with the celebration of Epiphany and the blessing of the waters. Traditionally during this day (Fota) the Christmas goblins "Kalikantzaroi" ,after having annoyed the mortals for 12 days, go back to the centre of the Earth, but that is another story we will tell in the near future on articles about Greek customs.