Greece, culture and traditions

The Greek way of life

The famous Greek hospitality

Hospitality in Greece stretches back thousands of years to ancient Greek times. Xenia / Philoxenia (meaning "guest-friendship") is the ancient Greek concept of hospitality, the generosity, and courtesy shown to those who are far from home and need a place to rest. For modern Greeks, it is much deeper than that. It is an unspoken cultural law that shows generosity and courtesy to strangers. Greeks are enormously generous when inviting others, or being invited themselves, no matter where they live.

Philoxenia can be as simple as a smile, helping a stranded traveler, buying a meal for a homeless person, or opening your home to strangers, friends, and family. There are countless articles and stories describing the hospitality of Greek people, in Greece and outside Greece.

The Greek way of life

Drinking, eating, dancing

Greeks love to dance, drink and eat so it's not uncommon to see people busting into a dance during family or religious celebrations, or even during a regular family outing at a taverna. The Greek penchant for partying dates back to Dionysus and is evident in the vibrant nightlife of most Greek cities and towns. It's not uncommon in large cities like Athens to see people going out for dinner as late as midnight on a regular weeknight. Most restaurants are open until very late at night, and most Greek bars are open and server liquor until early in the morning. Greeks sure know how to party!

The Greek way of life

Manners, communication and way of life

Greeks are usually very friendly and hospitable people. They're excellent and generous hosts and their hospitality can many times be embarrassing to non-Greeks. Hugging and kissing in public is very common. Greeks usually greet each other (men and women alike) by embracing and kissing each other on both cheeks. Overall Greeks are very demonstrative and affectionate. When someone is invited to a dinner out they're not expected to pay. The person who extends the invitation usually pays for all people invited. Greeks love when foreigners take interest to speak Greek (even a few words). Try speaking a few Greek words or join in Greek dances and your Greek hosts will love you!

Greeks are very verbose and intense in their conversations. They hold many lengthy, argumentative and intense discussions amongst themselves. Non-Greeks will find that they're rambling on forever and arguing about everything just for the shake of arguing. However, this is not quite the case. Greeks respect logic (they've invented it!) and are skilled at pleasing (and often manipulating) other nationalities. They can display great understanding and charm, often appearing extremely flexible and accommodating. They all believe in their own powers of oratory and use a mix of rational arguments and emotive content to get their message through. During casual discussions (even in business meetings) expect Greeks to ask personal questions, such as "are you married?", "do you have kids?" etc. They're not being rude, they just want to get to know you personally.

Elderly people have a lot of authority in Greece and are usually given a lot of respect from younger people, even to this day. Kids usually care for their elderly parents and take them at their houses when they're older and on their own, and rarely ever put them in elderly homes. Men, especially, consider it a personal honour and responsibility to care for their family.

Greek traditions

Name days and Saints' days

"Name days" are celebrated in many European countries, but the "name day" tradition is strongly respected and celebrated every year all over Greece.. Custom is to for friends and family to call and congratulate someone on their name day. The person celebrating their name day often treats their guests to either an open house or takes them out for a drink and meze at a taverna.

Most people in Greece are named after a Greek Orthodox saint and name days are associated with these saints days' celebrations. Saints days are celebrated in chapels and churches as well. On this day, a panigiri (festival) is organized after the mass. The feast includes food and drinks, traditional music and dancing until the next morning.

Greek traditions

Easter celebrations

Easter, not Christmas, is the most important religious celebration for Greeks.

The whole of Holy Week is full of traditions, with the dying of eggs (red), the decoration of the epitaphios (the tomb of Christ) with flowers, and the many processions. The night of Holy Saturday is at the center of Easter celebrations. People wear their best clothes and gather at the local church, where right before midnight all lights are turned off. The priest then lights a candle with the Eternal Flame, brought especially for the occasion from Jerusalem, and sings the Christos Anesti psalm (Christ has risen) with the congregation. The flame is then passed on to everyone to bring it back to their homes.

On Easter Sunday itself, families enjoy a traditional Easter lunch, which may last well into the late afternoon, with roasted lamb on a pit and many other delicious dishes.

Greek traditions

Smashing plates

Another tradition Greeks are famous for is the smashing of plates. This is a pretty well-known tradition seen in several movies and TV shows too outside Greece. The origins of this tradition are obscure but it's mostly associated with the expression of joy and happiness, or to show appreciation for the music played at a party, wedding, baptism or other festivities. The tradition of breaking plates in live music clubs (bouzoukia) was banned in 1969 and was replaced by throwing flowers at the feet of the singer, or at each other. You may still see some plate smashing in private celebrations.

Greek traditions

Greek names, Greek baptisms

In Greece, some names are very common. This comes from an ancient tradition that was intended to ensure the continuation of a name. The firstborn is usually named after one of the paternal grandparents. Because of this naming practice, it's very common to find cousins with the same names, though they can be adapted or nicknamed differently to avoid confusion.

Another interesting fact is that a child doesn’t have a name until he or she is baptized. Until then, the baby is called “baby”.