Christmas in Greece: Christmas dinner
Christmas in Greece: Name-day celebrations
Christmas in Greece: Superstitions
Christmas in Greece: St. Basil’s Day
In Greece some families eat Christmas dinner after church services on Christmas Eve. Other families wait until Christmas Day. The meal begins with the head of the family blessing the Christmas loaf and making the sign of the cross over it. This bread is called Christ-opsomo, or "Christ’s bread.” Christopsomo consists of rich, sweetened bread dough studded with nuts and, perhaps, also dried fruit.
The dough is shaped into a large, round loaf, sprinkled with sesame seeds and decorated with a dough cross. Each person at the table receives a piece of the blessed bread and the meal begins. Greek families often serve roast pork for Christmas dinner.