The Many Greek Traditions

The Greeks many traditions have gone unchanged for many centuries, and the old ways are considered the way things are done. Naming newborns after saints is one such old world tradition still followed in current day Greece. Special days are referred to as “name days,” where everyone with a certain name celebrates their name on that given day and are treated more importantly than the actual date of birth.

Preparing for marriage is still carried out in the traditional manner where the man asks the father of the bride. The bride is given her dowry by her mother and female relatives, while the father gives the couple a house upon the completion of their wedding.

When preparing food, the Greeks serve the most basic of meals, such as lamb cooked over an open flame with a little sea salt for flavor. It is a tradition to take a goat to a family area, butcher it and cook it. While the meat cooks, they sing, play music on traditional musical instruments and the men dance with napkins in their hands. The lamb is then eaten with bare hands in appreciation of the meat.

There are many wine growers in Greece and are known for a traditional high octane liqueur loved by the locals. The geeks live off of the land and the most common traditional dinner always contains greens grown in their backyard. The one traditional green that was eaten during WWII sort of looks like the American version of Dandelions, it quickly became a staple at the table for every meal. Chickpeas are also another traditional food still served today.