Hey, I remember when we made such pyramids one year in school. Of course they weren't as elaborate as the ones shown in the video, after all, we kids were something like 8-9yrs old, but they were still pretty enough and fully functional. This was a few too many moons ago, and sadly I don't have mine any more, but I think one or two of the red candles I used are still somewhere in one of the Christmas decoration boxes.


And since a couple of Greek Christmas traditions were mentioned, here's a rather unusual, long standing (for centuries) Christmas tradition in Greece - the boat («karavaki») decoration, mainly on the islands, but it's also been getting traction on the mainland during the last couple of decades. The boat symbolizes the maritime identity of the country.

There are two stories behind this tradition.

One explanation has Saint Nicholas, Patron Saint of Sailors, playing a part in the origin of the tradition. Boats are decorated, in Saint Nicholas’s honour, as a sort of insurance for bringing the salty sea dogs into port safely.
As the feast Day of Saint Nicholas takes place on 6th December, this is the day boats are decorated, and are displayed until 6th January, Epiphany.

The alternative, and a tad more interesting in terms of folklore, story says that women of the Greek islands, during the dark winter months of ferocious and stormy seas, spent their days fretting over fathers, husbands and sons battling with the waves, and praying for their safe return. On spotting the ships returning to harbour, the women would joyfully rush home to celebrate, by decorating small wooden boats, as a welcome to the weary seafarers.

The Christmas boats are made of paper or wood, decorated with small, colourful lamps and a few, simple ornaments. They are usually placed near the outer door or by the fire, with the bow always pointing to the interior of the house. With golden objects or coins placed in it, the ship symbolizes a full load of riches reaching one’s home, as well as an honour and welcome to the seamen returning home to celebrate Christmas with their families after long periods away from home.

On the islands, people who own their own boat, usually hang strings of lights and other decorations on them.

Also, children on the islands used to make their own boats, using wood and paper and then decorate them with colorful fabrics, cotton and twigs. On Christmas Eve, they sang Christmas carols from house to house holding their handmade, illuminated model boats in their laps; they served both as a lantern in the dark and as a box for treats they received, such as walnuts, hazel nuts, dried figs and apricots, and traditional Christmas deserts, melomakarona (nut-and-honey cookies) and kourabiedes (almond snow balls).

The tradition of decorating boats had died down for the most part until the 1970’s when it was revived, and it remains as popular today, especially on the islands, but Christmas Boats are still sold in Christmas shops all around Greece.

Every December since 1999, a huge, illuminated metal structure in the shape of a three-mast ship is erected next to the Christmas tree in the main Square in the second biggest city of Greece, while the capitol has joined in this tradition since 2013.

Now, the Christmas tree is assumed to be a foreign custom. But there's historical evidence supporting the use of decorated greenery and branches around New Year as far back as in Greek antiquity, while tree branches and green bushes called “Christwood” always had a place in Christian households during the medieval Byzantine and Ottoman empires.

And so the Christmas boats and trees co-exist today.

Attached some photos of Christmas boats, which might inspire skimmie who's looking for some additional decorations.

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GOG won't let me attach all the pics in one post, so here are the rest (hopefully this works).