Tastes of Culture

In this installment of our guide to holidays in Greece we look at Greece’s culture…

Greece lies where the Middle East meets Europe, this location and its many occupations by foreign powers have given the country a colorful and diverse culture. Most Greeks have a strong passion for their culture and country.

Greek is the national official language and is the native tongue of the vast majority of the population, but English-speaking visitors encounter no significant language problem since English is the most widely studied and understood of foreign languages in Greece (followed by French, Italian, and German).

About 10% of the country’s population, or roughly a million people, were born elsewhere. Eastern and Central Europe are the most common sources of immigrants, with others coming from the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, and Africa. This has made the country linguistically and culturally diverse.

A very religious country, 97% of the population class themselves as Christian Orthodox. Officially, and like in all European countries, the Greek State and the Orthodox Church are separated, but this separation is not written or regulated by the Constitution and the Greek Orthodox Church has a great power in Greek society.

They can also be said to be of a superstitious nature and to have beliefs in supernatural or paranormal phenomenon. Traditions and superstitions vary from village to village and from region to region, but common ones include spitting to chase the devil and misfortune away and blessing bread by making the sign of the cross with a knife before slicing it.

Easter is the most celebrated holiday, and involves feasts and costumed parties, whereas Christmas tends to be a private, family holiday, though lights and decorations still adorn city squares across the country. In addition to Easter and Christmas, many towns and regions have their own regional festivals throughout the year commemorating various historical events, local patron saints, or wine harvests.