Here in Crete we have cold weather and a lot of snow in the mountains. So you can say that we have a bit of White Christmas, but not near the sea!!

The town is decorated with light, some Christmas trees and boats, as is the Greek tradition. It was common to decorate a small rowingboat and in the houses people buy boats and decorate them with light. We also have one in my family. In Greece many cities and towns also use boats as Christmas decoration, and Hania has a few. They look so nice in the dark.

Last Saturday a saw and heard a walking Christmas choir in town, they were on their way to Santa Runs house near the marked Agora, singing Christmas saongs from all over Greece. We look forward to our Santa Run on the 26th were all the money goes to local charity groups. I will give you a report after the Holiday!!!
Outside the marked was traditionell Cretan music and dance also.

The streets are decorated and it is so beautiful with both trees, boats and streets full of light at night!!

Last Tuesday I visited the christmas basars on the side of the marked, and bought some milk boxes for the colletion of milkboxes for needed families outside the marked as well. They manages to make a” tree” of milkboxes by the night!! It is the very active and helpful volenteer group of doctors and nurses call Iatri tou Kosmos a greek branch of Médecins du Monde

The town park Kipos, has a nice litle frozen town with a carusell, a train, a snowcastel and basar. It is popular and in the early evenings has a lot of people small and big!! There is also ice skating at the stadion.

Some pictures from the town, shopwindow and our local church Agios Nicolaos is decorated.

In the morning on Christmas Eve, children sing Christmas carols called kalanda, and they sing for friends, familiy, neighbours in the shops. Here you see some from this morning inside the marked in Hania.

On New Year’s Eve, they sing the next verse, and they get small changes from people and collect money for Christmas presents. In Greece it is also a tradition to give gifts at both Christmas Day and New Year. Some families choose new year for their presents.
Near Kolimbari it is a nativity seremony and the 24th at night in a cave. It is quite populare with the locals, and people also come from all over Crete to see and expirience it.

As you can see, even here this holiday is a wonderful time of the year for young and old, for small and big!!