Christmas trees are decorated around the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The tradition is rooted in pagan rituals that incorporated trees and branches in their rites, including the ancient Egyptians, Romans, Celts, Vikings, and others. Charles Dickens is often credited with “inventing” the Christmas celebration as we know it in his holiday-themed works, like A Christmas Carol, in the 19th century, but the Christmas tree in the United States became ubiquitous a bit later.
In Greece, however, the longstanding tradition of decorating the karavaki, or little boat, goes back to the deep connection between the Greek people and the sea. Though the exact root of the tradition may never be known for certain, since it likely stretches back to remote antiquity, some popular explanations were included in a report on TheMayor.eu.
“The most logical explanation of the tradition is that the inhabitants of the southern islands of the Aegean Sea were simply not used to trees at all,” TheMayor.eu reported, adding that “the islands are dry, and the only trees that can be found are short, bushes or olive trees. So they started to decorate their boats.”
The report continued, “Since antiquity Greece is a nation that takes great pride in its sailors and captains, making these men a symbol of local and national identity. In the past, almost all the men of the islands were away from their homes and families for months.
“The happiness of finally seeing the boats of the sailors and captains coming back made for a perfect occasion for celebration by the island women. These traditions, in turn, led to the establishment of the sailboat as a symbol of honoring the courage of those men who braved the seas and then managed to return during the winter season.”
“Another popular explanation is that boats are decorated because of the Saint Nicholas celebrations on his feast day on December 6,” TheMayor.eu reported, adding that “he is the patron saint of sailors.”
Read more at thenationalherald.com
RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Ανώνυμος Βικιπαιδιστής
