#kalanta

Christos Genate – André Rieu & Christina Petrou, Greek Christmas Carols — "Kalanta"

André Rieu & Christina Petrou performing the Greek Christmas song Christos Genate live at the annual Christmas concerts in Maastricht

In Greece, singing Christmas Carols—known as “kalanta”—is a beloved tradition practiced all over the country. In the days leading up to Christmas, children (and sometimes adults) go from house to house, singing carols and offering good wishes for health, joy, and prosperity for the new year. They often accompany themselves with simple musical instruments such as a triangle, and after singing they usually receive candies, cookies, or a small tip.

What makes this tradition especially unique in Greece is that the carols are not the same everywhere. Many regions have their own local versions with different melodies, rhythms, and sometimes even different lyrics. Cyprus has its own variations, Crete has characteristic Cretan melodies, and the Peloponnese also has regional versions. In other words, within one country you can hear many “local musical identities,” each reflecting its history and culture.

The most widely known Christmas kalanta in Greece usually follow a simple melody so that children can easily sing them. However, there are also more musically complex versions with richer melodies and different wording. That is why many people say Greek Christmas carols are truly special: they are a living tradition, and each area keeps its own sound and character.

Whether it’s the rosy-cheeked, hair-cropped kiddies of yesteryear clutching traditional Greek instruments or the modern-era, iPhone-armed youngsters of today donning the latest Gap wear, Greek children continue to this day – albeit several time-induced changes – to sing the carols, some dating to Byzantine times, on New Year’s Eve.  

Greece is a country where traditions and customs are a part of modern, everyday life. Most holidays in Greece are celebrated traditionally, and Christmas in no exception.

Christmas caroling is very popular, and although you might hear any songs being sung at any given moment during the holiday season, there are actually three “official” caroling days in Greece.

The custom is that children go from house to house singing carols, with the accompaniment of a triangle, and residents of the houses give them small amounts of money. Greek Christmas carols (“calanda”) are always sung on the mornings of Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve and January 5, the Eve of the Epiphany.

Following a longstanding tradition, children from schools all over Athens sang Christmas carols to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his wife Betty Baziana at the Maximos mansion on Monday morning, Christmas Eve day.