Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasised the vital importance of protecting the European Union’s borders during a press conference held after the North-South Summit on European security and defence on Sunday in Lapland, Finland.
The summit brought together Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
“It was highly instructive for us to understand the particular issues Finland is facing in terms of managing a 1,300 km border with Russia,” Mitsotakis stated, noting that “border protection is an integral part of our migration strategy.”
Θέλω να ευχαριστήσω τον Petteri Orpo για την πρόσκληση να λάβω μέρος σε μία, πιστεύω, πολύ ενδιαφέρουσα συζήτηση: δύο χώρες του Νότου να συζητούν με τη Σουηδία και τη Φινλανδία για τις προκλήσεις που βρίσκονται ενώπιόν μας όσον αφορά στην ασφάλεια της ΕΕ. https://t.co/ZR9hMt7hybpic.twitter.com/01kPEqvj6v
The Greek Prime Minister called for additional European funding to enhance border management and infrastructure.
“I would like to reiterate from Lapland the necessity to provide additional funding at the European level, not just for border management but also for the physical construction that makes it more effective for us to manage our borders,” he said.
Mitsotakis also pointed to a shared understanding among leaders regarding the need to bolster defence spending both nationally and at the EU level.
Additionally, Mitsotakis announced plans for an extraordinary European Council meeting in February to address pressing issues related to defence and security.
“We still need to convince our transatlantic partner that we take our own security seriously,” he said.
Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has sent a message to The Greek Herald‘s readers ahead of Christmas Day.
In the message, Mr Albanese encouraged Greek Australians to “enjoy the many cultural delights of the season — from singing kalanda to indulging in sweet treats like melomakarona and kourabiedes.”
Australia’s Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton MP, has praised the contribution of the Greek community to Australian society in his 2024 Christmas message.
In the message, Mr Dutton also commended The Greek Herald on its “informative” reporting this year.
Three generations. Three unique perspectives. One enduring bond. The Tragellis-Alepidis women, each with their own Christmas memories, have woven a beautiful tapestry of tradition, love, and family.
From the old-world charm of Greece to the vibrant spirit of Australia, their stories offer a glimpse into the evolution of Christmas celebrations across generations.
The Tragellis-Alepidis women share Christmas memories. Photo: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis.
Sotiria’s Christmas journey
Sotiria Tragellis, a spirited soul, brought a piece of Greece to frosty Melbourne when she arrived in 1965. Growing up in Mytilene, Christmas was a magical time filled with family, food, and the cozy glow of a crackling fire. She and her seven siblings, five girls and two boys, would huddle together, listening to tales of the Virgin Mary and the birth of Christ.
Her first Christmas in Australia was a stark contrast to the festive celebrations she was used to.
“I wanted to buy a ticket and go straight back home. I missed my parents so much,” she recalls.
But she adapted to her new surroundings, embracing Australian traditions; like her first Christmas barbecue with her sisters and their firstborn sons and her brother.
Sotiria Tragellis. Photo: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis.
Two years later, Sotiria met her husband, Michael Tragellis, and began building a family. As her family grew, so did the Christmas celebrations. Their home would fill with the aroma of Greek cuisine and the laughter of children. Christmas morning was a flurry of excitement as her daughters gleefully unwrapped presents, always practical items like shoes and clothes.
Despite the distance from her homeland, Sotiria kept Greek traditions alive. She prepared traditional Greek dishes, attended mass, and shared stories with her children.
“Later, my parents also came. My brother married a woman from Castoria, and my sisters married two Egyptian Greeks. We all got together at different houses and celebrated while the cousins played outside,” she says. “We were a close family.”
Rally blends traditions
Christmas for Rally was a blend of Greek and Australian traditions. Photo: The Greek Herald / Mary Sinanidis.
Rally, Sotiria’s daughter, grew up experiencing a unique blend of Greek and Australian Christmas traditions. She remembers Christmases playing cricket with her cousins, a quintessential summer sport.
“One of my earliest memories is our first Christmas in our new home in Preston. We visited my dad’s aunt, and I was amazed by the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. It was magical,” she says.
Growing up in a predominantly Greek Australian neighbourhood and attending a school made up of 95 per cent Greek students, Rally felt a sense of belonging.
“Initially we exchanged gifts on New Year’s Eve, as was the Greek custom, but that slowly moved to Christmas,” she explains.
The Australian Christmases of her childhood are the most vivid, however Rally spent four Christmases in Mytilene where she started primary school.
Christmas memories.
“I don’t have many memories of those years however, I do remember going door-to-door carol singing and collecting money. I went to the shop and bought things for my sister and myself,” she recalls.
Many years later, aged 19, she returned to Mytilene for the holidays. The island was filled with festive cheer and Rally was swept away by yuletide magic.
“I reconnected with my old classmate and neighbour, Stratos, and within 27 days we were betrothed,” she says. Looking back, she says it was whirlwind infatuation that strengthened to love.
Back in Australia, Rally’s mum was overjoyed that her daughter married her best friend’s son and not some ‘xeno’ (foreigner). Together, Rally and Michael built a life together, raising two children.
“We’ve adapted to Australian customs, but we still hold onto our Greek heritage,” Rally says, with Christmas and Easter celebrations switching between her and her sister’s houses.
Church has not been as central but feasting and family time is as strong as ever. Another tweak to Rally’s Christmas was ensuring her children received two sets of gifts, including one from Santa himself.
Marianna adds multiculturalism
Marianna Alepidis.
Marianna, Rally’s daughter, recalls a not-so-pleasant memory down a supermarket aisle when her mother decided she had had enough of buying Santa presents.
“It was the Hiroshima of killing childhood dreams,” Marianna says of her mother telling her 7-year-old brother there was no tooth fairy, no Easter bunny – and no Santa Claus. “She just dropped it all at once, and laughed as my brother wept in my arms.”
Marianna consoled her brother in the middle of aisle 5, but she can rattle a whole heap of happy bonding moments. There was the time when she found an old box that she turned into a Christmas tree with face cut-outs.
“I was the star and he was the tree,” she laughs.
Another time, she was obsessed with a fairy costume gifted to her during the holidays.
“It was never just about the gifts, but the joy and surprise of unwrapping,” she says.
“By the time I went to school, it was very multicultural, and we learnt about each others’ traditions. Some children opted out of anything related to Christmas and that was okay.”
In Year 6, Marianna went on a family vacation to Greece for a wedding.
“I loved singing door-to-door carols, but I didn’t like the cold, waiting for New Year’s to unwrap presents and my birthday… in winter!” she says.
Her Welsh partner, Ash, finds it strange celebrating in the Aussie heat, but Marianna would have it no other way.
Marianna, her yiayia Sotiria, and her partner always take a Santa photo at Christmas.
“I try to learn traditions from Wales to incorporate into our Greek Christmas,” she says.
Ash has not only embraced her family’s traditions but lives in yiayia Sotiria’s Malvern home with Marianna while their apartment is under construction. From not wanting a ‘xeno’ in the house, Sotiria has come full circle in her attitude and wells up at the thought of Marianna and Ash moving.
The family is a textbook case of an evolving migrant story. Over the years, they have created a unique and meaningful celebration that honours Greek heritage and Australian lifestyle. And the story continues.
Nothing encapsulates an Australian summer more than watching Christmas movies filled with fireplaces and lightly falling snow while the air conditioner blasts.
Christmas in Australia is unique for those of us who grew up associating the holiday with keeping cool from the sweltering heat outside. But some just want to escape the burning Australian sun. And who can blame them? Why not combine a holiday to Greece with a picture-perfect white Christmas?
I spoke with several Greek Australians who, over the years, have spent the festive season in different parts of Greece – Athens, Larissa, Elis, and Katerini. They all spoke fondly about the kindness and beauty of the country and its residents, especially how it transforms into a winter wonderland.
22-year-old Eleni Lykopandis spent December last year in Athens where she was “really immersed in Christmas.” She fondly remembers the streets of Athens being a “constant 24/7 Christmas light display…”
“It was beautiful,” she added. “Charity drives had started and kids had started caroling on the streets of Ermou.
“You’d walk down Monastiraki… and there’d be a bouzouki player there doing rebetika kalanta… which was really nice to see.”
A photo of Athens taken on Eleni Lykopandis’ 2023 Christmas trip.
Comparing the magically lit up Athens with Australia’s boiling Christmas, Eleni said “it actually felt like Christmas [in Greece]. It felt like we were about to celebrate something.”
While Christmas in Athens was the highlight of Eleni’s trip, New Year’s was a bigger celebration for Dion Papadopoulos. In 2022, he spent New Year’s Day in Larissa with his family where he went to church with his cousins to watch their pappou conduct the Divine Liturgy. Dion said after church, they would “go home and [his] yiayia would make the vasilopita.”
Dion Papadopoulos and his family in Larissa.
“It was a traditional vasilopita – not like the ones you buy – with pastry, fila, 15 layers, [like a] spanakopita. She would do it on the day, and she would hide the ‘flouri’ (gold coin) in it and spin,” Dion explained, referring to the traditional cultural practice of spinning the vasilopita tray to hide the coin.
Dion Papadopoulos at the OTE Tower in Thessaloniki.Dion Papadopoulos’ photo of Arachova.
Two decades prior in 2002, Jenny Kleftogiannis travelled to her grandmother’s village, Giannitsochori in Elis, where she “spent the most special and magical Christmas.”
She gathered her grandmother, Stavroula Papatheodorou, and her husband’s grandmother, Aggeliki Krokos, for lunch and “listened to the two grandmothers… exchanging stories of their Christmas spent during the war and the difficulties they went through.”
Jenny said she has “never experienced anything like it since.”
“People rave about Greek summer, but they really need to experience that magical side of a Greek Christmas in winter… It was a Christmas I’ll never forget or could ever repeat,” she said.
Jenny Kleftogiannis and her husband John in Greece in 2002.
Jenny wishes “Australia had a white Christmas,” and I’m sure she’s not alone with that wish.
Nectaria T’s first trip out of Australia was in 1998 to spend the entire winter in Agios Dimitrios, Katerini. She recalls it being “the first and only time it’s actually felt like Christmas.”
“The snow, the whole village getting in on the Christmas spirit… church bells ringing and just the general village vibe of everyone saying ‘good morning’ and ‘xronia polla’,” Nectaria said.
While there aren’t any photos to document her trip, Nectaria’s impression of her Christmas in Greece was that “it was snowing, but it felt warm.”
Even if you haven’t been fortunate enough to travel and experience Greece’s white Christmas, enjoy the perks of Australia’s heat on Christmas Day. While this might sound like the cheesy final words of a classic Christmas film, Christmas is about the family and cultural traditions you surround yourself with.
Each December, Thessaloniki transforms into a captivating winter destination, composing a blend of rich history, culture, and Christmas charm. This metropolitan center of northern Greece carries a distinct character on Christmas.
Interactive installations, street vendors and musicians, and plenty of avant-garde decorations, place the city among the most fitting sceneries for the Christmas break.
Aristotelous Square
Aristotelous Square is the hub of Christmas festivities of the city. The historic square hosts small or large-scale shows and choirs, livening up the city’s mood.
This enchanting time in Thessaloniki is about immersing oneself in a city that thrives with life, despite the bitter notorious cold of Northern Greece.
Hagia Sophia fairy blue lights
Passers-by walk along Hagia Sophia street where thousands of blue fairy lights float over pedestrians. The street is a historic hub and a popular shopping center. Dispersed street musicians add to the festive dimension of the unique composure.
Modiano market
The historic gallery has been designed by the architect Eli Modiano in 1922, where one of the largest synagogues of the city used to be.
Upon its completion and its official opening in 1930, it was the biggest market in the Balkans. Its thriving phase lasted up until the 1990s, remaining the major point of reference of traders and consumers.
In the early 1990s, the gradual decline started. Its stores would close successively, whereas the previously prestigious building was falling into abandonment.
In 2017, the open-air market was declared “unsafe” by the department of urban planning.
In 2022, the reconstruction works were completed.
Today, Modiano market has been given a new life, preserving its main architectural elements of the vibrant past, and hosts an intriguing spectrum of culinary options -especially during this time of the year.
Christmas flea market
In the warehouse C of Thessaloniki Port, Pier 1 hosts, during the last weekend or the last two weekends of the year, the Christmas Flea market.
The underground and the antiquities collection
Thessaloniki’s metro has been the most long-standing public work in progress in Greece’s modern history.
The underground train’s completion has received bitter criticism, as it was originally scheduled in 1976 and functioned for the first time in December 2024.
Yet, Thessaloniki stands on successive layers of its long history, bringing the procession of the works to a halt every now and then.
Today, the city has a state-of-the art underground, vested with some of the thousands of artefacts that came to light during the excavations, from the Byzantine to the Hellenistic Periods, prior to the construction works.
The underground museum now narrates the layers of Thessaloniki’s fascinating past, awaiting to be explored.
JAAKS Restaurant and Bar (Jaaks) and The Kyle Bay on Georges River (The Kyle Bay) have received two prestigious awards at the recent 2024 National Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence.
Jaaks was awarded the Gold Medal as the National winner for ‘Best Greek Restaurant’ category for the second year in a row and The Kyle Bay was awarded the Bronze Medal in the ‘Event / Convention Centre Caterer’ category.
Business owners and siblings, George Christodoulou and Diana Valsamis, said, “We are both honoured and humbled by this recognition. It is a testament to our dedicated and hard-working team.”
With over 45 years industry experience, they insist on each aspect and every detail being carefully considered ensuring each guests’ experience is perfect.
The name JAAKS is an acronym for each of their respective children: Jordan – Alannah – Anya – Kosta – Sienna.
Executive Chef, Jason McCauley said, “It is great recognition for our continuous strive for excellence. At Jaaks we have created an ambitious degustation menu elevating Greek cuisine to a fine dining level.”
“Each dish is meticulously presented to showcase a superior level of Greek gastronomy. The same philosophy extends to The Kyle Bay events; all dishes are of the same high standard and the picturesque waterfront is a perfect backdrop for all occasions especially weddings,” McCauley added.
Couple Joanne and John’s Christmas celebrations take place in Greece – for practical reasons. You see, the couple met and live in Greece, even though Joanne hails from Britain and John is originally from Australia. But, for stylistic and emotional reasons, it is a British-style Christmas that has prevailed for the couple and their family.
Of Christmas with hubby John, Joanne recalls: “A few months after I met John in 2015, we went to the Christmas carols at an Anglican Church here in Athens, and I was so happy that I had found a big, handsome man who spoke English, singing carols with me – I think I cried!”
The couple have spent a few Christmas’ together outside of Greece, such as in Egypt, Rome, and the United Kingdom. Joanne claims John didn’t have a very good time in the UK as it included a lot of driving in cold and wet weather.
To date, there have been no Christmas celebrations in Australia, even though John is from Sydney and took Joanne there in 2019.
“I loved every second of it…” she says. “We did touristy things like the Opera House and a wildlife reserve.”
Joanne recalls spotting a kangaroo touching his ear with his paw, and thinking “he’s waving at me!”. As for other wildlife, Joanne admits to just dipping her toes in Bondi Beach, as shark tales got the better of her.
“I decided to leave the swimming for Greece,” she says.
Though the couple love their many travels, they prefer to spend Christmas at home in Greece with family: Joanne and John have children – now adults – from their first marriages.
Upon asking Joanne if Greek Christmas is similar to a British Christmas, she adamantly responds, “Oh my God, no! I don’t even know what they do here. The most they can do is a Christmas tree and decorations. Decades ago… there was nothing happening except a few decorated ships. They try more now because it’s become European, let’s say. I like Easter for the Greeks and Christmas for the Brits.”
Joanne relates that her first Christmas in Greece was in 1989 “when I first came to Greece with my Greek boyfriend who I met in England and we had Christmas at his yiayia’s house. It was awful. There was a tiny Christmas tree in the room, and we ate bifteki (minced meat rissoles) with potatoes.”
From the very next year, Joanne was determined to celebrate Christmas in Greece the British way, “cooking the turkey and all the trimmings, even Christmas pudding.”
She adds that her Christmas in Greece “really took off” when her two children were born in 1995 and 1998.
“I did everything I did when I was a kid,” she explains, whilst stressing that there were some variations such as putting out a carrot and kourabie (traditional Greek biscuit) for Santa on the balcony door of their apartment due to the lack of a chimney.
Since John and his three adult children have been part of Joanne’s life, as well as her two, the family try to celebrate Christmas’ together as much as possible.
Joanne met John at her birthday party celebrations in Athens in October of 2015. She says, “I thought he was cute with a little boy’s face… it felt like fate. We dated and got on so well. There was the connection of the English and Australian, same language, the cultures aren’t that different. From that night we have never been apart.”
A few months after their initial “love at first sight” meeting, Joanne invited John to her home in Athens, to celebrate her British Christmas.
“He loved it, he made mulled wine and we all got a bit tiddly. We had the Christmas crackers and hats and I guess for him, it was a nice memory of what he used to do in Australia. He’s a great cook and helped with the cooking too, even though my son is a chef, so I had a lot of help!” she explains.
Joanne gives a preview of this year’s Christmas plans.
“It’ll be at John’s and my house. My son will make pumpkin soup for a starter, then we’ll have turkey with bacon and sausages – pigs in blankets, with roast potatoes, broccoli (instead of brussel sprouts), carrots, and then I make the traditional gravy and stuffing,” she says.
“For Christmas morning, John and I will have a special breakfast, perhaps salmon and avocado, then we’ll start preparing for lunch. I’ll even dress up my dog Snoopy for the occasion too, like our last dog Diego.
“The kids will arrive around 12.30pm all dressed beautifully – the girls in red themed dresses. My son’s fiancé Irina, who’s from Bulgaria, was actually moved to tears at one of her first Christmas’ with us, as she thought it was only a make-believe Hollywood thing!
“We’ll have a glass of wine, with Christmas music in the background, and exchange gifts. Then we’ll all help with the dinner and sit at the immaculately decorated table, that I may have prepared from the night before. We’ll eat and have lots of wine. We’ll take photos, pull the crackers, read the jokes. We don’t do pudding; they don’t like it, so usually my kids will bring sweets like forest gateau or cheesecake.
“After eating we’ll play charades and board games. Maybe a Christmas film later, coffee, cake and kourabiedes, or melomakarona – which an English friend used to call Melina Merkouris!
“Around Christmas time we also include a walk to see the tree at Syntagma square, and go for a coffee and meet friends. We really enjoy our Christmas’ as a time to be with family… it’s less stressful here than in the UK; more low key.”
And for us who are perhaps preparing for our Merry Season celebrations, Joanne’s advice is: “Keep it relaxed, don’t go crazy and… tell everyone you love them.”
Niki Louca from My Greek Kitchen shares her favourite recipe for Paximadia Methismena (Drunken Biscotti) with The Greek Herald. You can follow her on Instagram @mygreekkitchen for more!
Ingredients:
160 gm melted unsalted butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup ouzo (doesn’t have to be an expensive brand)
1/3 cup whisky (doesn’t have to be an expensive brand)
2 heaped spoonfuls of freshly ground aniseed (doesn’t have to be powdered)
3 tsp baking powder
1-1.2 kg plain/biscuit flour
½ – ¾ cup sesame seeds
Method:
Pre heat your oven to 170C fan force. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper and set aside.
Put your sesame seeds in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let them “cook” for a minute. Turn heat off, drain from water and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, spread them on a clean tea towel so that any water will be absorbed by the tea towel.
In a standalone mixer with the K/flat beater, add the sugar, cooled butter, oil, orange juice, ouzo and whisky and whisk for 2-3 minutes.
In a bowl, mix 1kg of flour and baking powder together and stir through the aniseed.
With the mixer on low speed, and using/change over to the dough hook, add the flour mixture in increments to the wet ingredients making sure they are well mixed before the next addition. Mix well till a soft dough forms. If you need extra flour add a ¼ cup at a time till you get a smooth dough. It should not stick to your hands.
Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Cover dough with clean tea towel while working with one peace at a time.
Roll dough into a long sausage style roll – about 4cm thickness. Then roll this sausage like roll through the sesame seeds so it is evenly covered. Transfer the roll onto your baking sheet and cut all the way through the bottom into 1cm slices. It is important that you do the cutting only when you’ve transferred the dough onto the baking sheet, otherwise it will fall apart when transferring.
Repeat with remaining pieces of dough.
Bake till golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the tray. Once slightly cooled, go over the cut with a knife making sure the precut slices are separated from each other. Once they’re fully separated, lay them flat, not overlapping each other, and put them back in the oven for another 15 or so minutes till the sides are light golden colour. Repeat with the remainder.
Once all the biscuits are done, transfer them all onto one tray, overlapping them and on top of each other and place the tray back in the oven. Oven must be off – they will finish their baking with the residual heat from the oven. They can stay in the oven up to ½ hour.
Remove from oven and let them cool completely. Transfer them to an air tight container and will remain fresh for 2-3 months (that is if they last that long).
Note: I usually make twice the quantity, particularly now at Christmas as I offer them to family and friends as gifts along with other home baked goods. The above recipe makes approximately 70-75 biscuits.
The Financial Times has ranked the outdoor fruits and vegetable market in Athens’ Exarchia district among the world’s best food markets. According to tovima.com the publication highlighted the market in a feature on “wonderful local products.”
Held every Saturday on Kallidromiou Street, beneath graffiti-covered steps, the Exarchia market is described as a lively space where musicians play traditional tunes and vendors call out to promote their goods. Offerings include olive oil, honey, fish, herbs, vegetables, and fruits.
Despite claims of gentrification in Exarchia and initial protests against the construction of a new metro station in its main square, the market remains a vibrant hub for locals and visitors alike.
Leading the Financial Times’ list is the Mercado de San Miguel in Madrid, known for its fresh seafood, olives, cheeses, and tapas. Palermo’s Mercato del Capo in Sicily, steeped in multicultural history, also earns a spot.
France features two entries: Les Halles de Dijon, inspired by Gustave Eiffel, and Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse, spanning three floors with 54 stalls and restaurants.
Other notable mentions include Chapel Market in London, celebrated for its community vibe and quality produce, and Valencia’s Central Market in Spain, one of Europe’s largest, with over 1,200 stalls offering fresh fruits, meat, cheese, and live eels.
