It's January, the beginning of a new year. And just as in England:
January brings the snow
Makes our feet and fingers glow!
If we have snow here on Skopelos, this is the month to have it!
Scroll across for some of the festivals and events that take place on Skopleos during January.
Public holidays this month:
New Year's Day |
1 January |
Epiphany |
6 January |
Greek name days Orthodox Calendar
Every orthodox Greek is named after a saint. This is obligatory if the child is going to be baptized. This means, that on each saint's day, thousands of Greeks celebrate their name days.
Generally, the name day is more celebrated than the birthday, and part of the celebration involves offering sweets to those around you and having some sort of party.
Below is a list of Greek name days for the month of January. As you will see, most name days do not coincide with catholic or protestant name days.
If someone you know is having his or her name day, the appropriate thing to say to them is "XRONIA POLLA", meaning "MANY YEARS".
Every month, Madro Travel Skopelos will publish a list of the important name days during the period, so you will know who to greet on their special day.
MANY YEARS! XRONIA POLLA!MANY YEARS! XRONIA POLLA!
NAME DAYS THIS MONTH:
(Where it is known, the meaning of the name is given in brackets)
Jan 1 - Vassileios (king), Tilemakos
Jan 12 - Tatiani
Jan 16 - Antonios
Jan 18 - Xeni ( stranger guest)
Jan 21 - Patrokles
Jan 24 - Xenia
Jan 25 - Margarita
Jan 30 - Aris, Aura, Komodos
Jan 31 - Eudoxia (prosperous)