Vasilopita (St. Basil’s cake)
November 15, 2006
Filed under Customs&Traditions
Tags: Customs and Traditions, Cyprus, Greece
The cutting of the New Year cake or Vasilopita is one of the few old customs that still survives today.
In antiquity there existed the custom of the festive bread that in major rural feasts the ancient Greeks offered to the gods. Such feasts were the Thalisia and the Thesmoforia.
In Kronia (the feast of the god Chronos), that was worshipped in Greece and in the saturnalia of Rome, they also made pies in which they put currencies and the winner of the currencies was then supposed to have good luck.
The Orthodox Christian tradition connected the custom with the New Year cake.
Christmas Spirit 