• The presence of this bread on the Christmas table of the Greeks is rich in meanings: it symbolizes the hope of prosperity, a year with abundant harvest and health for the family.
The tradition of baking bread for a festive occasion, as well as its many symbolic meanings, can be traced back to antiquity, when many great Mediterranean civilizations associated the cycle of human life with the complete life cycle of wheat. It was a belief that became deeply embedded in Greek popular culture and survived through the centuries, eventually coming to occupy an important place in Christianity.
Christopsomo or Christ's bread is a type of traditional Christmas bread made throughout Greece. The bread itself and the ceremonial character of its preparation symbolize the prosperity of the household and the health of its members. It is usually prepared on Christmas Eve, but in many parts of Greece it is also prepared for New Year and Epiphany (January 6).
Bread, moreover, has always been a basic element of Greek gastronomy, commonly associated with life and its essence, the symbol of life. And for Orthodox Christians, bread has always had a symbolic, sacred importance, Christ himself being named "Bread of Life".
The convergence of these two currents in Greek Orthodox society produced a living tradition of nearly two thousand years in which the preparation and baking of bread for holidays and other special occasions functioned as a creative and expressive means of celebrating faith and hope. This tradition is best known for leading to the annual appearance of the Tsureki, famous "easter bread" which is found in every Greek Orthodox home on Easter. But just as Easter has its own traditional bread, so must Christmas!
Deep meanings
Christopsomo – or Christ's bread – has been baked to signify and celebrate the birth of Christ probably since the early Byzantine period, if not even earlier. In many Greek Orthodox homes, great attention is still paid to the annual preparation of Christopsomo.
Only the highest quality ingredients are used and, in keeping with tradition, no expense is spared in the preparation of this slightly sweet, fluffy but richly flavored and generously spiced bread. To obtain it, flour, yeast or yeast, water, a little salt, honey, rose water, walnuts, sesame and aromatic spices such as cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, mastic, anise seeds and cumin are used.
Reflecting its religious inspiration, Christopsomo is usually round in shape, the circle of bread symbolizing eternity, passing through this life, and the hope of eternal life through Christ. Diane Kochilas, renowned chef, authority on Greek gastronomy and culinary customs, and author of "The Glorious Foods of Greece", states, referring to this variety of bakery product, that "the very fact that bread, as an edible folk art form, after so much effort is consumed, is itself a symbol of the ephemeral nature of life."
Although special Christmas breads are common to many Orthodox cultures and peoples (eg Cesna to the Serbs, Cozonac to Romanians, Kolach to Ukrainians and Krendel to the Russians), the decorative customs associated with Christopsomo are unique to the Greek tradition. In fact, all of these Christmas breads are meant to be decorated in ways that symbolize good wishes, hope for the future, and God's grace through images that illustrate the family's livelihood.
Variations by area
There are many variations of this recipe in the different regions of Greece. The bread is usually large and round, sometimes elaborately decorated, but most commonly it is covered with sesame seeds and decorated with a large cross that has a nut in the center – a symbol of fertility.
In many parts of Greece, including Crete, the ornate decoration, made of elaborately carved dough, is very important as it pays homage to divine power and the cycle of life. In the mountain village of Anogia in Crete, typical Christmas bread decorations always included snakes, as they were a symbol (derived from ancient Greece) of a household's good luck.
In many parts of Greece the decorations that adorn the bread are related to agriculture. In fact, bread took on an almost magical meaning in some farming families and households, who believed it had the power to influence the future. The decorations on Christopsomo told a story and often included symbols such as ears of wheat, a plow, lambs, oxen, goats or even a shepherd.
Elaborate decorations
In northern Greece, it was customary to bake Christopsomo especially in honor of the shepherds. The bread was decorated with a shepherd and his dog, both made of dough, while the chickpeas placed next to it represented the lambs and the raisins the goats.
Christopsomo breads are also often decorated with flowers and branches. On the island of Lefkada, bread is decorated with almond daisies. Other versions are also braided in the shape of a cross, as in Sparta, where the cross-shaped bread is beautifully decorated with shelled almonds and walnuts. In other cases, the bread is decorated with the initial of Christ ("X" to the Greeks).
Another variant of Christopsomo is Sykotourta (literal "fig cake"), a tradition from the Greek province of Macedonia. Sykotourta is a sourdough bread made from olive oil, flour, water and salt, sweetened with black raisins and chopped dried figs. It is decorated at the top with a symbolic cross, which is said to bring luck, happiness and blessings.
Common symbolism
Koulourakia, something between a cake and a bread that is usually made with 15 ingredients, including aromatic spices such as cinnamon, cloves and anise, olive oil, red wine, raisins, pine buds, walnuts, orange juice and tangerine peel, it is another variant of the Bread of Christ. The island of Zakynthos and Sparta, a city in the Peloponnese, are particularly famous for koulourakia their.
In the Kastoria region, villagers traditionally honored their animals by making small individual Christopsomo biscuits, representing each of their sheep, goats, donkeys and horses. In fishing communities or other coastal or island communities, Christopsomo may have images of boats or fish. Common symbols of Christopsomo, found throughout Greece, include grapes and vines, olives, sheep, and daisies, the petals of which represent the number of family members. Despite the abundance of regional variations, the most common symbol is the Greek letter "X", the early Christian representation of Christ.
On the tables of Orthodox Christians
Christopsomo is consumed by Greek Orthodox Christians in the same way all over the world, be it Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Greek America, Turkey or elsewhere. Once upon a time in the Greek world, Christopsomo was traditionally made the day before Christmas and eaten on Christmas Day. In the Greek diaspora we find both continuity and some changes in this practice.
As Marilyn Rouvelas points out in his book, "A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America": “Some families go to church on Christmas Eve and return home for a meal that begins with the cutting of the Christopsomo by the head of the family. Others wait until a main meal on Christmas Day. The head of the family makes the sign of the cross on the bread with a knife saying: «In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit», then cuts a piece for each person with the wishes of «Kala Christouyena» (Merry Christmas) or «Chronia polla» ( Happy Birthday )".
Article written by Gabriela Dan, Editor of Arta Albă
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