NikoloBarbara

The 'NikoloBarbara' are the three days from December 4th (St Barbara) to 6th December (St Nikolas).

This is the true start of winter.  Your wood supplies should be cut and stacked, your barns full of feed for the animals and the store rooms stockpiled with grains, the pig slaughtered and it's meat salted and packed in its fat in clay jars, dried figs, sultanas and tomatoes on the shelves, peppers and herbs hanging from the rafters, the wine barrels full and the first glasses drunk. Or so it used to be in the richer agricultural areas.

The first snow has fallen on the mountains further north and our fire is lit soon after dark to warm the house and brighten our evenings.

We have a big basket of oranges on the bench for our morning juice, a bowl of walnuts and chestnuts. The lettuces in our garden are trying to outgrow the three leaf clover. Greek tomato salads have given way to lettuce or cabbage salads, stuffed tomatoes and aubergines to stewed beans and lentils.

The tradition is that whatever the weather  between the 4th and the 6th is the weather we'll have on Christmas day.  These last few days have been cold with a little wind and mostly sunshine. Perfect weather for a family Christmas, cold enough for a fire in the afternoon but still warm enough for a short 'digestive' walk after lunch.

4 December  St Barbara
5 December  St Savvas
6 December  St Nikolas  name day of Nikos and Nikoletta. Patron Saint of the Navy
9 December  St Anna
12 December St Spyridon patron saint of the island of Corfu
13 December St Loukia  (Lucy)
15 December St Eleftherios

and these are only the most well known Saints and name days

Tomorrow we are having a visit from Turkish President Erdogan.  Athens is being shut down for 36 hours.  No trains will stop in the centre, buses and trams will take outer routes and everyone is being discouraged from entering the downtown area.  No strikes or demonstrations allowed of course.  2,800 policemen and women will be patrolling Athens streets and there will be snipers along his route from the airport to the centre.

Erdogan is bringing as well 200 of his personal guard.  He will travel in a convoy of armoured vehicles.  We haven't heard yet if he'll be accompanied by his wife, Emine, lover of antiques and French couture.   Her favourite coffee cups are reputed to be worth $1,000 each.

On Friday he goes to Thrace, an area of northern Greece with a Turkish minority.  It is the first visit of a Turkish president in 65 years.  Greece and Turkey are at loggerheads over so many issues it is hard to see any positive result from the visit.