THE CUSTOM OF THE CUTTING OF THE VASILOPITA

The Greek tradition of the cutting of the Vassilopita, the New Year’s bread or cake, is a tradition which is practiced without fail every year by the Greeks, not only in Greece and Cyprus, but all over the world. The reason for this is, that the hidden coin inside Vassilopita which in Greek is called “flouri” (φλουρί), represents luck and shows who will be the fortunate of the New Year. This custom is related to the need that man has felt since the beginning of the world to predict the future.

It is a custom rich with history and dates back to the Ancient Greek Civilisation. During that great age, Ancient Greeks used to perform every month rituals dedicated to each one of the 12 Olympian Gods. One of the ceremonies involved was the baking of “festive breads”- “eortastikoi artoi” (εορταστικοί άρτοι) made from the first grains of the new season. These breads were given as an offering -for example- to Demeter the goddess of agriculture, cereals, and bread, during the ritual “Thalisia” (Θαλύσια) and it was called “thalissios artos” (θαλύσιος άρτος), to Apollo the god of music, fine arts, divination and purification, during the ritual “Thargilia” (Θαργήλια) and was called “thargilos artos” (θάργηλος άρτος), to Hades the god of the underworld and was called “milihios plakous” (μειλίχιος πλακούς) or “melitouta” (μελιτούττα) (a kind of sweet bread with honey) and so on. Also, every Athenian soldier was obliged to dedicate to Ares, the god of war, three pieces of bread, before he went off to war. The first one was a wish to win in the battle. The second one was a wish to come back home. And the third one was a wish, to come back healthy and able in body and mind.

Later on the Romans adopted the customs of Greeks and they started making their own sweet bread, during the Festival Saturnalia (Kronia for the Greeks), as an offering to Saturn the god of agriculture, which involved selecting a "king" by lot. They were the first to establish the hidden bean or coin in the bread as a sign of health and luck. They also used to put a little piece of papyrus in the bread, which could give the freedom to the slave who would find it. The same tradition was adopted by the inhabitants of Byzantium and all the Latin nations.

When Christianity spread throughout the world the tradition of Vassilopita coincided with the Feast Day of Saint Basil The Great- Agios Vasilios O Megas (Άγιος Βασίλειος ο Μέγας) which is observed on January 1st, at the beginning of the New Year and the Epiphany season, known as the “Vassilopita Observance”.

Therefore the name " Vassilopita” (βασιλόπιτα) derives from the words “king” (βασιλεύς) + “pie” (πίτα), but was reinterpreted by the Orthodox Church as “Saint Basil’s pie”.

The real, historical Saint Basil (and not the Coca-Cola Santa Claus) lived in the 4th century A.D and was christian theologian, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (Asia Minor) and later became one of the Three Holy Hierarchs. (Caesarea is known in greek as Kaissaria (Καισαρεία ή Καισάρεια) and is the old name of Kayseri in Turkey). Legend has it that one time, when Caesarea was under siege, the bishop called on the poor people to raise a ransom for the city. They all gave whatever they had in gold and jewels. But thanks to a miracle (which says that Virgin Mary sent Saint Mercurius a sword man who was born in Cappadocia and his army of Angels to save the city) the enemy never came to Caesarea. Saint Basil was then tasked with returning the unpaid ransom to the people, but had no way to know which items belonged to which family. So he baked all of the jewelery into loaves of bread and distributed them to the citizens. (In some versions of the story the emperor who lays siege to the city is replaced with a tough eparch levying a tax who felt too embarrassed to collect it from such a poor people and finally remitted the taxes and gave back the treasure. Οr simply with Saint Basil attempting to give charity to the poor without embarrassing them). Since then the traditional Vassilopita that was made along the coast of Asia Minor and mainly in Constantinople, with the “gold coin (flouri) constantinato” inside, known as the “politiki Vassilopita”, became famous because of its remarkable appearance and its sweet and spicy taste.

In Greece Vassilopita wasn’t always the sweet cake or tsoureki we use to make nowadays. The most usual traditional New Year’s pie was the salty vasilopita, which was made in the provinces with many handmade flakes and was filled with meat, or cheese or leek. In some regions such as Siatista in west Macedonia they used to prepare two Vassilopitas. One sweet which was cut on the New Year’s Eve and one salty which was cut on the New Year’s Day.

Sweet or salty, the Vassilopita in the collective conscience of the Greek nation refers to a new year’s symbol with great attributes, not only revelational, but also determinative for the luck of the people, the animals and the possessions of the Greek family.

Even the way of making Vassilopita, would also assure a good year. For that reason its preparation but -most importantly- the way of its decoration with the “letters” as they used to say, was turned to a symbolic ritual accompanied by actions of magic in order to “stop” the gossip, the bad thoughts and to deter the effects of envy. The “letters” –“grammata” (γράμματα) were pieces of finery made by dough placed on the top of the Vassilopita, each of them corresponding to a wish, a desire or a particular goal.

But the cutting of the Vassilopita was also and still is a real ritual performed by the father of the family in which participates all the members of the family from the oldest to the youngest. Firstly the father has to rotate the cake three times in the name of the holy trinity. Afterwards, he passes a knife above the cake in the shape of the cross, in order to bless it. Then he cuts the cake into portions and names each one of them, in an established turn. The first piece is destined for Saint Basil and the second for Christ and Virgin Mary. The third for the house, and the rest for the members of the family starting from the oldest. There is also a piece dedicated to the animals, the fields and the vineyard, the mill and the boat, the poor, the traveler and the visitors, because everything and everybody has to be blessed by Saint Basil.

Additionally, the hidden trinket of Vassilopita wasn’t only a gold coin, but also different “signs” such us, beans, vine sticks, , straws, a piece of metal and others which were symbolic. For example in west Macedonia and Thrace, when the father of the family had to divide the property between the sons, the “signs” in the Vassilopita weren’t put for the “wish” but for the “division”. The pieces of the Vassilopita were called “kisses” –“filia” (φιλιά). The son in whose “kiss” –“fili” (φιλί) was the coin (flouri) or the piece of metal hidden, would own the house. The bean corresponded to a field, the vine stick to the vineyard, the straw to the animals and so on.

In other areas of the Balkans, the tradition of a cake with a hidden coin during winter holidays exists, but is not associated with Saint Basil at all. The practice is documented among Bulgarians, Romanians, Serbs, Albanians, and others. The traditions surrounding Vassilopita are very similar also to the celebrations of the Twelfth Night and Epiphany in western and central Europe and in the Iberian Peninsula and the pre-Lenten celebrations of the Mardis Gras and the Carnival in the Latin America.

At these areas Vassilopita has different names which all means “king cake”. For example in France, Belgium and Switzerland but also in Quebec (Canada) it is called “galette or gâteau des Rois”, in Portugal “bolo rei”, in Spain and Spanish America “roscon or rosca de reyes” ” and “tortell” in Catalonia, in Louisiana and New Orleans “king cake”. The "king cake" takes its name from the biblical three kings and has a small trinket inside which is most often a small porcelain or plastic baby, said to represent Baby Jesus. The person who receives the piece of cake with the trinket has various privileges and obligations and is the king of the day, the lucky one for the whole year.

In conclusion, the cutting of the Vassilopita is a glorious family tradition not only in Greece but all over the world and is the most wonderful way to begin each New Year. But even if you are not the lucky one to find the coin in your piece of cake when you’re cutting the Vassilopita, don’t be disappointed. Always remember that the real luck is hidden in your own hands. Because as the ancient Greek tragedian Sophocles used to say:

“Lady Luck never helps those who do not help themselves”.

I wish you a lucky New Year!

Marietta Kontogianni