A small group of pupils who participate in our project is singing the traditional Christmas Carols from Ikaria which is a Greek island in the Aegean Sea, 10 nautical miles (19 km) southwest of Samos. It derived its name from Icarus the son of Daedalus  who fell into the sea nearby.

 

For Christmas, New Year’s and the Epiphany, as in most of Greece, children go around singing Christmas carols. But what other places and villages do not have, is the custom of Saint Basil. For this event, groups of people (usually men), from each village, go from door to door singing carols. But, unlike what children usually do, these groups of people stay a little longer in each house. Indeed, a small party actually takes place in each house. The hosts (usually women) offer various dishes of mezze to their guests, but above all homemade wine. The party goes on for quite some time, eating, drinking and having a fun. The carols are traditional and usually every village has its own variant.

You can hear Ikaria's Christmas Carols by visiting the link. 

Merry Christmas to all of you!

https://soundcloud.com/christos-pashalopoulos/kalantaikarias