On Saturday the 19th of December and Wednesday the 23rd of December the Greek Orthodox Christian Society visited both the Castellorizian Nursing Home and St Basil’s Nursing Home. With the singing of Christmas Carols, warm greetings and the distribution of Christmas cards, the joy of Christ’s Nativity was brought to the elderly and infirm residents of the nursing home.
On Sunday evening, 20th December 2015, at the annual Greek Orthodox Archdiocese’s Christmas Carols, the young boys and girls from the youth fellowships (Ομάδες), as well as the men and ladies from the Greek Orthodox Christian Society and Orthodox Ladies Fellowship, performed a number of Christmas carols and hymns. Several other groups such as the Australian Byzantine Choir, the Antiochian Orthodox Church Choir also performed on the night. At the end of the Program, His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos addressed the faithful participants, which also included, His Grace Bishop Seraphim of Apollonias and a number of our clergy.
Kalanta - Carols Kalanta (κάλαντα) in contemporary times are traditionally sung on Christmas Eve, New Years Eve and Epiphany. The carols are different for each festivity as they refer to the Nativity of Christ for Christmas, to St Basil for New Years and to the Baptism of Christ at Epiphany. The tradition of the Kalanta however, has its roots in ancient Greece adopted during the Byzantine period. The word itself derives from the Latin calendae which means “the beginning of the month”, and while the form of the custom has changed as we moved from the ancient to the Christian [...]