Vassilopita is the Greek New Year’s bread. It is served every year the 1st of January after dinner in households. Every company or organization also serves Vasilopita up to 40 days after that day. A coin is secretly placed inside it and the person who finds the hidden coin in their piece, s/he is considered to be lucky for the rest of the year!
Vassilopita bread is sweet and reminds us of a cake, which can be perfectly consumed as breakfast if it is not finished the same day! People find it in bakeries or they make it on their own (watch this video and prepare it by yourself!).
The tradition is traced back to Ancient Greece when people used to offer ‘’festive bread’’ to the Gods, so they would earn their favor. Throughout the centuries it seems that this tradition was kept and enriched by the Christian orthodox religion.
During the Byzantine period, Julianus the Roman Emperor (331 AC-363 AC) declared war on Persia and the civilians had to pay a certain amount of money in the form of taxes. Unexpectedly enough Julianus died and Saint Vassilios, a beloved bishop from Asia Minor (the Greek version of Santa Claus) ordered that all the collected money and jewelry should be returned to civilians. Loaves of bread were baked and distributed to all households. Before the distribution, coins and jewelry were hidden inside the bread!
The tradition of Vassilopita reminds us of values such as gratitude, solidarity and loving each other. A great way to start the new year!
Fantastic setting. We had such a fun evening with Katerina who shared great stories as we cooked delicious food. They served us dinner outdoors overlooking the Acropolis, so the setting was even better than we were expecting.
Zoe | Sep 24 | Cooking Lesson
I crossed my fingers that this would be a good tour, but I wasn’t 100% sure what to expect. Well I’m happy to say it exceeded my expectations and was a WONDERFUL way to spend a morning getting to know Athens.
Libby | Aug 24 | Athens Food Tour
Very interesting. Guide was great and loved that he found shade while he explained
Shamra | Aug 24 | Acropolis Tour
Amazing!!! Better than I thought it would be, so glad we went in the morning. Our guide was so passionate and informative, fantastic!!’
Sheryl D | Sep 24 | First Access Acropolis
It was an amazing experience! We were the 1st tour to enter the Acropolis! Olesya was our tour guide, she was AWESOME!!! She took the time to answer all our questions, we never felt rushed! We were able to take a lot of pictures! Thank you for the experience!
Nayelli | Sep 24 | First Access Acropolis
We enjoyed an excellent "highlights tour" through Athens Walking Tours in 2014. Based on that, we booked AGT40B (Acropolis & Parthenon... Extended Edition") for our return in 2024. The early start was worth the effort because we beat the crowds and heat. Niobe, our guide, was excellent. She was informative and easy to understand and walked at a manageable pace for the group of 15 to 20 people. She even knew a shady spot where we could get off our feet. It was particularly special to peer into the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, where we attended an outstanding concert the
garyp | Sep 24 | Acropolis & Parthenon, Extended Edition
Our guide was amazing, made a conscious effort to keep us cool. Stopping in the shade to talk and kept us engaged with relevant history/facts often relating it to where we were from.
Ryan | Jun 24 | Acropolis & Museum Tour
Niobe was fantastic, so knowledgeable and took wonderful care of us. It was warm but we always stopped in the shade. So much information on the history of Greece & the Acropolis. We had a wonderful walk. Recommend booking early morning if possible.
John | Jun 24 | Acropolis Tour
Very well organized tour. Extremely knowledgeable and friendly Guide. Seeing the temperatures and the crowds really the best way and time to visit the Acropolis.
Marco | Jun 24 | First Access Acropolis Tour
Margarita was the absolute best — amazing English, full of information, fun to hang out with, etc. Book this tour asap!
Jason | Jun 24 | Athens City, Acropolis & Museum Tour
Angel was a wonderful and entertaining guide! He provided great descriptions and cultural contexts for each delicious dish we enjoyed. Angel also provided excellent and informative histories of the various sites and places we passed on our tour. My wife and I raved about our experience with our family. I highly recommend this tour, and Angel as a guide.
Jack | Jun 24 | Athens Old Town Food Tour
Easy skip the line - early entry allowed for good photos without the crowd. Tour was quick (1.5 hours) and left most of the rest of the day to explore on our own.
Barry | Jun 24 | First Access Acropolis Tour
Rina was amazing for our first ever walking tour. Incredibly knowledgeable and very easy to listen to. We learnt and enjoyed it so much. Great experience - our 11 and 9 year old got so much out of it. Thanks Rina!
Nicola | Jun 24 | Athens City & Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis and museum tour was great. Alice provided good historical context and explanations without overwhelming with too many facts. We were so glad we did the tour vs. going on our own and learned a few things along the way. Definitely recommend.
Maya | Jun 24 | Acropolis & Museum Tour
We had such a great Acropolis tour, Niiloletta was such a personable and informative tour guide, we learned so much and the tour went a good pace where we were truly able to experience the history of Acropolis!
Y Tresnan | Jun 24 | Acropolis Tour
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