Greek Christmas cookies (melomakarona)

Nov 28, 2022 0 comments

 


Melomakarona

Melomakarona!! A traditional Greek Christmas sweet that drips with honey as the name implies, sprinkled with ground walnuts mixed with cinnamon and cloves. 

Meli means honey and makaron is a type of pasta dough. It comes from the ancient Greek word makaria. In ancient Greece, they would serve the makaria after a funeral service to honour the deceased. The word makarios is still used today to refer to a person who has found ever-lasting happiness. The word makaritis is used to refer to a person who has passed away. When honey syrup was added, the word became melomakarono (singular), melomakarona (plural). Honey (Greek: μέλι) is considered a symbol of well-being (Greek: ευζωίας) and creativity (Greek: δημιουργίας).

Melomakarona are also called phoenikia (Greek: φοινίκια). The name phoenikia is used mainly in the Aegean islands, which may be connected with the Phoenicians, an ancient sea-faring people that lived along the coast of Asia Minor and basically in today’s Lebanon.

Traditions are connected with the past. Therefore, besides the connection of the makaria being given at a funeral, they are also connected with the worshipping of the Sun in ancient Greece. The celebrations honoured the winter solstice, which occurs around 20-22 December each year. The word solstice comes from the Latin solstitium, which means sun stands still. The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is when the sun reaches its most southerly point. After that, the night begins to shorten and the day to lengthen.

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Source : https://despena.gr/

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