Than Greek. What did the ancient Greeks eat and how delicious it was for them

Family holiday in Greece it’s easy to plan: in the morning and afternoon - the beach, in the hot hours - sleep, and in the afternoon and evening - a meal in a tavern and an attempt to decide what National dish The most delicious food in Greece.

Children can also take part in the discussions, since the traditional cuisine of this country is suitable for children's stomachs. Kidpassage has collected all the information about what to try while traveling to Hellas and what to feed your child.

Specifics of Greek cuisine

The cuisine of Greece has absorbed all the traditions of Mediterranean cooking: it generously uses fresh vegetables, herbs, olive oil, and seafood.

The cooking methods that the Greeks prefer make the food healthy and nutritious, which is so important for children's nutrition. Greek cuisine also has its own secrets, thanks to which simple, simple dishes have a special taste.

First secret national cuisine Greece - in a set of herbs and spices. Garlic, onion, Bay leaf, oregano, thyme, basil, thyme, dill, mint, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves - this is not a complete list.

The second secret is vegetables and legumes warmed by the Greek sun: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, zucchini, green beans, chickpeas.

The third is the frequent use of cheeses made from sheep and goat milk in dishes: feta, manouri, halloumi, kefalotyri, caseri and others.

Fourth - the widespread use of goat and lamb in the preparation of meat dishes; pork, beef and poultry are also used.

Fifth - love for fresh fish and seafood dishes.

Sixth - methods of processing products that preserve maximum nutritional properties. Baking is most often used; There are also many boiled and stewed dishes.

And the last of the secrets is the reverent attitude of the Greeks towards olive oil. The oil is often pressed independently, by hand, and its taste depends not only on the method of preparation, but even on the region where the olives grew.

In Greece, only olive oil is used for frying food.

To taste traditional Greek dishes, it is worth avoiding tourist-oriented establishments with local dishes. Real Greek cuisine is found in those taverns where Greeks and their families gather in the evenings to have a hearty dinner and socialize.

National dishes of Greece

Let's begin to praise the national food of Greece not with meat, fish or vegetables, but with the marvelous Greek olives. Large and dark fruits of the “Kalamon” variety, small green “Chalkidiki” with an oily sheen, dried olives from the island of Thassos - the Greeks grow their own olives and salt and pickle them themselves.

Each tavern has its own recipes and secret knowledge, what herbs to put in the marinade and what to put in fruits instead of seeds.

Yogurt- product No. 2 on the list of national foods in Greece. It is made from cow's, and more often from sheep's, milk. Greek yogurt has a thick consistency and is similar to soft cheese. It is added to salads and baked goods, used in stewing and baking, and ice cream is made from it.

Often yogurt, drizzled with honey or fruit syrup, is served as a dessert. By the way, you can make the same healthy sweetness yourself from soft anfotiro cheese, which resembles homemade cottage cheese.

Well, now we’ll tell you about the most popular dishes that are prepared everywhere in Greece:

Moussaka- eggplant casserole with meat, usually lamb, with béchamel sauce.
Stifado- stewed meat in thick onion sauce.
Kleftiko- lamb cooked in a clay pot.
Pastitsio- pasta casserole with meat, cheese and egg.
Paputsakya - stuffed with meat eggplants.
Gemista- peppers or tomatoes stuffed with minced meat.
Lukanika Horjatika- homemade sausages, to which, in addition to meat, various other products are added. Unusual additions include oranges or olives.
Souvlaki- small kebabs on wooden skewers.
Petes- puff pastry pies with different fillings: with cheese and spinach (spanakopita), with meat (creatopita), with cheese (tiropita). On Christmas Day, a special sweet pie called vasilopita is prepared.
Dolma- cabbage rolls in grape leaves.

The full list of dishes would be much longer, but we have selected those dishes that are suitable for baby food. When deciding what to try from Greek cuisine, consider the peculiarities of preparing different dishes.

Offer your children boiled, stewed, baked foods, and try to avoid fried foods.

How to whet your appetite

A typical Greek meal begins with appetizers, which in Greece are called meze. This concept includes light vegetable dishes. Here are just a few of the most popular snacks.

Dzadzyki- a yogurt sauce with the addition of garlic and grated cucumber, which can be spread on bread or paired with crispy scordopsomo croutons.
Melizanosalata- baked eggplant caviar.
Dolmadakya- rolled up into an envelope and in a special way cooked grape leaves.
Hummus- tender chickpea puree with added butter and spices.
Keftedes- meatballs from zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms.

All this is incredibly tasty, but it’s still just a warm-up before the main course. We don’t recommend loading up on appetizers, because a large portion of the main course awaits you.

If you are not too hungry or are eating with a child, you can order one serving for two or three people. And if you’re really hungry, order different dishes for everyone so you can try a little bit of everything.”

Greek salads

Salads in Greece are also a type of snack. But sometimes such an appetizer can replace lunch, since salads, in addition to vegetables, often include cheese (feta, mizifra).

The famous Greek salad (in Greece they call it “country” - khoriatiki salata), you must try: firstly, these are fresh vegetables, secondly, tender feta cheese soaked in tomato juice, coarsely chopped sweet onions, elastic oily olives - it’s simple extraordinarily tasty.

Dacos- a popular salad in Crete. It is made from finely chopped tomatoes and myzithra cheese, seasoned with olive oil, oregano and basil. Dacos is served on a piece of toasted bread.

Angurodomata- salad for picky children. It consists of tomatoes, cucumbers and sweet red onions. There are no unfamiliar seasonings or cheeses in it.

Horta- a traditional dish in Greece. It is prepared from young leaves of dandelion and chicory. The dressing is olive oil and lemon.

Fish and seafood dishes

Fish dishes are best ordered in taverns on the coast - this guarantees the freshness of the product. In such places, it is customary for the visitor to choose the fish and seafood for the dish.

The easiest way to cook is roasting over coals, but there are no recipes great amount. To help you navigate the menu, here are the names of the most popular dishes:

htapodi sharas- grilled octopus tentacles;
kalamarya yemista me tiri- baked squid;
midya akhnista- steamed mussels.

Dishes kids should try

What to offer your child from nutritious food? First of all, of course, delicious moussaka. For lovers of homemade cutlets, order the aromatic meatballs keftedes or suzukakia, which are perfectly served as a side dish with baked vegetables.

The stew stifado or kokinisto is combined with potatoes or rice, and is often served with boiled carrots or broccoli.

A child who prefers pasta will be happy to receive a portion of pastitsio for lunch. And the simplest meat dish that can be eaten without the help of cutlery is kebab souvlaki.

But if the child doesn’t turn his nose at the word “soup” (and even more so if he does), offer him some of the first courses. Avgolemono - cooked on chicken broth soup with the addition of small orzo pasta in the form of grains of rice - light and nutritious.

Translated from Greek, this name means “egg and lemon.” Fasolada is a thick bean soup with tomato sauce. Fakes lentil stew is also very popular in Greece, but it is rarely prepared in taverns - you can try this when visiting local residents.

If you are having a meal with a child who has just begun to join the adult table, the tavern will not refuse to cook simple dishes for a small guest - boiled meat, fish, vegetables.

From vegetable dishes, children can be offered Briam- stew of potatoes, zucchini, bell pepper and other vegetables. Also try it with your child bamies- a dish of stewed okra pods.

This plant is rich in vitamins and minerals; eating its fruits is a good prevention of digestive problems.

Dessert

For desserts, any child will certainly leave room in their stomach. Many sweets in Greece are made using nuts and honey:

melomacarona- sweet cookies with honey;
loukoumades- donuts drizzled with honey;
baklava - puff pastry with nuts.

Turkish delight (a jelly-like sweet made from starch and sugar with the addition of various flavors) will also delight the soul of a sweet tooth.

IN different regions have their own baking recipes. For example, they bake cathimeria bagels, which are topped with honey syrup. The highlight is the xerotigan bun in the shape of a rose. And they make almond nougat mandolato.

A wonderful alternative to baking will be fragrant Greek fruits - apricots, peaches, strawberries, cherries, figs, grapes, melons and watermelons. Interestingly, the Greeks love to snack on watermelon with halloumi cheese.

Beverages

As we are used to, people hardly drink tea in Greece - here it is considered a medicinal drink. The Greeks prefer coffee, especially frappe - chilled coffee with foam.

You'll be served a bottle of water with every meal, and children can drink freshly squeezed orange juice (the unsightly Greek oranges used to make it are actually quite tasty).

Where to try Greek dishes

National Greek dishes are served in hotels and restaurants. But to appreciate the nuances, it’s best to go to a tavern. There is not necessarily the inscription TAVERNA above it - often the sign says RESTAURANT.

You will recognize a real tavern by looking inside and seeing a simple interior, a minimum of service staff and a maximum of local residents at the tables.

It is important to note that you can eat in taverns without fear - the owners, who welcome guests as their friends, are very careful about the quality of the food.

What children will certainly like in Greek taverns is the lack of strict etiquette. Here you won’t get lost in forks and knives - there is a minimum of cutlery, and in some places some dishes are laid out directly on the table covered with clean paper.

This little hooliganism, when the table serves as a plate, will be appreciated by the children and will awaken the appetite.

Note that taverns can have specialization. The best dishes of Greece, prepared from fish and seafood, will be served in coastal psarotaverns. The hasapotavern menu consists almost entirely of meat dishes.

And establishments with the names girodiko and souvladzidiko are considered restaurants fast food, at the same time they prepare the most traditional Greek food: souvlaki kebabs and gyros wrapped in pita bread, reminiscent of shawarma.

Whatever the name of the tavern, there will definitely not be desserts on its menu. You can drink coffee, which is revered in Greece, in Kaphenia, eat a pie in Tiropitadiko, taste Greek sweets in Zacharoplastio, and enjoy a dairy dessert in Galaktopolio.

In conclusion, all that remains is to wish: “Kali oreksi!”, which means “Bon appetit!”

The ancient Greeks, without knowing it, invented an ideal nutritional system consisting of incredibly tasty dishes that were also very healthy. What secrets did the inhabitants of the ancient world possess?

Bread is the head of everything

Ancient Greek bread is worthy of its own encyclopedia. The main subtlety of its preparation was coarse semi-processed flour, most often wheat or barley. This bread itself was very healthy and also contributed to the complete absorption of other products. In various historical and literary sources You can often find references to so-called sour bread, which was made from fermented dough. However, this variety was considered a delicacy and was affordable only for the wealthy public. Simpler bread for the people was made from wholemeal flour, adding a large number of bran. In total, ancient Greek bakers knew how to prepare several dozen different types of bread. Honey, fat and milk were added to rich baked goods. A special role was given to stale bread. Ancient healers prescribed it as a cure for indigestion and other “food” diseases.

Poor man's luxury

Of course, the Greeks did not live by bread alone. Since their blessed islands were surrounded by waters Mediterranean Sea, then the first and main dish was fish and seafood. Oddly enough, today's expensive delicacies were the main food of the ancient Greek poor. Preference was given to tuna and sturgeon fish. Ordinary people ate oysters, mussels, scallops and squid several times a day. Prepared seafood in the most different ways: smoked, fried, pickled, salted. Some cooking secrets still remain undiscovered. For example, it is not clear how a whole fish could simultaneously be partially fried, partially boiled, and partially salted.

A significant part of the diet was game. For a long time The Greeks preferred forest animals and birds to livestock. Pigeons, sparrows, pheasants, quails, and sometimes swallows were enjoyed roasting on the fires. All this was generously seasoned with olive oil and herbs. Later, during times of magnificent prosperity, the Hellenes became addicted to beef and lamb. The whole carcass was roasted on a spit without any seasoning, after which it was cut into pieces, the juiciest of which went to the guests of honor. And the Greek table was replete with hearty sausages and an original delicacy - a goat stomach filled with fat and blood.

sacred olive

To balance such a hearty meal, various legumes, fresh figs and olives were served as a side dish. The Greeks added onions, garlic, meaty lettuce and green bell peppers to many dishes. Tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants, so familiar to us today, were not yet familiar to the Greeks in those days. And democratic pumpkins and cucumbers were considered outlandish fruits and were very expensive.

An indispensable attribute of any meal were unleavened bread cakes and soft sheep cheese, more reminiscent of cottage cheese. We washed down the meal with healthy sheep's milk. Almost no dish is complete without the legendary olive oil. The olive tree was sacred to the ancient Greeks, and its fruits to this day occupy one of the main places in traditional cuisine. Olive oil was produced by cold pressing exclusively from selected ripe fruits. Moreover, it was used not only for cooking, but also as a preservative, for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, and even for funeral rites. The Greeks were also crazy about olives. They were marinated in wine vinegar and the same olive oil, adding spices and aromatic herbs. This appetizer was eaten separately or combined with fish dishes.

The ancient Greeks replaced sugar with wild honey, of which they had no shortage. The most favorite delicacy was raisins with nuts, generously drizzled with honey. By the way, the walnuts themselves were an imported product and were highly valued. But grapes and figs were and remain original Greek sweets.

Daily drink

The choice of drinks among the ancient Greeks was very limited, but what a choice! They drank wine at every meal on holidays and weekdays. True, pr

and this was greatly diluted with water. This way they disinfected well water and didn’t get so drunk. Such unambiguous taste preferences were explained simply. Literally all of Greece, both mainland and island, was covered with fertile grapevines which produced berries of excellent quality. It is not for nothing that the Greeks are considered the founders of European winemaking, and their most revered god has always been Dionysus.

Perhaps the most famous Greek wine of antiquity is retsina. It was prepared in a special way: amphoras were filled with wine and hermetically sealed with a mixture of resin and gypsum. Thanks to this, the drink acquired a characteristic resinous taste and aroma. Total in Ancient Greece there were about 150 different types of wine. Red, very thick wines were valued more than others, which were poured into large vessels and left to ferment in cool cellars for six months. Already in those days, Greek winemakers knew how to prepare almost all types of wines known today, including light whites, sweet roses, dry and semi-dry. Rhodes and Samos wines were considered the best. Tart wine originally from the island of Santorini, obtained from grapes grown on volcanic ash, was also held in special esteem. However, almost any city could boast of a signature variety of wine.

Of course, the Greeks knew a lot about tasty and healthy food. Although in most cases their gastronomic habits were dictated by nature itself. But this does not at all prevent us from learning from them the principles of proper nutrition.

What are they like, Greeks?

Many strive to visit the country that was destined to become the cradle European civilization. And only being in the “land of heroes and gods” (A.S. Pushkin) can you feel the full depth of art Ancient Hellas. It is connected, first of all, with nature, in which there is nothing excessive and overwhelming, as well as with the character of the people - with modern Greeks, no matter how different they are from their distant ancestors.
What kind of people are these Greeks?

The Greeks stand out among Europeans for their serene and philosophical attitude to life. Men are loving and are also European champions in longevity. The country has enough low level crime, which contributes healthy attitude to life. The Greeks, despite the large number of churches and monasteries, moderately religious people. Almost everyone attends church, but a significant proportion only attends Christmas and Easter.
Greeks are proud of everything connected with their centuries-old history. They do not demolish monuments, do not curse their past, but always and in everything feel like descendants of the ancient Hellenes. They love and know how to have fun. They like to be in public, on the street, on fresh air, which is favored by the country's climate.

Nowhere in Europe are there so many festivals, holidays and weekends. And in terms of the number of restaurants, taverns, bars, discos, it is difficult to find equals. The Greeks cannot deny themselves one more pleasure - the siesta: rest in the middle of the day (from 14.00 to 17.00). During these hours, cities die out, shops close. The Greeks have lunch and take an afternoon nap. And from 9.00 pm it starts night life, which is very diverse here. People pour out into the streets and fill taverns, bars and “Greek nightclubs” - “bouzouki” (entertainment establishments where live Greek music is played). All this can last until 3-4 o'clock in the morning.
Well expressed national character numerous and varied folk dances(“sirtaki”, “kalamatianos”, “kochari”, etc.). There is probably no Greek who does not know how to dance. And they do this with visible pleasure. With all this, strong alcohol intoxication is not only an optional element, but also extremely rare.

It is easy to maintain good relations with the Greeks: you just need to follow generally accepted rules of behavior. When visiting temples and monasteries, you should respect people's religious feelings and follow accepted norms. A necessary condition To visit numerous churches and monasteries, dress modestly with covered shoulders. Shorts, miniskirts and trousers on women in such cases are unacceptable. However, women do not have to cover their heads. In some monasteries, tourists are given special skirts, trousers or robes during their visit.

The most ancient beliefs of people boiled down to the endowment of souls natural phenomena and to the cult of ancestors. With the passage of time and the development of civilizations, from a huge variety of obscure mythical deities, more are identified vivid images: Mars - the god of war, Janus - the god of the beginning and the end, Jupiter - the god of the light of day, Thunderstorms, who send terrible downpours to the lands of people, and others. The culture and beliefs of ancient people are always big influence influenced by the culture of their closest neighbors. Thus, the goddess of arts Minerva was borrowed from the Etruscans by the Romans. Also on cultural life Rome in turn had a significant influence over Greece. Today it is undeniable that Roman mythology, the gods of which were mostly borrowed from the Greeks, had a significant influence on the development of ancient Roman society as a whole.

The mythology of ancient states today represents great interest for researchers of the history of civilizations that have sunk into the past, collecting artifacts of their culture bit by bit over many hundreds of years. Thanks to their efforts, he has an idea of what people lived long before his ancestors appeared, what they believed in and what the meaning of their lives was.

The most ancient Roman mythology was built on the belief in the existence of life after death. The Romans of those times worshiped the souls of their ancestors. This worship was based on fear of supernatural powers, which, according to the Romans, these souls possessed. The first Roman gods were identified with nature, they could command it, cause rain or send an unprecedented drought to settlements. In order not to be left without harvests, residents Ancient Rome They tried in every possible way to appease these gods. They were worshiped and sacrifices were made.

Greek and Roman gods: differences

According to some sources, Ancient Rome did not have its own mythology for centuries. At the same time, in neighboring Greece, cultural and religious life people flourished. Many modern researchers who are interested in history tend to believe that most of the myths were borrowed earlier from more developed cultures. culturally Greeks, and Roman gods are gods endowed with the same powers and traits as the Greek ones. The only difference is their names. So, in Roman mythology - Venus - is an exact copy Greek Aphrodite. The patron of the ancient Roman arts - Phoebus - is more like the Greek Apollo, etc.

Initially, the Roman gods had neither a genealogy, nor even their habitat - Olympus, and were depicted in the form of certain symbols: Jupiter had the appearance of a stone, Mars - the appearance of a spear, Vesta - the appearance of flames. According to legend, the first gods of Rome did not leave offspring behind them and, after completing all the work they had begun, they did not die, but disappeared into nowhere. The Greek gods were very prolific and immortal.

The fusion of the culture and mythology of Rome and Greece occurs around the turn of the fourth and third centuries BC. The basic religious views of the Greeks and part of their mythology reigned in Rome after a collection of sayings of the Greek oracle was delivered to the capital of the empire, which subsequently predicted the plague epidemic of 293 BC.

Roman gods are more moral. According to the ideas of the ancient Romans, guarding human life, they were defenders of justice on Earth, property rights and many other rights that one should have free man. The moral influence of religion was especially great during the period of prosperity of Roman civil society (2-4 centuries AD). The people of Ancient Rome were very pious. We can still find praise for this piety on the pages of the works of Roman and Greek writers of those times. The outward piety of the Romans proves their respect for customs, on which it was based cardinal virtue of the Roman people - patriotism.

Greek and Russian Orthodoxy- one religion. There is no difference between them in dogmas and canons, however, there are differences in church practice, rituals, and most importantly - in the attitude of the clergy towards the parishioners.

Everyday life

In Russia, ordinary believers are often haunted by the feeling that clergy are like a separate caste, fenced off from the parishioner by an invisible wall. In Greece, priest and parishioner are much closer to each other.

IN Everyday life Greeks have deep respect for the priesthood: they give up their seat on public transport, even if the cleric is young in years, they can ask him for a blessing right on the street, in a store, on a tram. This is not accepted in Russia.

In Greece, the requirements for a clergyman are stricter than in Russia. Thus, the ordination of a person who has entered into premarital relations, has been divorced, or is in a second marriage is excluded.

As in any Mediterranean country, in Greece they sacredly observe siesta - afternoon rest. From 13:00 to 17:00, especially in the hot months, life in cities and villages becomes quiet. This also applies to churches. At this time, not only knocking on doors, but even calling is indecent. Vespers usually begins at five or six in the evening, at which parishioners are always welcome.

Unlike Russia, in Greece the Church has state status and works closely with various public structures. The traditions of church courts, long lost in Russia, are still preserved there.

While in a Greek church, you should remember that there are no candlesticks in front of the icons, and there are no candle stands. Candles are placed in the narthex, where there is an exhaust hood - this is especially true for ancient temples with frescoes. No one asks for money for a candle; everyone can give the amount they want.

Cross

Not only during worship, but also outside the church, we are accustomed to seeing a large cross, often expensively inlaid, on top of the robe of a clergyman of the Russian Orthodox Church. In Greece, priests wear crosses only during bishop's services. Abbesses do not wear crosses.

The tradition of the Russian Church provides for the so-called “Nicholas” (established by Nicholas II) pectoral cross to be given to the priest before ordination to the priesthood. In Greece, the very fact of wearing a cross is considered a church reward, so ordinary priests do not wear a pectoral cross.

In the Greek Church appearance Priestly crosses do not differ from the variants existing in Russia: “Nicholas”, “Pavlovsky”, “with decorations”.

Divine service

Many people are struck by the pomp of worship in Russian churches. In the Greek liturgical rite, on the contrary, everything is democratic and simple. There are also differences in the duration of the liturgy: in Greek worship, the liturgy lasts no more than 1.5 hours, in Russian - sometimes over three hours.

In Greek parish churches, the entire liturgy is celebrated with the “open Royal Doors”, and all secret prayers are said aloud. Immediately after the reading of the Gospel, the exclamation “As if under the power” follows, and the Cherubic Song is immediately sung. In the Russian Church, in this case there follows a special litany (protracted prayer), a litany for the catechumens, and two litanies for the faithful. In the Greek liturgy, the litany is said after the consecration of the Gifts and is reduced to four petitions. Unlike the Russian Church, in the Greek Church, along with the priest, a deacon can stand with the Chalice and give communion to the laity.

There are also differences in attributes. Thus, in the Greek Church, proskomedia (the first part of the liturgy) is celebrated on one large prosphora (liturgical liturgical bread), in the Russian Church - on five. There are not as many candles in Greek temples as in Russian ones. Another difference lies in the throne, which in the Greek Church serves as an altar.

It is important to note that among the Greeks, like the Serbs and Bulgarians, women do not sing in the church choir; in Russia, an exclusively female church choir is not such a rare occurrence.

Procession

If the Russian Church is distinguished by a more magnificent divine service, then the Greek Church is distinguished by a more solemn procession of the Cross. In Greece Procession, accompanied by brass bands performing bravura marches, looks more like a parade. This is not the case in any other Orthodox Church in the world.

The procession does not go around the temple, as is customary, but, with singing and lit candles, heads along the city streets to the central square of the city, where, in front of a gathering of a huge number of people, the symbolic burning of an effigy of Judas takes place. After this, the height of the holiday begins, deafening with the explosions of countless firecrackers.

Hierarchy

In the Russian Orthodox Church, the metropolitan is superior to the archbishop, but in Greek tradition it's the other way around. The hierarchical chain from bottom to top looks like this: bishop - metropolitan - archbishop - Patriarch.

In the Greek Church, unlike the Russian Church, there is no degree of ryasophore monasticism. First comes the novitiate, then the so-called small schema, and after it the great schema. In Greece, a monk’s stay in a minor schema is a short-term phenomenon. It is considered only a preparation for the adoption of the Great Schema.

In the Russian Church, a schema-monk will never again be able to take upon himself any holy rank, if he was not accepted as such even before being tonsured into the Great Schema. In Greek Orthodox tradition The main form of monasticism is precisely the Great Schema, and the ordination of a priest to the rank of hieromonk is simply unthinkable without first being tonsured into the Great Schema.

Headdress

Kamilavka is a traditional headdress in the Greek Orthodox Church in the form of a cylinder flaring towards the top. It symbolizes the crown of thorns of Jesus Christ. In the Russian Church, kamilavka began to be used from the second half XVII century, replacing skufia, but it was never considered popular among the Russian clergy. In 1798, the kamilavka was classified as one of the church awards.

The Greek kamilavka is distinguished by the fact that it has small brims at the top of the cylinder; the Russian headdress does not have them. Balkan kamilavkas (including Serbian and Bulgarian) differ from Russian ones in their smaller height and diameter - the lower edge of the kamilavka is located above the ears.

The Greek kamilavka is always black, while Russian priests can wear red, blue, or purple kamilavkas.

As for the skufia (small black cap), it is practically not used in the Greek and Balkan traditions, while for a monk of the Russian Church it is an everyday headdress. It is interesting that the Old Believers call skufia kamilavka.

Bible

The Bible used in the Greek Orthodox Church differs in the composition of its books from the Church Slavonic Bible. The first difference is that the 3rd book of Ezra is not in the Greek Bible. Secondly, along with the three Maccabees books accepted by us, the Greek Bible includes the 4th Book of Maccabees. However, these differences are not perceived by the Churches as theologically significant.

Sacraments

One of the main differences between parishioners of the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches is the frequency of communion and confession. Greeks try to take communion on every Sunday, but they go to confession several times a year. In Russia, parishioners receive communion much less often. But from the Apostolic Rules it follows that “anyone who did not partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ for more than three weeks without a good reason was considered to have fallen away from the Church.”

In the Greek Church, only hieromonks who have received a blessing for this have the right to confess, and only those who come from the monastery. In the Russian Church the rules are not so strict.

Many Russians who come to Greece, entering a church, are surprised that there are no queues for confession so familiar to us, there are no priests rushing to cover everyone with stoles. It may seem that confession does not exist here at all. This is wrong. It’s just that in Greek churches, everyone who wants to confess comes at the time appointed for them. There is no fuss or crowd here.

This differs from the picture observed by a parishioner of one of the Krasnoyarsk churches. “About 200 people come to the temple for confession. What can a priest say to all this number of people in an hour or two?” - he asks.

Western influence

The West had a more noticeable influence on the Greek Church than on the Russian Church. Lives Greek Orthodox Church according to the New Julian calendar, which coincides with the Gregorian calendar adopted in the Roman Catholic Church.

This means that all holidays are celebrated thirteen days earlier than in the Russian Church, which uses the traditional Julian calendar. Thus, Christmas in Greece is December 25 (like Catholics), while in Russia it is January 7.

There are a number of other details that make the Greek Church closer to the Roman Church than to the Russian Church. These are stasidia (chairs intended, for example, for abbots or singers). In Russia, benches or benches are used instead of stasidia. In Greece, women are allowed to enter church without headscarves and in trousers, but in Russia this is not possible. The Gospel in Greek churches is read facing the parishioners, but in ours it is read facing the altar.

The cleric of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Athens, Alexander Nosevich, confirms that in the Greek Orthodox tradition in the twentieth century, due to the penetration Western culture changes took place: benches appeared inside the temple, women stopped wearing headscarves, and were allowed to enter the temple in trousers. But at the same time, according to the clergyman, in Greece these external deviations did not lead to the loss of the main thing - the internal understanding of the Orthodox faith.