Greek Traditions Community

What are your Greek birthday traditions? Here are mine!

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nadellii

nadellii

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For my birthday every year growing up, all of Greek family and friends would gather and we would have a dinner party. I’m Greek culture, it’s customary for adults and kids to be invited to birthday parties (not like in America where kids have their own kids parties). My moms friends would come to my birthday parties for years, and still do to this day. Family and support is super important, so we all take part in celebrating. The same goes for name days too ?
 
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nadellii said:
For my birthday every year growing up, all of Greek family and friends would gather and we would have a dinner party. I’m Greek culture, it’s customary for adults and kids to be invited to birthday parties (not like in America where kids have their own kids parties). My moms friends would come to my birthday parties for years, and still do to this day. Family and support is super important, so we all take part in celebrating. The same goes for name days too ?
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How lovely!I have been to many birthday celebrations than I can remember... from christenings, baptisms, children's birthdays, adults, older adults, funerals... fabulous way of integration and acceptance in a society that is so warm and rich in culture.... Just imagine I was one of the handful outsiders from good ol'London town on a small island...The paneyghiria were unbelievable, some of them jointly celebrating with birthdays... never came home before 6/7 am!??.... Kalley Mera from Thailand!
 
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Hash said:
How lovely!I have been to many birthday celebrations than I can remember... from christenings, baptisms, children's birthdays, adults, older adults, funerals... fabulous way of integration and acceptance in a society that is so warm and rich in culture.... Just imagine I was one of the handful outsiders from good ol'London town on a small island...The paneyghiria were unbelievable, some of them jointly celebrating with birthdays... never came home before 6/7 am!??.... Kalley Mera from Thailand!
Click to expand...
Beautiful!! Greeks are so welcoming, I’ve been to so many birthday parties just because I was hanging out with some friends and I was invited, not because I was related to the person.
 
Greek Birthdays are no different in Greece than they are in America, except for one thing - you pay for people instead of others paying for you. I think the Greeks who grew up outside of Greece have started their own traditions for celebrating their birthday. Name days are bigger celebrations in Greece than birthdays are anyway
 
Growing up as a Greek American I used to have a schoolmate birthday party and a relative birthday party, but at the relative one, all of my good friends were also invited. I had an interesting blend of Greek and American traditions while growing up haha.
 
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