- Tree goes up
- No single fixed tree date; trees became dominant only from around the 1950s, layered on top of the older boat-decorating custom which runs 6 December to 6 January
- Tree comes down
- 6 January (Epiphany / Theofania), when priests traditionally bless the waters and the season closes
- Local superstition
- No prominent tree-specific superstition; a Reddit commenter noted a belief that leaving the tree up past 6 January is considered bad luck for the family in the coming year, though this is not strongly corroborated elsewhere.
Why that date
Greece’s original, more distinctive maritime decoration is the “karavaki” (small decorated boat), begun on St Nicholas’s Day (6 December, patron saint of sailors); the Western Christmas tree was introduced only in 1833 by the Bavarian-born King Otto and became widespread much later.
What actually happens
Greece keeps Christmas on 25 December (not shifted to the Orthodox Julian date), but its most distinctive local nuance is the karavaki (decorated boat) tradition, which still survives alongside trees especially on islands and in coastal towns like those in Crete.
Taking it down again
6 January (Epiphany / Theofania), when priests traditionally bless the waters and the season closes. No prominent tree-specific superstition; a Reddit commenter noted a belief that leaving the tree up past 6 January is considered bad luck for the family in the coming year, though this is not strongly corroborated elsewhere.
If you would rather not have this argument again next year, the calendar reminder on the home page will put both dates straight into your phone.
Sources
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