As in every Christmas, Athens has done its best. There is the Christmas tree in Syntagma Square, lamps everywhere and music in the streets. Today’s images, however, are not reminiscent of the earlier times.
Then, in the 1950s, when the decorations were quite limited and people were taking pleasure with very simple things. The familiar image of the traffic warden with the gifts in his canopy or the arrival of Santa Claus by car on the main streets in Athens. They were honoured by the shops that sold melomacarona and curampiedes (traditional greek Christmas sweets). Not only were the storefronts filled with goods, but entire stalls were set up outside the “famous pastry shops”.
People used to go out to the markets to do their shopping on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Shopping had to do mainly with things about the festive table and not clothes, cosmetics or other such items. The meat was the first thing to be had. It was a kind of luxury. At that time many ate meat once a month, others even more rarely. So the meat market was the hallmark of a festive table.
The gifts to the traffic warden: A custom from the Old Athens
Photo Source: Kostas Balafas ,Voula Papaioannou ,Dimitris Charisiadis , Benaki Museum Photo Archive
Minion: The history of the legendary Greek Shopping Center
Frequently Asked Questions
Christmas in 1950s Athens was characterized by simple decorations and modest celebrations. People enjoyed basic pleasures like a Christmas tree in Syntagma Square, street music, and simple gifts. Shopping focused mainly on essential items for the festive table, particularly meat which was considered a luxury at that time. Traffic wardens distributed gifts, and Santa arrived by car on the main streets, while traditional Greek sweets like melomacarona and curampiedes were sold in shops and market stalls.
Old Athens Christmas in the 1950s featured limited decorations and focused on necessities for the festive table, with meat being the primary shopping item. Modern Athens Christmas includes elaborate lamps and decorations throughout the city center, commercial multi-stores like Minion, and consumer spending on gifts, clothes, and accessories rather than just festive table items. The transformation reflects a shift from essential, humble celebrations to an intense commercial and decorative festive atmosphere.
Minion was a legendary multi-store that became a hallmark of Athens' Christmas season over the decades. It was famous for its eye-catching displays and colorful decorations that attracted large crowds of consumers. Minion represented the shift from simple, necessity-based shopping to a more consumer-oriented Christmas celebration, symbolizing how the festive atmosphere in Athens became increasingly commercialized and intense.
During the 1950s in Athens, meat was considered a luxury item because most people could only afford to eat it once a month or even more rarely. Therefore, purchasing meat for Christmas was a significant event that marked the festive table as special. The meat market became the defining characteristic and hallmark of a proper Christmas celebration in old Athens, distinguishing feast days from ordinary eating habits.
Black and white and colored photographs of old Athens Christmas provide a window into another era, showing the simplicity and genuine atmosphere of that time. These photos document the transformation of Athens' festive celebrations from humble, intimate gatherings focused on essential items to elaborate commercial spectacles. For many, these historical images evoke nostalgia and a sense of innocence, allowing viewers to travel back in time to experience old Athens of a different era.
