Vasilopita-Βασιλόπιτα: The Queen of Greek Cakes and the New Year

Vasilopita - Βασιλόπιτα

In my family New Year's Eve and New Year's day would not be the same without Vasilopita. It is a Greek cake which is baked just before New Year's Eve and eaten as soon as the year has changed just after midnight. A coin is placed in the cake and the one to find the coin in their piece is the lucky one for that year.

My fondest memories of New Year's Eve have always included two things: family and Vasilopita. Minutes before midnight my family would gather in the living room. As the count down begun, my father would make his way slowly towards the main light switch and as the rest of us were shouting "..3..2..1..Happy New Year" he would switch off the main and the power would go off momentarily before he would switch it back on again and join us to kiss and hug each other and wish everyone "Happy New Year". 

Minutes later we would find ourselves gathered around the table where my mother had placed the Vasilopita she had made earlier that day. In a moment which I can only describe as 'holy' my dad would take the knife and cross the top of the cake three times (holy trinity) to bless it before cutting it. The first piece is always reserved for the Mother of Christ and Christ, the second one for our Home, the third one for residents's jobs, and then the next pieces for each family member separately starting from the eldest one to the youngest one. So, the fourth one for my dad, fifth for my mom, sixth for my brother, and seventh for myself. The rest of the pieces were reserved for other family members of the house or of the family. Once every piece was cut, it was given to each member of the family. Then each one had to take a bite of their piece to find out who would be the lucky one for that year.

This tradition I like to keep alive with my own family. I always bake a Vasilopita for New Year's Eve and together with some Finnish traditions we create our own unique celebration and a whole new blend of culture.  

The story behind the Vasilopita dates back thousands of years. It is said that this tradition is part of a religious tradition linked to the Greek Bishop of Cappadocia (in Central Anatolia or Asia Minor) Vasilios the Great. The Prefect (administrative official) of Cappadocia wanted to concur the area and ransack it. The only way to save the area was for the rich people to collect their most valuable items and offer them to the Prefect in exchange of peace. But, as of a miracle, the Prefect and his army disappeared and area was saved. However, the valuable items were still gathered together. Vasilios the Great, not knowing to whom each item belonged, decided to hide each valuable item inside bread loafs he ordered his servants to make. Then the next day, after mass, he had each bread distributed to each resident in the area. This tradition was honored each year after this incident and a coin started being placed in the cakes thereafter. After the Bishop's death, the same tradition was carried out as a commemoration of his death and is celebrated on the 1st of January.

The recipe for my mom's Vasilopita can be found here.

Enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2017!!