Why Greeks Play Card Games at New Year’s

Written by Greek Boston in Greek New Year Traditions Comments Off on Why Greeks Play Card Games at New Year’s

New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are both festive occasions in Greece. People hit the streets on New Year’s Eve to celebrate, or they simply stay home and spend time with their loved ones. People have a great time visiting clubs, going out for dinner, and even setting off fireworks. For many people in Greece, New Year’s is a time that is reserved for doing what you can to bring luck in the New Year. That’s why people tend to play games of chance, such as card games or even play the lottery. People figure that since New Year’s is a lucky time, this could increase their chances of winning. Here are some details about this Greek New Year’s tradition:

Greeks Play Cards for Luck

As mentioned above, Greeks traditionally view the New Year with as a fortunate and successful time. If this were true, wouldn’t you then want to try your luck with games of chance? This is why people all over the country gather to play games that have a clear winner or where there are cash prizes.

Games with cards and dice both give people the opportunity to win something from nothing. Families and friends gather to play as many different games as possible. People will wait for midnight on New Year’s Eve while making friendly bets on card games. Theses bets are often not very big. Nobody wants to put a friend or a family member in a bad mood.

Games Take Place Throughout Greece

One of the things that characterize these card-playing sessions is that they typically last all night. They start in the early evening and usually last through midnight. Although they are often played at home, marathon card-playing sessions could also take place in clubs and coffee shops throughout the country. Although the goal is to try your luck at the game and hope that you win, people don’t usually bet a lot of money. For the most part, these games are played in the spirit of friendly competition.

Greeks Play the Lottery Too

It’s true that many Greeks will play friendly card games at home. However, since the New Year is heavily associated with good luck, many people will enthusiastically decide to play the State Lottery. This means that people have the chance to lose a little and win a little at home, but it also allows a few lucky Greeks to win big from only investing in a couple of lottery tickets. Spending only a few dollars on a lottery ticket on New Year’s Eve might give someone a lifetime of riches!

Like many New Year’s traditions in Greece, playing card games and other games of chance, such as dice games and even the state lottery, is looked at as something that can bring luck. Not only that, but since New Year’s is considered to be a lucky time of year, the belief is that this could increase their chances of winning!

Categorized in: Greek New Year Traditions

This post was written by Greek Boston