The Lucky Greek New Year’s Coin

The coin is a symbol of good fortune representing prosperity and good luck for the coming year. One of the most popular New Year's traditions around the world.

DAYTONA BEACH, FL, UNITED STATES, October 25, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- This year, share some favorite traditions from different Eastern Orthodox religions across the globe, and actually quite interesting to teach us all about our shared humanity. We are all hoping for good luck in the new year, and here are a few ideas for how you can share your celebration.
Make a Vasilopita Cake with a Gold Coin inside, as practiced by all Orthodox for centuries as St. Basil’s Sweet Bread.

There are hundreds of recipes online, but Patmos Press includes their own favorite recipe along with their beautiful Golden Vasilopita Coin which depicts Saint Basil holding his staff on one side and the Byzantine Eagle on the other side.

Vasilopita is a sweet bread that's eaten on New Year's Eve and the following day. It's traditionally made with wheat flour, olive oil, honey, cinnamon, and raisins, but recipes for vasilopita varies from family to family (and region to region). Some people add walnuts or almonds to their version of this traditional pastry; others prefer to leave these out entirely. A few people even replace the honey with sugar or molasses.
Vasilopita is considered one of the most important foods during New Year’s celebrations for Eastern Orthodox all over the world because it symbolizes good luck and prosperity for the coming year ahead.

The Story Behind the Tradition of the Golden St. Basil Coin dates back to when St. Basil in the 4th century, was ordained as bishop in Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). Basil had sworn an oath of mutual love and support taking care of family. However, when St. Basil fell ill while visiting his sister Macrina in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), he asked her to send him something from home, something small and easy to carry but significant enough that it would remind him of his friends at home during his time away from them.

The sister decided on a silver coin called a Flouri, which was usually used for paying dowries for brides in Cappadocia at that time. The custom was for the bridegroom's parents to give each other that token as part of the payment for their daughter's marriage contract, the bridegroom himself would hand over another token on his wedding day so that all debts between the two families were settled immediately after the ceremony without any further haggling over money matters. Today, however, the tradition is that of good luck for the coming year, and only one person will find it in their slice of the cake. This lucky coin is the Gold-Plated St. Basil Vasilopita coin also available at vasilopita.com

The Flouri Token, or New Year’s St. Basil Coin, is a symbol of good fortune as well as a token of good luck for the coming year. It also represents prosperity, which is why it has become one of the most popular New Year's traditions in Greece, Cyprus, the United States, and around the world. The Vasilopita Coin originated before Christianity and has been used by Greeks for centuries to bring about prosperity to their homes and businesses.
Many cultures share similar traditions, and at the core it's about family, friends and fun.

This is the best year to introduce your friends and family and your Orthodox brethren, be they Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serian Orthodox, and the many more Eastern Orthodox you may know. The tradition of New Year’s coins has been around for hundreds of years. It is a family tradition that has been passed down from one generation to the next. The coin represents wealth, abundance, and prosperity which everyone hopes to receive in the new year.
The New Years' coin is the upcoming holiday season's symbol of good luck, health, or prosperity. It can serve as a physical memory of that special day to be remembered for a person's lifetime.

Elias Papadeas
Patmos Press
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