A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America

Growing up in a small Greek Church and not having any Greek school, I did not learn all the beautiful customs and traditions of this religion.Now I live where we only have a mission Church, I miss the connection of a regular Church community. My parents tried to teach me some of the traditions but my yia yia and pouli really were a bigger influence on me.THis book explains so much I didn't know and I bought 2 copies for my grown children and hope they stay in the Orthodox faith.

What a great book! I am Greek Orthodox and was born and raised in the Greek Orthodox Church, which I still attend to this day. My religion and heritage are a major part of my life. When my husband and I decided to get married, he wanted to learn about our church and culture so that he, too, could appreciate it as I do, and so that we could raise our children with consistency in our beliefs. This book was a gift from a friend at my husband's confirmation into the Greek Orthodox Church. What a blessing! We both have learned so much, and our relationship is stronger. This book is a wonderful resource for ANY Greek-American. Enjoy it!

I was born and raised in a Greek household. My grandparents on my mother's side came from Greece and settled in the United States, but passed away when I was very young, so I never had their influence. My mother tried to teach her seven children about the culture, but we were too busy with other things. There are many things about Greek traditions that I never really fully understood and this book patiently takes each area of Greek tradition and culture and breaks it down in language I can understand.Now that I'm older and can appreciate tradition, I went on a search to find out more. I was very lucky to find this book, because it answered ALL my questions - and then some.I'm purchasing three additional copies for my nieces (who are also my goddaughters).

I have married into a greek family. All of my questions have been answered. I now have a better understanding of our relationship and can now see what our future will be. It is a wonderful culture to explore and to be part of!

Even though all four of my grandparents were immigrants from Greece. I knew only two of them, due to the untimely deaths of my maternal grandparents. As a child I always felt we had a strong bond to the Orthodox Church. Even though we lived in a small town where there was no Orthodox Church. A Priest from another town would come once a month for liturgy and baptisms. However, I felt there was so much that I did not know or understand. Or, that my parents never told me. I married at a young age to a non-orthodox christian and baptized my children all outside the church. Not knowing how wrong it was. But all the while feeling in my heart that I was doing something wrong. There is still no orthodox church here. This book has helped me understand why I feel and believe the way I do. I always have had certain beliefs about things, but never really understood why I felt that way. It explained everything fully and now I feel so much better about why I feel differently about so many things than others. Thanks to this book I have since had my marriage blessed in the church and travel to a Greek Orthodox church often. My children are at the age where I must let them decide if they would like to become a part of the Greek Orthodox Church.