A three-day festive event called “Break the Pomegranate”, organized by the City of Athens, will be held at the Kipseli Municipal Market cultural space on December 29-31, 2023.
Organized by the ‘Booktopia’ team, the event includes interactive happenings, book stalls, children’s activities, DJ sets, gifts for attendees and plenty of street foods and coffee, according to the official announcement by the organizers.
On Friday, a van of the municipal radio station ATHENS 9.84 will be broadcasting live from the spot from 15:00 through 20:00.
“Breaking the Pomegranate” on New Year’s Eve is Greek tradition that has its roots in Ancient Greece.
In the Greek myth of Persephone’s abduction by Hades, lord of the underworld, the pomegranate represents life, regeneration, and marriage.
One day while out gathering flowers, Persephone noticed a narcissus of exquisite beauty. As she bent down to pick it, the earth opened and Hades seized her and dragged her down to his kingdom. By eating a few pomegranate seeds, Persephone tied herself to Hades—the pomegranate being a symbol of the indissolubility of marriage. Inconsolable at the loss of her daughter, the corn goddess Demeter prevented the earth from bearing fruit unless she saw her daughter again. Zeus intervened and worked out a compromise: Persephone should live with Hades for one third of the year and the other two thirds with Demeter. Persephone’s return from the underworld each year is marked by the arrival of Spring.
In the more modern Greek times, the breaking of the pomegranate on New Year’s Eve symbolizes wealth and prosperity for the whole year for person who breaks, usually the owner of a house.
