It is tradition…now a days in my family , that my mother always send me the traditional vasilopita or Billy pie in English, to have it on New years Eve.

January 1st is the name day (saint’s day) of Aghios Vassilis (St. Basil), the Greek Santa Claus, and the cake is named in his honor. While Christmas is a more solemn occasion in Greece, January 1st is filled with celebrations and the exchange of gifts. Additionally it’s the day where we cut the Vasilopita and exchange gifts.

Each Vasilopita is baked with a coin or medallion hidden inside which, according to tradition, will bring great good fortune in the new year to the person who gets it.

Traditionally, the pieces are cut by the father of the family and allocated to the church, then the father,the wife and the children. Lastly, we even used to cut one for our dog..but i guess that was just us, not everyone in Greece would probably do it..

In the last few years my mother would bake one vasilopita with chocolate on top which makes it even yummier.. but more on the recipe on another blog.

Happy New Year for now!