I first heard about the kallikantzari when I was about 7. These ugly, nasty creatures that came to the earth every Christmas and wreaked havoc until January 6th came to life thanks to my mother’s vivid storytelling. And all this in windy, snowy and cold Chicago.
In the kitchen – where most Greek families spend their days – while helping my mother make traditional Greek holiday treats melomakarona or kourabiedes, she would lower her voice and speak of the kallikantzari, who would be chopping away all year round at the tree of life in hopes of destroying life on earth, and then emerge from the darkness to frighten and pick on people for 12 whole days.
The Greek tradition for Christmas and New Year’s has nothing to do with the playful, jolly elves I saw on American television. Instead, these beings were playful but in a bad way and very eager to terrify humans. For 12 days every night, I would be ultra-vigilant, alert to all sorts of creaks and cracks making sure none of these trolls had made their way into the house roaming in the kitchen and destroying all the goodies my mother had made.