Saint Basil or Aghios Vasilis and Hogmanay

 In keeping with Highland tradition at Hogmnay, I have the oatcake, liqueur and candle at the ready for our guest to bring in after the bells. In turn they symbolise the wish that the household will enjoy food, drink and warmth during the coming year. We send him out just before then allow him in after the bells. Could that be deemed pushing your luck?  

                                              

In addition, in accordance with local customs, our first-foot will smash a pomegranate to bring good luck – and make a bit of a mess on the balcony tiles! He will also bring us a smooth stone – a custom carried out in his home area, Serres. It echoes a line in the Greek carol where the carolers express the wish that ‘in this house may no stone crack’. So, in this sense, it’s the actual building that is being blessed.

I have my freshly decanted, home-made liqueurs of mint and pomegranate on the bar, ready to serve our guests at the end of the meal, along with the vasilopita which will be cut and shared round the table. The excitement will be to see who wins the lucky coin inside, thereby ensuring good luck for the entire year. Just like our own Scottish dumpling.             Oh, that life were so simple!    

                                       

In Greece tonight children impatiently await the arrival of Saint Basil or Aghios Vasilis. He is the gift-bringer and delivers on New Year’s Eve, prior to his name-day on the following day.  In this house we also somehow refrain from opening our presents until January 1^st, so there is our stash, still miraculously untouched!

                                               

So, let’s look at the man behind the myth. Aghios Vasilis (329-379) was the Bishop of Caesarea - now in Central Turkey – and played an important role both spiritually and socially.

Spiritually he took strong stands in ecumenical councils, arguing against what would become the heretical doctrine of Arianism – the belief that Christ was not co-substantial with God. A great believer in monasticism, he opposed the hermitical role, in favour of offering to society. He founded charitable institutions to assist the poor, the sick and the underprivileged. Well-educated and from a wealthy family, he gave his fortune to the poor.

 The story I like best, is that he was extremely upset when the authorities imposed such heavy taxes that people were obliged to hand over their jewellery as  forms of payment. He interceded and demanded that the valuables be returned to the people. Since it was impossible to ascertain what belonged to whom, Vasilis came up with the solution that cakes be baked and jewellery be placed inside them. (Vide the vasilopita-cutting tradition.)                                                                                                                                           Thus the unjust tax was redistributed to the people.

                                                         

Now we see the role of Santa Claus ‘explained’.  I particularly like that the act of unjustly imposed taxation was redressed. It would be wondrous were our current governors to see the errors of their ways and thus compensate for their wrongdoing to us taxpayers.                                                                                  Sadly, I don’t see the canonization of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on the cards for 2019!

However, Z and I wish you all health, prosperity and happiness for the coming year.                                                                 

                                                 

Discomfort and Joy _ Restless Leg Syndrome at Christmas time! !

As someone who has practised both yoga and Pilates, relaxing my muscles is something that comes quite naturally. Try doing that, however, when someone is sticking needles into your abdomen! And why would you put yourself in that position, anyway? A long-term sufferer of Restless Legs Syndrome, I was intrigued to hear a friend was undergoing acupuncture to relieve back pain and so I decided to give it a try.

The first challenge was a linguistic one: trying to explain in Greek what it means to have RLS. Michaelis is a doctor specializing in radiology and Reflexology, while his wife, Eleni, is a bio-pathologist who also practises acupuncture. I was impressed when, at the outset, Michaelis confessed he’d never heard of the condition – it is normally the domain of neurologists - but once I explained what its causes are, insofar as we currently understand them, he was ready to apply his knowledge and experience to help me. I really had nothing to lose.  In fact, my Mull-based cousin who is a physiotherapist/acupuncturist, felt I was really privileged to have two orthodox and alternative medicine practitioners working together to hopefully alleviate my symptoms.

Acupunture is a form of alternative medicine and a key component in traditional Chinese medicine, whereby thin needles are inserted into specific parts of the body. The theory is that placing needles at particular acupuncture points helps to stimulate or realign the life force, or Chi, flowing through meridians in the body.

                                  

 

 By the way, the red effect is from the heat lamp! You can see me all ready to attempt auricular acupuncture, where little beads are stuck  on massage points and you are instructed to apply pressure on them for some seconds about four or five times a day.

 So there we were, my friend and I lying on beds in their surgery: me looking like a hedgehog and she more porcupinal, bristling with rather more metal! The needles went in fairly smoothly, being placed in the appropriate spots with the assistance of a guiding tube.  The ones at the side of my hand nipped a bit on insertion – I guess there are more nerves in that area. With one placed in the middle of my forehead, I felt I had acquired unicorn status!

                     

 

All fine, but it was when I saw the leads – narrow, albeit, but electrical, nonetheless! -  being attached to some of the strategically placed needles, I felt a little …. wary. When I saw Michaelis going to switch on the machine from which these leads were emanating, I visibly tensed and so he explained that they were only carrying low-level voltage and that I was not being hooked up to the national grid! Well that, in itself, was a relief!

 I have now undergone 4 sessions of treatment and am charting my physical responses as we go along. For the time being, my symptoms seem to be milder and less frequent. I remain cautiously optimistic. Which seems a nice note to end my medical meander on.

 The tree is up, Santa’s socks have been filled ……

                               

 

…and our delightful  Mr Mao, beside his snowman pal,  joins Z’n’me in wishing you                                                        a very  Merry Christmas!