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The pomegranate for thousands of years regarded by various cultures as a symbol of fertility, abundance and of good luck. Since ancient times it has been associated with the goddess Hera the patroness of marriage as a symbol of fertility, but also with Aphrodite. Ancient Greeks before entering their new home used to break a pomegranate on the threshold of the house.
In ancient Greece they believed that the power of the pomegranate was hidden in its many seeds (abundance and fertility), but also in its purple colour (colour that brings good luck). It is no coincidence that, even today, it is one of the most expressive symbols of Greek folklore, with a strong presence in every form and expression of traditional life. An ancient custom of the Greek people for the festive day of the coming of the New Year is “breaking the pomegranate.” This custom was first discovered in the Peloponnese, although it has spread to every corner of Greece and continues to this day. In some parts of Greece, they break the pomegranate immediately as the year changes and in some others on New Years morning after church.
The pomegranate has become associated with the first day of the New Year. It is the symbol, as a good-luck charm, we give in the New Year, is one of the ingredients to be found in many festive recipes, while on the first day of the new year, we break it. In some areas of the country the pomegranate that is broken on the first day of the year has been stored in the houses icons on the day of the Cross – 14thSeptember.
Why do we break a pomegranate, at New Year? What does this custom symbolize? Pomegranate means flow and power and is the fruit of life and good luck, is one of the first trees to be cultivated – it first appeared in Persia. In ancient Greece, they considered that the seeds symbolise abundance, fertility, eternity and good fortune.
Greek tradition has it that on New Years day, the family go to its first Divine Liturgy of Basil the Great. The head of the house takes the pomegranate with him to Church to be “blessed” and when they return home, he had to knock on the door and have it opened to him, not to use his keys. So he would be the first to enter the home with his ‘good foot’ (always with the right one). At that moment, he breaks the pomegranate saying “with health, happiness and joy the new year so many pounds to have our pocket all year” as many as there are seeds in the pomegranate.
Of course, today, where everything has been simplified or even some customary habits forgotten, what is kept is simply the breaking of the pomegranate, which is directly related to the belief that makes it a symbol of good fortune.
