Greek Christmas Carols, rebetiko style



Giannis Kotsiras sings Kalanta Hristougenon, which means “Christmas Carols” in English.

The interesting thing about the version we hear here, is that these carols are indeed the traditional Greek Christmas carols sung on Christmas Eve in Greece, but they are presented with a completely different melody, which reminds us of rebetika songs!

The Kalanta (Carols) in Greece are traditional songs and their composers or lyric writers are not known. However their melodies and lyrics are incorporated in the holiday tradition of the Greeks for several generations now.

The lyrics of this rempetiko version of Kalanta are the typical lyrics sung all over Greece, although there are several differences and regional variations, which make use of the local dialects and customs of the region.

In this version we hear the typical lyrics of Christmas Carols in a completely different orchestration, similar to a rebetiko song.

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