Cook County Treasurer Pappas celebrates the New Year with Greek tradition of cutting the Vasilopita
01/27/2025
| WHO: |
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle
His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago
Fr. Chrysanthos Kerkeres, St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Fr. Peter Sarolas, St. George Greek Orthodox Church
Fr. Stamatios Sfikas, Annunciation Cathedral
Consul General of Greece Emmanuel Koubarakis
Elected officials, consuls general, and community leaders
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| WHAT: |
Greek Vasilopita Celebration of the New Year |
| WHEN: |
Noon, Tuesday, January 28, 2025 |
| WHERE: |
Cook County Treasurer’s Office, 118 N. Clark St., Room 112, Chicago, Illinois |
| WHY: |
Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas and Board President Toni Preckwinkle will honor Chicago’s Consular Corp. with a traditional Vasilopita celebration. Vasilopita is a Greek New Year’s Day cake with a coin hidden inside. It’s traditional for each family to have its own Vasilopita, which means St. Basil’s bread. A piece is cut for each family member. If the coin is found in your piece, it’s believed you’ll have good luck for the rest of the year.
The tradition started in the 4th century when the archbishop of Caesarea, St. Basil the Great, gave sweetened bread with jewels and gold coins inside to the poor. It has since evolved over the past 1,700 years into an expression of good wishes and a sign of luck.
His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael will help celebrate the New Year by cutting and distributing the Vasilopita to see who will have especially good fortune in 2025!
The Chicago Consular Corps. is made up of leaders from 80 nations who work to foster better economic and cultural relations between their countries and Chicago.
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