Small or large boxes with ribbons, bows, decorative and colourful wrappings, paper or plastic bags in every design and shape, envelopes with beautiful greeting cards. The gifts “spread joy and smiles on the lips of all of us, young and old. They light up our eyes and fill our hearts with love. They make us feel good, both when we offer them and when we receive them.
Therefore, perhaps its history goes back as far as the existence of man on Earth. From prehistoric times until today we have the need to show through the offering of our gifts, our love, appreciation and gratitude to others or simply to “get out” the obligation. The gift played an important role in ancient times both in Greece, where it was directly related to hospitality, and in Egypt, where it was offered to the Pharaohs. The wrapper, however, is said to be an invention of the Chinese and Japanese.
Hospitality and gifts in Ancient Greece “It is not good to refuse a gift offered to you”, Homer advised through his epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey. So we understand what the importance of the gift was at that time. The gift in Ancient Greece was directly intertwined with hospitality. Every visitor was considered a protégé of Zeus and so his hospitality in the houses of the Ancient Greeks was given with all the necessary honours. He was offered a sumptuous meal, the opportunity to wash, a room to sleep in and clothes to wear. At the end of the hospitality, the hosts would direct their guests by “stuffing” them with gifts such as vases, textiles, jewelry, etc. At the same time, the guest in turn offered his or her gifts to the hosts as a sign of gratitude for the hospitality they provided. In ancient times, however, gifts were exchanged by the Egyptians to their kings, the Pharaohs, the Chinese and the Japanese, among others. In fact, as far as Asian peoples are concerned, sources say that it was they who invented wrapping, envelopes and ribbons, the basic materials for wrapping a gift.
The gifts of Christmas and New Year
From the first gifts that the newborn Christ received from the three wise men, until today, people continue to offer, on these days, gifts large or small, material or spiritual, always symbolic of the love we have for those close to us and acts of giving to those in need. In Greece, our own Saint, Basil the Great, brings his gifts on New Year’s Eve, while in Western societies, the gifts were originally brought by Saint Nicholas on December 6, the day of his feast, while nowadays, the “father” of Christmas fills the stockings of young and old on the eve of the birth of Christ. This is a custom that appeared at the end of the Middle Ages, first in the rest of Europe and then in our country. In Byzantine times, children’s gifts were “tips” for caroling, various sweets such as kourabiedes and melomakarona. But with the prevalence of the western Santa Claus or Pierre Noel or Father Christmas, the humble, miraculous and charitable bishop, Basil the Great, the man of letters, named a gentle hawk with white hair and beard, in red clothes, who crosses the sky in his sleigh and enters through chimneys to bring joy to young and old alike.
Valentine’s Chocolates and Teddy Bears
One of the many occasions to give gifts to our loved ones in winter is the celebration of lovers or Valentine’s Day. It is said that, the celebration
started in England in the late Middle Ages and initially couples exchanged greeting cards. Nowadays, the most common gifts of the day are chocolates and various teddy bears, decorations with hearts and words of love.
Why are we donating Valentine’s chocolates?
You can’t have a lovers’ day without chocolates. Have you wondered why? Chocolate, an irresistible temptation, especially for women, has been considered since Aztec times to have aphrodisiac properties.
INFO
Gift-giving is not an exclusively human privilege. Scientists have discovered that dozens of species in the animal kingdom exchange gifts, usually food. Among them, spiders, birds, insects and mammals. In many species, such as chimpanzees, males offer gifts to females in order to “win” a place in their hearts and achieve reproduction of the species. Other animals use gifts as a means of appeasing the dominant members of a group.
