As a Greek who has been living in the UK for the past 13 years, I have grown accustomed to Christmas being the main attraction of the festive season.

However, in Greece, the biggest celebration happens to be New Year's Day.

One of the most prominent cultural differences here is that, while here in the UK, Santa Claus delivers presents on Christmas Eve, in Greece, the tradition is that Santa, or Saint Basil (Agios Vasilis) pays his visit to Greek households on New Year's Day, to give his blessings and offer gifts.

This discrepancy caused a lot of confusion in my childhood, having grown up in Greece but attending an international school, as different households were visited by Santa on different days, depending on their heritage – how was this possible?

One of my favourite things about New Year's Day in Greece is the wealth of traditions that come with celebrating the first day of the year.

And while I consider London my home after all these years, I still keep these customs alive, and have enjoyed sharing them with friends, both Greek and non-Greek.

Here are a few of the traditions that I still keep to this day:

• Podariko – One of the longest-standing New Year's traditions, loosely translated to 'good footing', meaning that the first person entering your home in the New Year should bring you good luck. Often, people choose children to do the 'podariko', as they are considered to be good omens because of their innocence and honesty. The first person entering the house should do so on their right foot, and this usually happens just after midnight, once the year has changed. This is meant to bring the home and family good luck for the year ahead.

• My personal favourite: Pomegranate smashing – yes, you read that correctly. Pomegranates are considered a sign of luck, prosperity, and fertility. After the first person enters the home, someone else is chosen to take a pomegranate in their right hand and smash it against the door. It is said that the more seeds scatter on the floor, the better and luckier the year will be for that household.

• Vasilopita - A sweet, bread-like cake named after Saint Basil, who is said to have sold all of his possessions to help the less fortunate. A coin – called a 'flouri' - is inserted into the cake, which is only eaten on New Year's Day. The cake is typically cut either just after midnight, or in the morning for breakfast. According to the custom, you make the sign of the cross on the cake and then cut it into pieces. The first piece is offered to Jesus Christ, the second to the home, and the rest are shared out to household members and guests. Whoever gets the piece with the coin in it is thought to have good fortune for the rest of the year. I have only won the 'flouri' twice in my life, but I'm hoping that changes soon!

• Kalanta – These are traditional carols. Different carols are sung in the lead up to Christmas and the New Year. From the morning of New Year's Eve, children go from house to house (similarly to trick or treating), and ask permission to sing the kalanta, accompanied by a triangle. Households who listen to the children sing traditionally offer them a coin, and this is meant to bring good wishes for the new year ahead. While the tradition is that children sing the kalanta, that's not to say that adults can't sing them too!

This year, I will undoubtedly be doing all the above, so if you're my neighbour, please excuse the pomegranate seeds all over my doorstep.

Happy 2021!