The Halcyon Days

Halcyon Days or Alkionides Meres, as they are called in Greece are 5-6 days with calm seas and sunny weather in the middle of December.

January is a cold month in Greece with stormy weather and snow on the higher areas.

Greek mythology recounts the story of the goddess Alcyone (or Halcyone), daughter of Aeolus, god of the winds.

Alcyone married a mortal king named Ceyx, who drowned at sea in a storm. Such was Alcyone’s love for her husband that she threw herself into the ocean after him. Seeing this, the gods transformed Alcyone and Ceyx into birds.

Thereafter, Aeolus kept the winds calm on the sea for a week before and a week after the winter solstice, enabling the birds to build nests on the water and lay their eggs there.