What does 'κέρασμα' mean in Greek culture?
Φτιάχνουμε κεκάκια για γιορτή και στολίζουμε μαζί
A2 Greek listening practice · Greek · Picked for people who know a little
Κέρασμα (kerasma) is the Greek word for a treat one offers. The verb κερνάω (to treat) means I’m picking up the bill for you, but it’s also the act of bringing pastries to work after a baby is born, sweets after an engagement, or λουκουμάδες after a christening. Κέρασμα is small generosity attached to a personal occasion, owed to friends and colleagues.
In this Greek mother-daughter cooking video, the daughter Andrianoula explains why they’re baking κεκάκια (cupcakes): « Κέρασμα για τον μπαλέτο [...] θα κεράσουμε τις φίλες μας » (a κέρασμα for ballet [...] we’ll treat our friends). The Sunday ballet performance gets its κέρασμα: little cakes with vanilla glaze, made for the audience of friends.
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Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-GR 2017 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In Greek family and workplace traditions where κέρασμα arrives after promotions, engagements, and baby births, often from neighborhood ζαχαροπλαστείο shops
- ▸On Greek TV cooking and lifestyle shows on Star Channel and ANT1, and on YouTube channels by Greek home cooks where hosts demo κέρασμα recipes
- ▸In Greek lifestyle coverage on Lifo and Athens Voice when columnists track contemporary takes on the κέρασμα tradition
- ▸In Greek school recitals and γιορτή events where parents bring κέρασμα trays for cast and audience