Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas (center in silver coat) held a Vasilopita celebration in her office, joined by dignitaries, community leaders and clergy members on January 28. Sponsoring the event with Pappas were Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, left of Pappas; His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago, to her right; and Emmanuel Koubarakis, consul general of Greece in Chicago, in suit to right of Nathanael. Pappas celebrates Vasilopita yearly, the cutting of “Basil’s Bread” to bring in the new year. In the fourth century, St. Basil the Great, asked women to bake sweetened bread with gold coins in some of the slices. The bread was distributed and those who found a “lucky coin” in their slice could expect special luck for the new year. St. Basil wanted to lift his people’s spirits, and for 17 centuries many Greek Orthodox Christians have lifted their spirits by continuing the tradition of celebrating Vasilopita. With Pappas and her co-sponsors are members of Chicago’s consular corps, political figures and community leaders who came to her office in the Cook County Building in downtown Chicago – all of whom received a slice of sweetened bread, shown on the counter, which Nathanael had blessed.

Photo Credit: Office of the Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas