A common thing that Greek people do is acknowledge points in time and the calendar with wishes. This is something that learners, foreigners, or tourists often do not know. Apart from common wishes such as “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Easter”, etc., Greeks use wishes for the following occasions:

Καλό σαββατοκύριακο (have a nice weekend)
When it is Friday and they are leaving work, for example.

Καλή εβδομάδα (have a nice week)
This is used on Monday, when starting a conversation.

Καλό μήνα (have a good month)
On the first day of each month, when starting a conversation.

Καλό καλοκαίρι (have a good summer)
This is mostly used at school or university, at the end of the semester (June).

Καλό χειμώνα (have a good winter)
This is humorous and serves as a teasing reminder that summer will be over soon (for example, when the summer evenings turn a bit chilly). Many people say “come on, don’t remind me of this already”, and some choose instead the more neutral wish καλό φθινόπωρο (have a good autumn). Καλό χειμώνα often starts playful banter in a conversation.

Καλή συνέχεια (have a good rest of the day)
This is one of the most common ways to end an interaction with a shop owner, a taxi driver, a teacher, etc.

These wishes are employed as a kind of social lubricant — they show politeness and positive energy. They can be used either with friends and family or with strangers, when you are out and about doing errands or in your work environment. They are a way of acknowledging the other person and showing goodwill.

If you have Greek relatives on Facebook or Viber, you have probably seen something like this before:

Finally, there are many jokes in Greece about people who overdo this habit, especially when they are trying to start a conversation with a crush via text message while sounding extra polite. Some people end up stacking similar-meaning phrases together, often producing messages such as:

“Καλή εβδομάδα Ελένη, και καλό μήνα! Τι κάνεις; Πώς είσαι;”

What do you think about this Greek habit?