CHICAGO, IL –
His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael of Chicago today joined local elected officials and other public dignitaries to participate in the cutting of the Vasilopita at an annual celebration organized by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas.
Emmanuel Koubarakis, the Consul General of Greece in Chicago, was on hand for the event as were the Consuls General for Canada, Chile, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Korea, Lithuania, Peru, Poland, Romania, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Turkey.
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle and Cook County Commissioner John Daley also were present.
Cook County is the second most populous county in the nation.
“The cutting of the Vasilopita is not merely a popular event held in the new year; it is a centuries-old tradition that asks God to bless our lives and to multiply the fruit of our labors. I’m pleased to join Treasurer Maria Pappas in this beloved celebration to bring the beauty of this tradition not only to Orthodox Christians, but to all people in the City of Chicago,” said His Eminence Metropolitan Nathanael.
More than three dozen guests received a piece of the Vasilopita from His Eminence and Treasurer Pappas. Anastasia Stefanos (photo) was one of the winners of the coin.
