Why is November the month of the olive tree in Greece?

"If you disintegrate Greece, you will be left with an olive tree, a vine and a ship"
Odysseus Elytis

November is the month when the olive harvest begins in Greece, and depending on the region, it concludes in January. It’s a very demanding, labor-intensive, and time-consuming activity. During the harvest, the branches of the olive trees are either combed with a rake to make the fruit fall or beaten with large wooden sticks.

Beneath the trees, enormous cloths called "liopana" are spread out to collect the precious fruit. The olives are then taken to the olive press, where they are crushed to produce olive oil. Modern olive presses today are equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, but in earlier times, olive presses consisted of just two millstones—two large circular stones placed one on top of the other. Olives were placed between them, and as one stone rotated, the olives were crushed.

From the olive fruit, we obtain olives and olive oil, a vital ingredient in our daily diet. Even the olive pit is used to produce green soap. In the past, olive oil played a significant role in daily life. It was used for food preservation, as medicine, as a lubricant for machinery, as fuel for oil lamps, and even as polish for Easter eggs. Some of these uses are still practiced by Greeks today.

But why is this tree so significant for Greece? Let’s explore its history together:

The history of the olive tree dates back 7,000 years and is closely tied to the lives of the people of the Mediterranean, their daily routines, and traditions. The Greeks were the first people to cultivate olives in the Mediterranean region of Europe. According to mythology, the olive tree was sacred to the city of Athens. During a contest between the gods over who would become the city's patron, Athena, the goddess of wisdom, gifted the Athenians an olive tree. This gift was deemed more valuable to their lives than the horse offered by Poseidon, the god of the sea.

The ancient Greeks considered the olive tree a symbol of kindness and nobility, and it remains associated with the Olympic ideal even today. The prize for the winners of the Olympic Games was the "kotinos", a wreath made from the wild olive tree that grew near Zeus’s temple in Olympia. The fruit of the olive tree has been revered since ancient times, symbolizing knowledge, wisdom, abundance, health, strength, and beauty.

For Greece and the Greek people, the olive tree is much more than just a tree. It is culture, history, tradition, and mythology. It is a symbol of peace.