Taxiárchis, Greece’s Christmas village of Pine

Taxiárchis is a village located in Polygyros, Halkidiki- central Macedonia, which fills Greece’s homes with Christmas trees every year.

Roughly 70% of natural Christmas trees around Greece come from Taxiarchis in Halkidiki, where the majority of locals engage in the production of trees.

The University Forest of Taxiarchis a 5,800-hectare state-owned forest - is found in the centre of Halkidiki and concretely in the Southern and South-western slopes of Holomontas.

The unique agriculture found on the Mountain of Holomontas, which can survive in these winter conditions -low temperature, is the agriculture of Christmas trees, which are planted by seed in its fields (trees are not cut from the forest). For every tree that is felled, two more are planted, and after 15 years of growth, the trees are sold during Christmas.

This week is their busiest period, with cutting down trees and ensuring they are transported to customers’ homes in time. Over the next ten days, they are expected to fill the centre of Thessaloniki, Athens and other large towns around Greece.

In a big effort to increase business, producers from Taxiarchis are now also sending their trees to Cyprus and trying to export to neighbouring European countries.