“On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me Nine ladies dancing.” The nine ladies dancing are the nine different fruits of the Holy Spirit. The ninth day honors two important Christians St Basil the Great and St Gregory Nazianzen from the 4^th century. It is a tradition to bake sweet bread that has a coin in it, bless the baked bread, and serve it to the family on St Basils feast day. This is sometimes referred to as the “Vasilopita” which translates to “Sweet Bread of Basil.”

Tradition holds that the person who receives the coin is commissioned to preserve St. Basils work of helping the poor as well as to be especially blessed for the New Years. The tradition of placing coins into sweet bread dates back to the 4^th century. In order to preserve the dignity of the poor so that it did not look like charity. St. Basil had coins baked into bread and then distributed. While cutting into the bread for nourishment the people then received a pleasant surprise. They shared a common resolve to be of service to God while leaving worldly pleasures behind.