Sunday, April 27, 2014
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Novak Djokovic in Greece, news from Greece
Novak Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis players of all time is currently in Greece with his beloved Jelena Ristic. "Hello my friends! I am in good hands, recovering and enjoying beautiful Athens" he wrote on tweeter, while he just announced that he will be father soon!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Jump with a motorbike over the Canal of Corinth, Greece
Robbie Maddison is an Australian motorbike rider. On 7 April 2010, he performed a jump over the Corinth Canal in Greece. He took off with a speed of 120 km/h and jumped over more than 80m.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Holy Week in Greece
THE HOLY WEEK " Megali Evdomada" in Greek
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| The procession of the Epitaph |
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| Lamb on the spit, Greek Easter |
During the Holly Week the churches hold services every day. People fast
and don't eat meat, fish or dairy products until midnight on Easter Saturday.
On Holy Thursday the faithful go to church to bow before Christ on the
Cross. Housewives prepare the Tsourekia (traditional Easter bread resembling
brioche), the Koulourakia (cookies) and color eggs with special red dyes, a custom that symbolizes the blood of Christ and also
the rebirth of life and nature. In the
evening after the
reading of the 12 Gospels, girls and women
start the decoration of the "Epitaph" with garlands of flowers. The
Epitaph is a wooden construction like a table and contains a piece of linen embroidered
representing the dead Christ.
Holy Friday -or Good Friday is the most sacred day
of the Holy Week, the day of the culmination of the passion of Christ with the
deposition from the Cross and Christ's burial. The icon of
Christ is taken off the cross, wrapped in linen and put in the Epitaph. The church bells are ringing
all day in a slow mournful tone, even flags are hug at half-mast . In the evening is the holy ceremony of the burial
of Christ. The procession of the Epitaph takes place at 9 p.m. for all the churches. The Epitaph is
carried on the shoulders of the faithful in a procession through the streets of
each community. In front of the procession is the
wooden cross of Christ , then follow the altar boys carrying the lanterns and church
banners , the cantors, the clergy and women bearing
myrrh. Further back four or more men carrying
on their shoulders the Epitaph. People follow the procession holding their dark-colored candles.
On Holy Saturday at the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Patriarch enters the Holy Sepulcher
alone to pray . There he receives the Holy Light in a miraculous way. The Holy Light is transferred by
plane from Jerusalem to the Athens Airport and from there it is taken all over Greece. Meanwhile
preparations start for the festive dinner of the night of the Resurrection and housewives
cook the traditional maghiritsa soup, which will be eatten after the midnights
service. In the evening takes
place the Resurrection mess. People
are gathering in the churches at 11 p.m. holding white candles. Children carry
special candles made for Easter that are called lambades and are given as gifts to them from their
God-parents. The lambades exist in a big variety of colors and designs and many times they are
sold together with a toy. Shortly before midnight all lights in the church are
turned off , then the priest is coming out of the church holding the candle which is lighted with the Holy Light . At midnight he announces the
resurrection of Christ . People tell each other Christos Anesti! (Christ is
risen!) and Alithos Anesti! (He
is truly risen!) and
exchange wishes. The church bells ring joyously and fireworks are let off. People, carefully,
take home their lighted candles . Before entering their houses they use the
smoke of their candle to make a cross on
top of the door for protection .Then they light
the oil candle before their icon-stand. They gather around the table for a
traditional meal which includes the mageiritsa (a soup made of the
lamb's internal organs: liver, heart, lungs and intestines with an egg-lemon
sauce), tsourekia (sweet bread), koulourakia (cookies).
During the dinner red eggs are
cracked. Every member of the family choose an egg and try to crack the eggs of
the others . At the end, only one egg remains uncracked and the owner will have
good luck. It's a game that children and adults are enjoying. The breaking of the eggs
symbolizes Christ breaking the Tomb and defeating Death.
Easter Sunday is also called "Lambri" (Brightness)
because the day of the Resurrection of Christ is a day full of joy . Everyone is getting up early to prepare the Easter Sunday 's table. In most
parts of the country lamb is prepared on the spit. On many islands lamb is stuffed with rice and herbs
and baked in the oven. The lamb of the Easter Sunday is symbolizing
the sacrifice of Jesus. There is
a festive atmosphere everywhere; people eat lamb, kokoretsi, kontosouvli
(pieces of meat on the spit). They
drink wine or ouzo (the national aperitif)
and dance until late at night.
Easter
celebrations are exciting all over Greece. Many places celebrate Easter in their own way, as apart
from the above mentioned rituals they have their local customs.
On the island of Corfu on Holy Saturday at 9 a.m. starts the procession of Saint Spiridon's relic, who is the saint
protector of the island . This procession , is in memory of the miracle St
Spiridon performed to save the town from starvation. At 11 a.m. takes place the famous "Pot Throwing" custom. Locals throw pots out of their windows,
smashing them onto the streets , a metaphor for throwing away the evil!
Believers and spectators come from all round the world to take part to the
parades and processions of Corfu.
On the island
of Patmos ,the Island where the Apocalypse of St
John has been written , on Holy Thursday morning takes place the ceremony of
the "Washing of the Disciples' Feet". It is a representation of Jesus washing the feet of his twelve Apostles. At the Monastery of
St. John on Holy Friday takes place the ceremony
of the Descent from the
Cross , while the "Liturgy
of Love" is held on Easter Sunday at 3 in the afternoon.
On the island of Chios the night of the Holy Saturday after the mess starts the famous rocket war at the village Vrontados between two rival parishes. Thousands of home-made
rockets are thrown and offer a magnificent
spectacle. This custom dates back to the
age of the Turkish occupation (15th-19th centuries)
On the island
of Crete on Good Friday night the Epitaph
processions from four different churches meet at the central square of
Heraklion. The Resurrection is
quite spectacular at Hersonissos, where big fires are lighted on the beach. At the
port of Agios Nikolaos, at midnight hundreds of fireworks explode in the sky and Juda's effigy is burned.
On the island
of Kythnos, on the evening of Holy Saturday, those who have
relatives that have recently died, are bringing roast meat, wine and bread to
the church to be blessed by the priest and then they
distribute them. On Easter Sunday the traditional custom of Kounies
(swing) takes place. Boys and girls wearing traditional costumes take
a swing in the town's main square .
On the island of Mykonos women whitewash the houses and bake "lazarakia" (doll-shaped cookies). On Easter Sunday locals burn Juda's effigy while series of spits are set in order to roast the lamb.
On the island of Paros, during the procession of the Epitaph there ar children dressed as Roman soldiers or disciples of Christ and react scenes from the entry into Jerusalem, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.
On the island of Santorini locals go around making sound by hitting metallic items in order to cast away the evil.
On the island of Sifnos, on Holy Thursday, the housewives bake the traditional "Easter birds" (sweet bread in the shape of birds). On Easter Sunday at the central square of Apollonia, takes place the burning of Juda's effigy.
On the island of Syros the communities of Catholics and Orthodox celebrate Easter together. The end destination of all Epitaphs is the central square. On Holy Saturday morning in the orthodox church of Resurrection faithful hit the pews of the church with all their strength.
On the island of Tinos, all the churches in Chora, assemble the Epitaphs at the harbor. The Epitaph of the church of Saint Nikolaos goes into the sea. On Easter Monday revives the traditional custom "Table of Love", a celebration with traditional food.
At Leonidio in Peloponnese the night of the
Resurrection the sky is filled with hot-air balloons released by the faithful
of each parish. This spectacular custom of the balloons is more than one century old.
At Kalamata the famous Saitopolemos takes
place on Easter. Men wearing traditional costumes carry the Saitas (a type of handmade
firework) and detonate them while they are in their hands. This custom dates back to the revolution fights of
1821, when the people of Kalamata used the Saitas (that make a lot of noise) to
scare the horses of the Turks and win the
battle this way.
At the mountain
village of Arachova the icon of the
local protector, St. Georges, is carried the second day after Easter
Sunday throughout the village and
a three day fest is organized to honor the saint. Locals dance wearing
traditional costumes and participate in
an uphill race. The winning prize is a living lamb.
In Thrace and
Macedonia young women in
traditional clothes, called the" Lazarins", go around the villages
singing traditional Easter songs.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Monday, April 14, 2014
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Greek Easter
"Lady Saracosti"
"Pascha" (=Easter) in Greece is the most important religious holiday of the year and the one richest in folklore. For the Greek Orthodox , Pascha is even more important than Christmass. The word "Pascha" stems from the jewish "Pesach" which means passover. Jewish people celebrated "Pesach" to commemorate their liberation from the Egyptians and the passage of the Red Sea, while Christians celebrate the resurrection of Christ and the passage from the death to life, from earth to heaven.
In ancient Greece, Easter time coincided with the month of Anthesterion, a celebration of spring and the rebirth of vegetation.
The preparation for the Greek Easter starts 40 days before. It is the period of Lent, in greek "Saracosti". During this period the devout avoid all animal products (meat, milk, butter etc).
A nice Greek custom of this period is the "Lady Saracosti", a calendar of the period of Lent. Women and children draw on a piece of paper the figure of a woman who had no mouth , as Lady Saracosti is fasting, and whose hands were joined together as in prayer. She had seven legs, one for each week. Every Saturday they cut off one leg. On Holy Saturday they cut off the last leg and they put it in a dry fig so that it would bring luck to whoever found it.
On the Saturday before the Holy Week, the resurrection of Lazarus is celebrated. The housewives bake the "Lazarakia". Those are cookies that have the shape of a man (which is supposed to be Lazarus) wrapped in a shroud.
This day children are going from door to door singing the hymn of "Lazarus" and collecting money and eggs.
The next day is called Palm Sunday. This day commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, when crowds were waving palm branches and proclaiming him as the Messia. The branches of the palm trees sympolize Christ's victory over the devil and death. In Greece all churches are decorated with palm and bay branches. Many people place these palm leaves into the icon stand of the house as blessings and lucky charms.
Tuesday, April 08, 2014
The oldest underwater ancient city
An underwater ancient city of 2800 B.C is situated near Elafonissos island, at the south of Peloponnese. The about 5.000 years old Pavlopetri, is the oldest known submerged archaeological town. It was submerged around 1000 B.C. by an earthquake and was discovered in 1967 by Nicholas Flemming. As the town is in a depth of only 4 meters it is easy to see the submerged 2-floor houses, the temples, the cemetary and the ancient port. Furthermore the whole area is scattered with statues, pots and tools . The fact that the city was submerged helped to maintain current findings in a perfect condition.
Here is a great video of BBC about Pavlopetri:
For more info about the Pavlopetri Underwater Archaeology Project :
http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/pavlopetri/index.aspx
Monday, April 07, 2014
Archaeological sites will be open all day, every day in Greece
The Ministry of Culture and Sports has announced
that 33 archaeological sites will be open every day from 08:00 to 20:00 h till
31/10/14. This way it will be easier for the travelers to organize their visits
to the most important archaeological sites and monuments of Greece.
Here is the list of these 33 sites:
Attica: Akropolis of Athens, Theater of
Dionysus, Ancient Agora of Athens, Kerameikos, Olympieio , National
archaeological museum of Athens, Byzantine and Christian museum of Athens , Sounion
Peloponnese: Archaeological site and museum of
Mycenae, Archaeological site and Museum of Ancient Epidaurus, Fortress of Palamidi
(Nauplion) Archaeological site and Museum of Ancient Korinth, Archaeological
site and Museum of Olympia, Archaeological site and Museum of Mystras
Archaeological site and Museum of Delphi
Northern Greece: Royal Tombs and museum of the royal tombs at Aigai (Vergina), Archaelogical museum of Thessaloniki, Museum of Byzantine Culture and Museum of White Tower (Thessaloniki)
Islands:
Archaeological site and museum of Delos, Akrotiri
(Santorini)
Kos: Asklepieion, Castle of Kos
Rhodos: Lindos, Ialyssos, Kameiros, Archaeological museum of Rhodos, Palace of the Grand Masters
Crete: Knossos, Faistos, Psychro cave, Spinalonga, Archaeological museum of Heraklion
Corfu: Old Fortress of Corfu
Sunday, April 06, 2014
Greece wins the 2014 Prize for cultural Heritage, News from Greece
The European Commission and Europa Nostra announced on Marrch the 20th that Greece is among the winners of the 2014 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage, Europa Nostra awards.
The award ceremony will take place on May 5th at the Burgtheater in Vienna. The awards will be presented by the famous opera singer and President of Europa Nostra, Placido Domingo and the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Mrs Androulla Vassiliou .
Six of the winners will be named as Grand Prix laureates and one will receive the Public choise award.
The 27 laurates, which are selected from 160 projects across 30 countries, are honored for achievements in four areas: conservation, research, dedicate service and education, training and awareness-raising.
Greece excelled in the area of research for the "Roman Vaulted Construction in the Peloponnese" , a project based on the 10 years research of Dr. Paolo Vitti.
Saturday, April 05, 2014
SAMOS, Greek islands
Samos, the island of goddess Hera, of the great philosophers Pythagoras "the father of Mathematics" and Epicurus and the famous astronomer Aristarchus, is one of the eastern most Greek islands of the Aegean Sea. It is separated from Turkey by the strait of Mykale about 2 kms wide.
A range of mountains runs through the island. The capital Vathy is situated on the Northern coast wich is rocky , while the South coast has fertile plains and beautifull beaches.
The island is thickly wooded and known for its fertility from the antiquity, famous especially for the sweet Samian wine.
Samos was inhabitated in the Neolithic Period by the Pelasgians who established the goddes Hera.
Under the Tyranny of Polycrates, the island became one of the principal cities of Ionia.
The tyrrant Polycrates (532 BC) was a statesman of genius and profligate brigant. During this period the great engineer Eupalinos built the famous tunnel to provide the town whith drinking water which came from Great Spring. Two crews began digging the tunnel on both sides of the mountain simultaneously and thanks to the mathematical calculations of Eupalinos, they met in the middle of the mountain with no deviation...
The principal excursions on the island are to Ancient Samos, to Heraion, to Pythagoreion , to Karlovassi to the waterfalls where the scenery is breathtaking and to the monasteries.
The site of Ancient Samos lies on the South coast of the island. The great Sanctuary of Hera "Heraion" is situated by the sea. According to mythology the goddess was born and grew up here. The same legend states that here also took place her sacred matrimony with Zeus, the father of the Olympian Gods.
The first temple of Hera was built in the 8th c. BC . The second was built in 570 by the two famous archtct- sculptors Rhoikos and Theodore. At that time the Heraion was at the height of its glory, decorated with wonderful offerings, excellent works of art from the Hellenic worldo but also from Syria, Egypt and Cyprus.The statue of Hera belongs to this era, a masterpiece of Samian art that today is in the Louvre.
After the destruction of this temple in 530 BC the enlightened Polycrates started the construction of the last temple which according to Herodotus was the biggest building in the whole Hellenic world. The construction stopped after the death of Polycrates so the temple remained unfinished.
Today one can see its foundations and the only column that is preserved. In the sanctuary are ruins of a portico, the great Altar and three small temples from different periods. Many well preserved findings from the excavations of the Heraion are in the museum of Samos.
From the monasteries the most important are: The Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi founded in 1756 from where you have a magnificent view of the Strait of Mykale. In the plain of Vlamari is the Monastery of Ayia Zoni founded in 1695 and the Monastery of Vrontiani which is the oldest of the island founded in 1566.
Samos is a modern island with beautiful organized beaches as Tsamados, Votsalakia, Ghryssi Ammos (=golden sand) and Psili Ammos. It has cosmopolitan places as Vathy, Kokkari and Pythagoreion but also quiet and isolated places ideal for rest and relaxation as Marathokambos, Mykali and Kerveli.
Friday, April 04, 2014
Athens honors Maria Callas, news from Greece
The foundation of a museum dedicated to the worldwide famous diva Maria Callas, that will open its gates to the public in 2015, was announced by the City of Athens Cultural Organisation .
Thursday, April 03, 2014
PASTITSIO, greek traditional recipies
Ingredients
For the pasta:500 gr. ziti pasta or bucatini pasta
2 table spoon butter
1 cup kefalotyri or pecorino cheese or parmesan, grated
For the bechamel:
4 cups milk(warm)
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup flour
1 cup kefalotyri or pecorino cheese or parmesan, grated
2 eggs, beaten
salt, pepper, nutmeg
For the meat sauce:
olive oil
1 chopped onion
1/2 tea spoon cinnamon
1/2 tea spoon sugar
pepper, salt
600 gr minced beef
2 table spoons tomato purée, mixed with 150ml water or a medium chopped tomatoe
1 leaf laurel
1. Prepare the pasta: Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente and drain it. Melt at the saucepan the butter and add the pasta.
2. Prepare the meat sauce:Put 3 tbsp olive oil into a frying pan over a medium high heat and cook the onion for about 1 minute until slightly coloured. Add the minced meat and brown it well. Add the cinnamon , pepper, salt and tomato. Turn the heat down low and cook for about 20 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.
3. Prepare the bechamel: Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat till it melts. Add the flour into the butter stirring it continuously with a whisk . Gradually pour in the heated milk always whisking constantly.Add pepper nutmeg and salt. Take off the heat and add the beaten eggs and the cheese.
4. Spoon the half of the pasta into a baking dish and mix it with the cheese. Top with the meat sauce and the remaining pasta. Pour the bechamel sauce and bake at 180 C for about 40 minutes or until golden.
Good appetit!
Tuesday, April 01, 2014
Thessaloniki, European Youth Capital 2014
"European Youth Capital" is the title that was launched by the European Youth Forum to encourage the development of new ideas and innovative projects.
Since 2009 the European Youth Forum gives this title to a European city for one year. After Rotterdam (2009) , Turin (2010), Antwerp (2011), Braga (2012) and Maribor (2013) it's the turn of Thessaloniki to take the title. Thessaloniki, the second largest Greek city, the capital of central Macedonia, is the European Youth Capital for 2014.
Since January 1st, the city of Thessaloniki hosts a series of actions and events. Many youth events , world championships, international exhibitions and competitions will take place during the all year.
For more info:http://thessaloniki2014.eu/en/
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