Concise list of Greek ethics
A) Ethics
Family & personal days:
Birthday day (mostly of minors): family calls relatives and friends. On the party a small candles over a cake are numbered by the age of the minor .Minor is then askedá to blow outá the candles Majors are seldom doing a party but only one or few candles areá used on the top of the cake
Name day: friends and relatives are attending the party held on the personÆs house. Drinksá and dinner are also offered
Wedding day memorial: the couple holds a dinner in a restaurant. More rarely the best man is also called. A toast is also made for everlasting couple life.
Birth ceremony /baptism
It is made on the church. Relatives and very closed friends attend the ceremony. Before the liturgy is held, priest and the godparent accompanying the baby in the entrance (narthex) of the church áThe priestá asks andá the best person replies to ædismiss the devil from the childÆ and then reads the Creed.
During the ritual, priest immerses the baby three times into the baptistery, and cuts a lock from it . The family dresses the baby and mother has toá kneel from the godparent áin order to take the baby .á
Usually after the ceremony a reception is made áin a tavern or restaurant.
Wedding ethics
Before all, áthe couple visits the houses of their relatives to announce that they are going to be married.
Engagement:
The traditional way: relatives and friends and the best [wo]man visit the bride's house and a reception feast is made. There are three scenarios for this: The best man or the priest or the mother of the bride makes the exchange of the rings on the fingers of the right hands of the couple.
The very modern way: the pair , best (wo)man and several friends go into a bar or a tavern for feasting. But it is rare case.
Dowry : several weeks or months before wedding a simple ceremony is held for áthe dowry in theá coupleÆs house . The groom, relatives and friends of the couple visit the coupleÆs house and transfer the dowry by preparing the coupleÆs bed. Dowry consist fromá house items as sheets , pillowsá and same
Wedding ceremony :
Pre-wedding ceremony: á(imported ethic) separate bachelor parties for groom (ie with his friends) and bride (with her friends )
Wedding date ceremony:
A traditional way especially in the small towns. The best man accompanied by the groom's friends visit the house of the bride. The bride asks for money to be put inside her pump-shoe but until the money is enough they are not allowed to 3enter the house. As by the ethic the groom is not allowed to see the bride dressed up with the wedding-dress or bad luck will happen ( this is the same also in the western Christian cultures)
The groom is shaved by the use of his friends.
IN the house of the bride she is prepared (hairs etc) with the help of a professional and photographed after she is dressed. Then they go to the church together with the best[wo]man accompanying the bride in the presumably parentÆs car ædressedÆ with ribbons and continuously playing the claxon.
Church: relatives, friends mates and others attend the ceremony and expect on the front of the church (outside)
The groom expects the bride on the entrance of the church with a bouquet of flowers. Once the bride enters the yard of the church, she is accompanied by her parents and presented to the groom. Then all are entering into the church.
Wedding process: Holy engagement: the best man sits before the pair and puts rings on the right hand of bride and groom. The priest offers a cup with wine to be drinken three times by the groom and the bride
Wedding comes immediately next: the best man puts the wreath over the heads of the bride and the groom and crosses his hands three times over the coupleÆs heads. The custody by the priest,the pair and the best [wo]man turns 3 times around the æweddingÆ table called dancing of Isaiah. The near attendees sprinkle petals and rice (fertility symbols) to this custody while they are turning around.
At the end of the wedding the pair and their family are put in one line and receive the compliments of the attendees. Before leaving the church the attendees receive 'sawer' comprising of sugarplums and sweet .
This ceremony is photographed. In the recent 20 years with the use of cameras it is also video recorded. I did also several recordings the older days.
After church:
á-the couple, and best [wo]man are photographed in separate place. It can be the house of one of the couple , the photo office , or unrelated place.
Wedding reception
á áA wedding reception is made in a contracted restaurant or music hall, with live music. Until the wedding couple comes to the hall the music group plays easy listening music.
á áUpon the arrival áof the couple/best [wo]man the music group plays the æwedding march' and a waiter of the hall puts the wedding cake comprised by many stairs(on a table) at the centre of the dancing floor. The couple with a big knife make the fist cut in the cake, photographed , then with crossed hands drink champagne and the crowd asks for the kiss, making noise, by hitting the plate!
Music starts with a slow danceá devoted to the couple and their families The next dance is a special ætraditional wedding songÆ,(our bride and groom are beautiful etc) with the couple leading the dancing line comprising of relatives.
Funeral
Wife wears in black. Male relatives add a black belt overá the costume in the muscles point.
Burial office takes over the funeral process.
Posters near to the house /building announce the death and the burial calling neighbors and friend to attain the liturgyá and the burial. Wreaths are offered from relatives and friends showná at the entrance of the house /building. Before the burial theá dead person is put on the coffin and presented on his/her house áandá friends visit for condolences
A funeral liturgy is held in the church. Many of the wreaths are transferred to theá church and the grave.
On cemetery a burial serviceá is presented áaround the grave . The coffin is then put inside the grave and the attendees sprinkle earth over the coffin
Memorial: Before the end of the Sunday liturgy, a memorial is held. Afterwards funeral wheat is offered. Relatives and close friends attend the commemoration. áCoffee, liqueur, and sweets are offered at the memorial reception which is normally inside orá close to the church
Ethics of carnival period
Mardi Gras: (CIKNOPEMPTI /verbatim : ôRoasted Thursdayö ,) : a older day when the cookers let átheir meals roast . Nowadays the 2nd Thursday before the end of Carnival people enjoy the Mardi Gras in taverns or bar restaurants sometimes dressed in carnival . As per ethic in taverns we eat meat that day.
Kuluma: (Clean/Shrove Monday Feast): This is the next day after Carnival ends and people are escaping the cities preferably visiting their parent houses or drive into countryside. In Thessaloniki most people visit Seikh Su, a mountainous place of the top of the city , for picnicking and traditional dancing though other nice places to visit are Kouri near Asvestohori . The ethics suggest eating pickled pepper, [k]halva , olives. and corn. This is the first day for fasting for Easter. Kites are also played by the younger.
Ii Litohoron a big feast is made in the turn to the town. A musical group plays traditional and popular music and food is offered free of charge to the attendees. Attendees are also dancing
Ragutsaria: This is s local customs in Kastoria made in the start of carnivals. That day people flood into the roads of the city and enjoying with music and drink . Look at the next pages for more information on this custom
War of yogurts: Local tradition on a place near to Thessaloniki on Clean Monday. A public parliamentÆ is made in the centre of the town. Usually no result is made with this debate. After it a æwarÆ is made with the play of yogurts!
Easter period û ethics
Easter ceremony is normally made in the Church. Several minutes before the change of the day,priest fires a candle and the fire is distributed amongst the candles of the attending people. After the change of the day ( ie after several minutes) the priest and the chorus go outside the church shouting at the crowd "Christ raised" and fireworks start. Each family's members are cranking red dyed eggs for testing which egg will not beaten.
áThe liturgy continues again inside the church and only a part of the crowd today attends the liturgy. Several of them take the 'Holy Communion' (a solution of warn wine and bread) as æretributionÆ of their 40 day fasting
After the liturgy (abt 2.30 am ) , people are eating at home. ON my local traditions of Pieria we eat mayiritsa [by dict: tripe and herbs]-a soup made by minced liver star anise and rice- , bajavushka - gypsy name- that is oven variant of mayiritsa and others.
áOn Easter morning the head of the house prepares the goat/lamb into a spit and is barbecued on charcoal. The meat is accompanied by appetizers. Folk or traditional songs raise the amusement of the party.
IMPORTANTá HOLIDAYS IN GREECE
Mayday
Most people rush into ácountry houses . in several occasions goat /lamb is spit and barbecued over charcoal , same way as in Easter. As usuallyá leftá political parties demonstrate in the cities.
Ochi day
Made on 28.10 very year. Ochi (No!)dayá is the dayá Metaxasá the Greek prime minister on 1942 (during the second war) rejected the dominance by Italians. In biggest cities as Thessaloniki and Athens a military march is held first with schools and áartillery
Polytechnic day
This is the memorial day of students killed on 17-11-1976 after tanks, by order of the militarist government , inserted in the University of Polytechnics in Athens. Every 16thá of November, in the Polytechnicá dept of the local universities,á wreaths áareá presented before the monument and áaddresses are made byá academicals and political personas. School holiday.
3 Bishopsá day û
Held on 31-1á each year.á School holiday . These 3á bishops ( Vasilios Megas, John Hrisostomus, George Theologist)á ájoined áthe ancient Greek knowledge with the Christian faith,á offeredá too much in the knowledge of the era á
Epiphany / Light Feast
Thisá is the 6th of January and is the day Christá baptized in the river by John the Baptist. That dayá the celebration takes place on a rive or on the sea. The priest or the Bishop áafter aáá short ritual /ceremony put the holy Crossá on the waters .men vide into the waters andá return the cross back to theá priest /bishop. The winner (who finds the cross) takes a special wish fro the priest . In Litohoro
25 March (national day )
This is the independence day of Greece. Same day on 1821 Paleon Patron Germanos áa bishop on Kalavrita , arouse the oriflamme of revolution against theá Turkish, after ca 400 years of dominance. This was the official start of the Greek Revolution. After 10 years of hard wars lead to the liberation of Greece.
This alsoá is the Annunciationá of Virgin Mary(Archangel Gabrielá announced to Mary that she will bear Jesus)
Orthodoxy day
This is the first weeká on the Easter period , ie next Sunday after Lent Sunday. That day membersá of theá church carry the icons. ON a special ritual afterá the standard SundayÆs liturgy the priest leads a line, with prayers and believers to follow carrying the icons and chantingá the æI beliveæ
Klidonas
A feast made on St JohnÆsá day oná 24-26th of June. It startsá one day before,á with fires. Unmarried Maids carry from the river or the well the ævoicelessá waterÆ and leaveá it in pitchers. They also put a valuable item and cover the pitcher with a lid and leaveá it under clear sky .á Next dayá the pitcher is opened and the girls take their own precious things back and someone sings a song tailored/devotedá to eachá girl. After the sunset the girls drink one mouthful of voiceless water stands up in the window and expects until she listens the first male name. This is deemed will be the name of the man she will marry
B)Institutions/ Standard Shows in Thessaloniki
Municipality of Thessaloniki
Each year at least 3 feasts are made in the Aristotelous square
╖ Carnival show - very new-
╖ Year change show , hold at least since mid-90s
╖ Angelsá feast , the second week of December
All above are musical shows featuring local singers. More popular singers participate in the year end show.á The mayor is addresses áa short public speech before the with compliments for a better new year. Fireworks are also used.
The municipality of Thessaloniki owns a radio TV network with 3 radios stations FM 100 - Greek music and information, FM100.6 ûtraditional, Classic- and FM 101 with foreign music
TIF -Thessaloniki Intl Trade fair
TIF is located in the centre of the town, Helexpo is the responsible/carrier of the shows á
Several of the most important demonstrations are as follows:
╖ International trade fair: a show held always on the second week of September starting from Sunday. áPrevious Saturday the prime minister gives the rush with his public address and making statement for the economic policy to be followed. Manyá countries participate directly with official participations , or unofficially viaá companies distributorsá and dealers
╖ Infacoma: Branch fair for everything related to house. Originally for structural materials expanded to air-conditioning, solar systems,
╖ Infosystem: Trade fair for informatics and computers in general.
╖ Marmin : related to marbles and related equipment
More than 25 shows are held annually
Demetria
Musical and theatrical showsá held in Octoberá each year, presented in the National Theatre and the Musical Palace á.They are named after St Demetrious the preserver of Thessaloniki City . Durationá about a month. St Demetrius name day is 26th of October .á
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Selected sites:
http://www.geocities.com/yioulepp/TraditionalFolkCulture.htm ( links page)
http://www.sfakia-crete.com/sfakia-crete/greekeaster.html
http://gogreece.about.com/od/easteringreece/ááá easter in Greece
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