Carnival in Greece: GAITANAKI (dance)

GAΪTANAKI
by Valentina Velikova

Gaitanaki is a traditional Greek dance that we dance during the carnival. It is a colourful and funny dance!

We need 13 people for this dance! One person is holding a wooden pole with 12 ribbons hanging from its top. The ribbons have different colours and every person is holding a ribbon.

When the music begins, the dancers move towards the pole, go under the other dancer’s ribbon, move far from the pole and then towards the pole again! A colourful braid is created on the pole when the dance finishes.

This dance is a symbol of the circle of life. We move from happiness to sadness, from winter to spring, from life to death and the opposite!

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The Greek Lenten Table

Several years ago, I spent the night before «Clean Monday», as Greeks call the first day of Lent, baking the traditional Lenten flatbread lagana with a local Athenian baker. Even though he went about his business methodically and professionally, turning out more than a thousand or so loaves, he didn’t fail to observe all the traditions of th fast. Indeed, he was a part of those traditions, for lagana, which traces its roots to the flat grilled porridges of the ancient Greeks, is the lenten bread par excellence.

Byzantine hymns wailed softly in the background as his assistant cut off quarter-kilo rounds of dough. The baker took each piece, slapped it onto his floured work table and proceeded to roll it into perfect ovals with a special studded rolling pin. Every half hour or so he walked over to a counter at the back of the bakedry where he had his evening meal laid out: a container with taramosalata, the Greek fish roe spread, which he ate with fresh tender stalks of young garlic; small pickled green peppers; a small plate of mixed pickled vegetables and olives; a few pieces of rice-stuffed squid and some octopus preserved in vinegar brine. A wedge of halva lay on its side, waiting for the baker to sprinkle some lemon juice over it and wash it down with some retsina. In that small array of dishes, I realized, the whole philosophy of the Greek Lenten table was apparent.

Thinking of Lent as a period of culinary significance might seem ironic–after all the Fast is meant as a period of spiritual and physical cleansing. Yet, some of the best fare in all of Greek cooking are the dishes culled from the tradition of abstention, from the 40 day period before Easter when one shuns all animal products. Until just a few decades ago, the majority of Greeks abided by the dictates of the religious calendar, fasting not only before Easter but before many other major holidays, so that they actually kept off meat and dairy products for nearly half the year. As a result, a whole culinary repertory evolved that is a mirror of the ingenuity of home cooks who relied on the bounty of the season to provide filling, nutritious meals. Greek Lenten recipes are delicious!

SOURCE/READ MORE: http://dianekochilas.com/2298/the-greek-lenten-table

 

 

 

Carnival or Apokries in Greece


WHAT ARE THESE COWBOYS AND WITCHES DOING AROUND ATHENS?

No, don’t worry, we haven’t lost our national character or costumes, it’s Carnival or Apokries in Greece, a feast  of fun celebrated all over the country with masquerade and parties.

This festival dates back to Dionyssus, the ancient Greek god of wine and fun and it was meant to worship him  as well as to help the earth put forth shoots-hence the various leaping dances and the various kinds of disguise in order to please harmful spirits. In ancient Greece this festival took place in early spring, today it’s celebrated 40 days before Easter, so we can see that this ceremony has been incorporated into the Christian religion.
The name APOKRIES means “abstention from meat” , because  after that starts the period of Lent that goes on till Easter.
The characteristic of Carnival is disguising and wearing masks. Can you see what the masks remind you of?  YES ! The clay masks worn by actors in ancient Greek theatre. The costumes and disguises offered-and still do- anonymity and freedom of expression.
Apokries is celebrated all over Greece, with feasts that can’t always be described as ‘decent”- in memory of Dionyssus and his followers, who worshiped the phallus and fertility. The songs sung again cannot be described as “decent”, and if you go I hope your Greek is not enough to help you understand the lyrics !!!
This year  the beginning of Carnival or Triodion was on the 21st February – by Tiodion we mean, the beginning of the 3-week Carnival Season which ends on Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera) 15/03/21, the beginning of Lent before Easter.  In between is  TSIKNOPEMPTI,  a very interesting feast, a Thursday when everyone eats meat (04/03). Tsiknopempti  is supposed to be the last meat-eating until Easter (02/05, this year).
The end of Carnival is marked by KATHARI DEFTERA, “Clean Monday”, 15/03 this year, and a long weekend .This Monday is “clean” because we get really serious about not eating meat and going healthy and we eat seafood, pickles, laganes ( a kind of flat round bread) and tarama (a dip made of fish eggs), all that accompanied by wine-that’s when we forget about being serious!
We also fly kites! Preferably in places without electricity wires above, hoping to get the right wind and trying to hush kids up when they go “:But I thought the kite was for ME, daddy, not for you and your friends !!!” NOTE THAT Kite flying will be allowed this Kathari Deftera, only in areas walking distance from your residence.
With that we leave you, hoping you will enjoy Kathari Deftera in Greece and come back with your experiences from this cheerful holiday !!!
photos are from Karnavali of Patras, the Carnival parade ! (from their official cite)

Martis or Martia

 


Dearest friends,

This little bracelet is called MARTIS or MARTIA and mothers used to make it for their children-now we make it ourselves-to protect them from the first hot sun of spring.

The MARTIS bracelet custom dates back into time, as you can imagine-everything here does, right? – and was found in the Elefsinian rituals, Its name was KROKI and it was a bracelet worn by the priestesses of the temple in Elefsina around their right hand and left foot.

You are supposed to wear it during the whole month and then, when the first swallows are back, you hang it on your rose bushes so that the swallows take them to build their nests.
If you don’t have rose bushes, hang it somewhere for the swallows to see.

Do you like mine ? 

An Ancient Greek eye on Meteorology

To everyone’s delight, the Αlkyonides days have come again this year!

We can see you wondering: the what???

The alkyonides days, the days of spring in the heart of winter. These days usually last from 15 December to 15 February and they visit Greece every year, with few exceptions,  ie. 1947.

Do you know the myth about them? Alkyoni was  daughter of Aiolos, God of the winds,  and was married to Kiykos. They were so happily married and so much in love that they called each other Zeus and Hera. The real Zeus and Hera felt deeply offended by the sacrilege and decided to punish them severely. So they transformed Kiykos into a bird, a vulcher. Alkyoni searched for her beloved husband everywhere, but couldn’t find him anywhere. She cried and cried until the Gods decided to transform her into a bird as well,  alkyoni. The problem was that alkyoni is the only sea-bird that lays and hatches its eggs in mid-winter. As a result of that, the waves carried them away and she was left in despair. The gods then, touched by her misfortune and misery, decided to cease the bad weather for two weeks to give alkyoni time to reproduce.  So,  as we can all see, there are some days of spring in the heart of winter which give us the opportunity to … hatch our eggs, take them out in the sunshine, admire them as they are riding their bikes while we are enjoying the heightened temperatures for the season.

(this is one of quite a few versions)

SHARING the Athens WE LOVE with YOU !#1

PEOPLE LOVE our Tours & Walks … we LOVE THEM too!

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We started the tour by climbing up from Dion.-Aeropagitou to Anafiotika


What’s this plant?

Do you know how Lecabettus Hill was made?

How a 1870 building can host modern art.

Old Greek ads and posters.

Spice and herbs kingdom

A touch of red!

Dried pepper kingdom

A small chapel with fantastic icons.

Reaching the Central Market.

The fishmonger of our hearts is recommending fish that…

“Barba-Mitsos” grilled for us.

“No diet” day!

PLEASE NOTE THAT: The itinerary is never prefabricated as flexibility is our motto !

Walking Tour and a Sing Song in Athens

via: http://www.davestravelpages.com/

Walking Tour In Athens

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Although I have lived in Athens for nearly 4 months now, I know that I have barely scratched the surface in terms of what there is to see and do. Certainly, my current series on museums in Athens is helping me to see one side of it, but finding the time to work, blog, and get out and about more is a difficult balancing act. Except when you can go on a tour with the Travel Bloggers Greece group though – then you get to do it all at once, with huge doses of pleasure as well!
The walking tour in Athens was organised by Katerina and Aristotelis of Livin Lovin, who cater to a predominantly ex-pat clientele. Starting off at the Acropolis metro, we strolled through some side streets, stopping off at a few interesting places, until we got to our ‘surprise’…

text & photo source/read more: via: http://www.davestravelpages.com/

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Katerina Tsitsipi, Aristotelis Makris
 Contact us @: info@livinlovin.gr
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Distinguished EPITAFIOS in Athens

Some of you are going to be in Athens during Easter, so we thought it would be nice if you knew where to find the most picturesque and traditional Epitafios (a procession of the icons and the coffin of Jesus Christ around the streets of the district).

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It ‘s always on Good Friday evening, usually around 8 or 9, except the Monastery of Kaisariani where it takes place 2 – 2:30 in the afternoon through the forest.
So, the most beautiful are in Plaka, at the churches of Agia Aikaterini (starts at 19.30)
and Metohi Panagiou Tafou in Erextheos str.(starts at 19.00).
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Other churches where the Epitafios are special and have beautiful choirs are: Kapnikarea church on Ermou street, Agios Georgios Karytsis with singers from the National Opera in Karytsi square, Agia Eirini on Aiolou street and, more quiet and peaceful, Agios Dimitrios in Plaka (7, Epimenidou street).
Another idea is the monasteries of Pendeli, Agios Ioannis Kynigos in Agia Paraskevi.
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Remember to have candles with you (brown for Friday, white or a decorated or plain white one for Saturday) and enjoy it with all your heart!

What follows on the video is perhaps the most beautiful hymn of the Greek Orthodox Church.

It’s the mourning of Virgin Mary for her dead son. Although it may sound strange to you, try to listen to it, especially after 4.25”. The singer is a very young traditional music singer, but her performance in Byzantine music is remarkable.  We would love to hear some of your impressions.
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MY EASTER SMELLS OF …

Easter for me has very specific smells that bring back memories from my childhood.

All that being said, I can confide in you that Easter smells of violets – understandable! -ammonia, that my mom used in Easter cookies to help them raise -NOT pleasant- and sour orange tree blossoms that bloomed in every neighbourhood,and still do.

 That’s about my Easters in Athens as a child.

Now let’s talk about YOUR Easter in Greece, or better, what we think your Easter in Greece should be like and what you should not miss.
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CORFU is famous for having a very artistic and …musical Easter.
On Good Thursday and Good Friday you can attend the mass at the Cathedral – with an organ -, the bands go around the streets playing mournful music, and the procession of Epitafios through the little streets of the old town late in the evening give an air of mysticissm and sanctity. The hymns of Good Friday are my personal favourites!
All that until Saturday morning at 11, when people break pottery by throwing them from the windows, in an attempt to chase THE evil-which is not intimidated at all, as we can all see!!!!
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CHIOS island and a lot more, like Kalymnos, are famous for the “rocket war”, a very fierce and loud firework throwing and battle between neighbourhoods.
 Very spectacular, very loud!
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HYDRA, this very special island of Argosaronikos, is famous for putting the Epitafios into the sea in order to bless the sea water. Considering that Hydra was a naval society that depended on sea fares and trade, that makes perfect sense.
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In the CYCLADES I have my personal favourites:
Paros, and more specifically the Epitafios in Marpissa and Santorini in Pyrgos, one of the most beautiful villages of the island, with the little lanterns on the slope of the rock that light up the whole place.
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CRETE.
 What I like about Easter in Crete is -except for the food and the music and dancing that I adore – is the burning of Judas after the resurrection. One big dummy that represents Judas is placed on a bonfire-with a whistle in his…well, backside, and is burned after church with everyone celebrating and the whistle blowing.
Mmmmmm, interesting habit!
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LEONIDIO IN ARKADIA , PELOPONNISOS
.A sweet place, quite near Athens, with small pebble beaches and mountain villages, with a very particular habit:
On Saturday, as soon as the priest announces the resurrection of Jesus -that’s midnight – the sky is filled with paper balloons of various colours that are made by the local people or neighbourhoods. Very spectacular!
 
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The other areas celebrate Easter in their own ways, all very particular and all related to the local habits, customs and traditions. I cannot recommend only one place, there are too many! Remember that Easter is our most important Christian holiday.
So, find your own favourite place, go, enjoy, come back and tell us:
WHAT DOES YOUR EASTER SMELL LIKE?

“Partagez notre amour pour Athènes”

 

 

Un superbe petit tour dans le vieux Athènes avec Katherina qui nous a livrée tous ses secrets et nous a fait découvrir des petits recoins admirables et originaux. Un grand merci Patrick & Sonia.

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“Partagez notre amour pour Athènes”
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Notre tour “Partagez notre amour pour Athènes” est très prisé chez nos clients, leurs proches, amis ou invités. 
C’est un peu de tout: histoire, mythologie, architecture, dégustation de préparations locales, tradition grecque, l’Athènes d’ aujourd’hui, du shopping etc.
Ça se passe au centre historique d’ Athènes, à Plaka, à Psiri, à Monastiraki et les quartiers autour avec leurs petits secrets, leurs monuments et vues uniques, leurs petites chapelles et bien sûr on se régale en goûtant des spécialités locales dans le vieux marché…
On s’amuse à faire de petites pauses pour un café ou un rafraîchissement, pour un snack, une dégustation ou déjeuner sur des terrasses-jardins et des lieux que peu connaissent.
Dans le prix ne sont pas inclus les cafés, les rafraîchissements, le repas ou le vin ou bien les entées aux sites qu’on visite.
Pour tout dire, c’est un tour coupé sur mesure, on s’ adapte alors, volontiers, aux intérêts, aux goûts, aux suggestions ou les préférences de nos groupes.

info@livinlovin.gr