The Living Tradition and Folklore
Greek
identity is determined “not
not only by
the inanimate structures that belong to
bygone times but by the living tradition"
Ahrweiler-The Making of Europe
The p
problem of historical continuity,
y, of
succession, and of cultural heritage was
posited quite squarely by and to the
G k both
Greeks
b hb
before
f
and
d after
f
the
h period
i d
of national regeneration.
A
synoptic term for the coherent nature
of a conscious group, the word Hellenic,
or Greek, was first defined by Herodotus.
Herodotus' definition, which for his day
might well be considered an accepted
one, specifies
ifi homaimon,
h
i
that
th t iis, akin
ki or
of common blood; but at once adds a
common religion,
religion a shared character,
character and
a common language as being of equal
force and the basic traits of Greek
identity.
Isocrates
Evidence
of participation in patterns of
Greek life was determined not birth or Greek
descent, but chiefly, by participation in a
generally, Greek education which of itself
allowed unimpeded access to works of Greek
literature.
Due
to the g
geographical
g p
formation of Greece,,
Greek folklore traditions are often highly
localized with obvious distinctions between
the various geographical territories.
territories
However some elements are accepted at
large, especially the ones related to the
traditions
di i
off the
h Greek
G kO
Orthodox
h d Church.
Ch h
Christmas
(December 25)
Christopsomo or Christ Bread was/is the
centerpiece of traditional Greek Christmas
table, as well as large quantities of dried
figs, nuts and honey.
http://greekfood.about.com/od/greekbread
htt //
kf d b t
/ d/
kb d
spitas/r/christopsomo.htm
Singing
g g carols from door to door is a tradition
that is still widely observed even in city areas
where the traditional heritage seems to fizzle
out more q
quickly.
y Traditionallyy children sing
g from
door to door as a way of announcing the arrival
of the 12 days of Christmas, firstly offering their
compliments
p
to the house and residents and
ending with requests for gifts, which in older
days came in the form of sweets and biscuits,
while nowadays
y cash - is definitelyy more
appreciated.
Carols are sung on two date (December 24 for
Christmas and on December 31 for New Year
Year’ss
Day)

Greeks traditionallyy exchange
g their season's g
gifts
on New Year's or Agios Vassilis' (St Basil's) Day.
According to Greek carols and customs, it is this
Greek Orthodox holyy martyr,
y , hailing
g from the
depths of Asia, who has the lucky gift-giving task
- not St Nicholas. In older days, families would
place a large
p
g log
g in the fireplace
p
for Agios
g
Vassilis to step on as he slipped down the
chimney with a bag of toys. And in some areas of
Greece it was believed that Christ himself visited
via the chimney to check on the preparations for
the Christmas feast.
The
chimneyy was,, and to some still is,, the
passage through which the cunning and
quasi-sinister kallikantzari would arrive to
cause havoc to naughty children, drunks
and the lazy. The kallikantzari are
imagined to be tall, black and ugly goblinlike creatures, with red eyes and hairy
bodies. For Greeks, keeping the fire
burning during the 12-day period from
Christmas Eve through to the Epiphany on
January 6 was once a way of keeping the
kallikantzari at bay.
Easter, ‘Pascha’
Pascha in Greek, is the most
sacred and celebrated of all Greek
holidays. The word ‘Pascha’ comes from
Hebrew and it means ‘pass over’.
over’
Easter begins with a 40-day fasting,
ending within the Holy Week during which
a complete fasting diet is followed. No
meats, dairy, fish, poultry or dishes that
are prepared
d with
ith th
these ffoods
d can b
be
eaten.

The
Greek Orthodox Church does not always
celebrate Easter on the same date as the
Catholic or Protestant Church does. The
reason is
i that
h the
h O
Orthodox
h d Ch
Church
h uses the
h
Julian calendar when calculating Easter.
Good Friday
Most shops and businesses are closed and flags
are flown at half-mast in commemoration to
Christ.

On Friday evening the coffin of Christ is
decorated with gold cloth and fresh flowers,
where the faithful bow and stoop to kiss the
symbolic body of Christ.
After this follows the p
procession of the '
Epitaphios' which is carried out of the church and
paraded through the streets in a lengthy funeral
procession.

'Anastasi' - resurrection is the most important day of the
Easter calendar.
calendar At midnight all the lights are extinguished
in the church and the priest comes from behind the doors
of the altar carrying a candle. He walks to somebody in the
front row and lights their candle, this person with his pass
the light from candle to candle and the light fills the
church. The light is a symbol of the resurrection. Everyone
kisses one another and say 'Christos Anesti' - Christ has
risen, 'Alithos Anesti' - truly He has risen. The candle is
carried back home,
home taking care the flame is not
extinguished. At the house 3 crosses are made with the
flame above the entrance door, in order to bless the house
and its inhabitants by the light of Christ's resurrection. It is
also customary to light a huge bonfire in the churchyard to
burn Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus

It is tradition after the mass,, when the p
people
p g
go
home they sit down and eat 'mageiritsa' a soup
made of lamb's innards bringing the fasting to an
end. After the 'mageirista'
g
dyed
y red,, hard-boiled
eggs are brought to the table. The egg is a
symbol of Resurrection, representing the
emergence
g
of Christ from His tomb to
everlasting life. The red color signifies the blood
of Christ. The tradition is that people rap their
eggs
gg against
g
their relatives' eggs
gg and the owner
of the last un-cracked egg is considered lucky.
The
costumes of Greece are a beautiful part
p
of a very rich cultural history
Some of the characteristics of Greek folk
costumes can be traced back to elements in
ancient Hellenic and Byzantine costumes.
The costumes of the mainland and of the
islands are different.
Veryy little has survived to g
give us an indication of
what ancient Greek dance or music was like. No
secular music was notated during the Byzantine
Empire.
p
Nikolaos Politis, the greatest Hellenic folklorist
of all, documented and published the most
extensive works of folklore traditions and
customs.
Politis believed that a significant amount of
present day traditions were based on ideas that
present-day
were virtually timeless, but were distinctive and
unarguably Greek in the way in which they were
expressed.
expressed

Greek dancing
g unites the Greeks to each other
and reinforces the essence of community.
The circle dance has been danced in Greece
since ancient times. Researchers have found
many artworks depicting dance poses from the
ancient and Byzantine periods which bear a
striking resemblance to the Greek dances of
today. Indeed, certain dances (Hasapiko,
Kalamatiano, Serra, & Tsakoniko) can be traced
back hundreds or thousands of years.
years

The
Evil Eye
Matiasma, malocchio, mal de ojo. Greek,
Italian and Spanish for the evil eye. Its
modern presence can be felt most strongly in
Mediterranean nations, as well as in India
and the Spanish-influenced
Spanish influenced South American
countries.
To
most Greeks,, those who cause
matiasma are not bad people, though
some do believe that only malicious,
envious individuals cause the ailment.
The afflicted become sluggish and
nauseous and suffer from a feeling of
“having
having something inside you
you” – a lump in
the throat. Some believe that matiasma
can kill or maim livestock, cause
mechanical failure in machinery
machinery, even
topple carts of fruit and brick walls.
Infants
are especially susceptible. A young
baby can die if the cure is not administered
in time. Those who are aware of the dangers
off praise
i often
f
spit
i after
f
paying
i a
compliment. They may make a spitting
motion or sound when offering praise to a
newborn, or mutter “let it not be
bewitched.”
For
adults,, matiasma is not usuallyy
considered to be life-threatening. The
cure – xematiasma – is relatively simple,
though it varies from person to person, as
does the manner of diagnosis.
If someone is afflicted by matiasma, a
drop of oil placed in a glass of water
sitting before the patient will dissolve
rather than float on the surface.
The
Th G
Greek
kO
Orthodox
h d Ch
Church
h also
l b
believes
li
in the evil eye, and they refer to it as
"Baskania".
Never
hand some one a knife. Set it down
and let them pick it up, or else you will
get into a fight with that person.
Greeks
G k believe
b li
very much
h iin the
h power off
garlic to keep evil away. You will usually
find beautiful braids of Garlic, or some
huge, one of a kind head, dangling in the
entrances of shops, restaurants and
h
homes.
It is
i th
thought
ht th
thatt garlic
li nott only
l
wards off the evil eye but also keeps
away evil
ev l sp
spirits
ts a
and
d de
demons.
o s.
Bread
is considered a gift from God. No
bread is ever thrown away. If it is not eaten
in some way or another, it is fed to the
animals
i l - chickens
hi k
or pigs,
i
and
d even d
dogs, as
it would be a sin for it to end up in the
garbage and has to be consumed by some
living creature.
Greek
Orthodox priests are very revered.
When greeting one, it is customary to kiss his
hand or ring in respect. But it’s considered a
b d omen to see one walking
bad
lki iin the
h street,
and most folk whisper ‘Skorda (garlic)’ under
their breath.

Greeks spit
p for a number of superstitious
p
reasons. The most common is to keep evil away
from you. For example, if you hear of some one
speaking
p
g of misfortune or bad news,, and fear the
possibility of the same thing happening to you,
you would spit three times on your own person.
Greeks sayy " Ftise Ston Korfo Sou" or looselyy
translated, spit on yourself/your cleavage. It
wards off the evil from coming to you. Now I’m
not talking
g about drawing
g from the depths
p
of
your throat… a simple little spray will do. Spit
three times and remember …Ptew not Phtewwey.
Sometimes two p
people
p have the same thought
g
and speak the same words at the same time.
Take for example two girlfriends going out
shopping
pp g together
g
and stopping
pp g to admire a dress
in a window. They both say ‘That’s Beautiful’
simultaneously.
Greeks believe this to be an omen that those two
persons will get into a fight and they say to
‘Piase Kokkino’ or ‘Touch Red’ to avoid the
argument Both persons have to touch something
argument.
that’s red, right then and there. Any item will
do, clothing, food – anything.

Tuesday
the 13th of the month that is
considered unlucky in Greece and not
Friday the 13th.
The
Th Fall
F ll off C
Constantinople
i
l
Constantinople was so heavily defended
by its'
its surrounding walls that even when it
fell it was a surprise to the west. It was
unimaginable that such a well constructed
defense, the best ever in the world at the
time could be breached.
The
number 13 on its own is not an unlucky
number in Greek culture. The opposite is
often considered true by many Greeks, that
i that
is
h the
h number
b thirteen
hi
iis considered
id d to
be lucky. Some areas in Greece say that the
number 13 represents the 12 apostles and
Christ with Christ being the 13th member.
In
Greek superstition if you sneeze it is
believed that somebody is talking about
you. Since you do not know who the person
i you may try to fi
is
figure out b
by saying
i out
peoples names. If you say a name and you
stop sneezing it is thought that that is the
person who is talking about you.
In
Greek superstition
p
if yyou have an itchyy
hand it foretells that you are either going
to receive or give money.
If you
you're
re right hand is itchy it indicates
that you will get money. If you're left
hand is itchy it indicates that you will
give money.
money If both hands are itchy then
you will both give and receive money.
In general the right hand is considered to
b luckier
be
l ki then
h the
h lleft
f h
hand.
d For
F this
hi
reason it said that you receive from the
right
g and give
g
from the left.
God
loves the burglar, but he loves the
householder too.
''St. Nicholas, help me!'' - ''Give yourself a
hand as well''.
~God helps him who helps himself.
Here
H
the
th hens
h
cackle,
kl th
there th
they llay eggs.
You
spoke
p
to me differently,
y, father,, before
you were ordained.
Manolios changed; he turned his clothes
inside out
inside-out.
Pity the man who has no nails to scratch
himself.
Expensive in barn and cheap in flour.
The building of the village was not yet
complete,
l t and
d th
the b
beggars arrived!
i d!
If
you want to see a Greek church or
monastery inside, you must be properly
dressed. It's considered rude to enter a
church
h h if your shoulders
h ld
and
dk
knees aren't
'
covered. This rule goes for both men and
women.
Since
1982 it has been legal to have a civil
marriage. But still 95 % are married
religiously in the church.
The rosary that most of the Greek men are
holding in their hands, sitting outside the
kafeneion (cafe in Greece)
Greece), has no religious
meaning, but is only a way of killing time
From
ancient empires (China, Java, and
India, Persia) the peripatetic Shadow
Theater crossed into the Ottoman Empire
where he flourished as Karaghöz, (Dark
Eye) the often bawdy, rowdy, character
th t' ttypical
that's
i l off th
the T
Turkish
ki h K
Karaghöz
hö
tradition.
When Ottoman Greece discovered
Karaghöz and baptized him Karagiozis.
Greece
is among the very few European
countries that adopted shadow theatre,
abandoning, however, its religious aspect
and adding the provincial Greek culture
culture'ss
own uniqueness to it. Thus, shadow
theatre slowlyy developed
p into an art form
of its own kind, acquiring a Greek
interpretation which also included music,
acting and social satire incorporated with
traditional folklore.
The
themes of each "Karagiozis"
g
play
p y were
adapted to various current social and
political issues, as well as to historical events
of Ottoman
Ottoman-ruled
ruled Greece
Greece. These historical
"Karagiozis" plays were very popular in the
past and during times of crises, as they lifted
the audience's
audience s spirits and offered hope.
hope

Through
g the main character,, Karagiozis,
g
,a
puppeteer would satirise authority figures and
situations. Ugly and hunchbacked, Karagiozis
represented
p
the common folk,, in a collision with
everyone and everything unjust, whether it be a
social or political injustice. He often pretended
to be a man of all trades in order to find work
and sought silly but cunning solutions to the
various difficult and strange situations he'd get
into. Karagiozis,
g
, the p
puppet
pp character,, is famous
for his pranks, which he set up to tease those
around him.
The
Seven Beasts and Karagiozis
A comedy in four acts, it connects with
the Hellenistic period though materials
associated
i d with
i h Al
Alexander
d the
h G
Great and
d
the early Christian hero St. George,
martyred in the fourth century. The play
is known in ten versions; its popularity
and the wealth of cultural information
th versions
the
i
provide
id suggestt th
thatt th
the play
l
can be conceived as a mythic statement
relevant
eleva t to tthe
e pol
political
t cal llife
eo
of G
Greece.
eece.

Karagiozis
g
is the storyy of an outsider making
g
desperate attempts to become assimilated into a
world structured on concepts he neither relates
to nor understands. It is suggested
gg
that p
perhaps
p
the Karagiozis is the unwritten history of the
Greek people trying to conform to the laws,
customs,, values,, fashions and p
politics of Western
Europe that had been imposed upon them by the
countries that helped liberate them from the
Turks. The Greeks with their own local traditions
were trying to do things in a way that even
though seemed superficial to them were
progress
g
with the rest of the world
essential to p