GREEK NATIONAL DAY - 25 MARCH

25η Μαρτίου - The Greek National Day

Today, the 25th March, is for Greece the date of our National celebration. We celebrate the beginning of the Greek Revolution in 1821 which lead to the rebirth of our the Hellenic Nation (Greece in greek is Ellada or Hellas and we are Hellenes). It is also a religious celebration, we celebrate the day Virgin Mary received the happy news by the Archangel, that she would give birth to Jesus Christ. It is called Evangelismos which means "happy news" in greek. The two celebrations are connected symbolically. The cross in our flag signifies the connection of our country with the Christian religion. The number of the waves in the flag, which are nine, signifies the number of syllables the phrase "Freedom or Death" has in greek, which is "Eleftheria e Thanatos". During that day we go to church, we attend parades and we eat bakalao accompanied by a paste made of garlic called skordalia. All countries have a national day, this is our national day.

The Greek flag and the Parthenon in Athens

Evzone or Tsoliades parade

 

Bakalao and skordalia

LETTER ONE QUIZ

Letter One quiz

Most of the partners must have received their first letters by now. So here is a short quiz to find out, what we have learnt from our new pen pals and what we would like to know more. It is fun, let's do it together!

CARNIVAL IN GREECE

Carnival in Greece

In Greece we have similar customs to Serbia. Some of our customs date back to the Dionyssian feasts of ancient Greece or even earlier. They take place during the Carnival time and most of them are meant to sent away bad spirits or evil creatures which cause damages to the crops and to people's properties. They last until the first Sunday of Orthodoxy when fasting begins. Here are some of the costumes they wear in differernt parts of Greece. They belong to our cultural heritage which seems to be shared  in many Balkan countries (which means they are not only our customs), probably due to the long time people have lived side by side, for centuries, exchanging ideas and beliefs, before the birth of nations in the 19th century.

Koudounades

Genitsari

Genitsari and Boules

Koudounades

Momogeri


Clean Monday in Greece - Καθαρά Δευτέρα

Last Monday ( Monday 11th, 2019) for Greece it was Clean Monday. For Greece and Cyprus (Christian Greek Orthodox Church) it signifies the end of the Carnival and the beginning of lent before Easter. It is the 7th Monday before Easter Day and during that day people use ot go to the country side, eat fasting food like halva, squids, octopus, olives, tarama, dolmadakia, beans and lagana ( a kind of bread without yeast). During that day people also fly kites, as a welcome to spring.

Bele poklade - white carnival in Serbia

The holyday is called White carnival because people usually eat white cheese, and the next day the fasting begins. Then people do not eat meat or any product of animal origin (milk, eggs, etc).
There are four holydays called POKLADE: before Christmas, before Easter, before St. Peter's day and before the Day of the Mother of God. 
Prostene ili Procka poklade means that people forgive if others offended them, so other people will forgive us, if we offended them, and so that we can begin the fasting period before the biggest holydays clean and clear. On this day, when cheering to guests by the glass of wine, people say: "Forgive me, for we enter the fasting like a sea", and others say: "Let it be forgiven by God, and you forgive me, too."

WELCOME SPRING!

WELCOME SPRING!!!!

HELLENIC POST - ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΤΑΧΥΔΡΟΜΕΙΑ

Today, we took advantage of the beautiful weather, and with a group of students, we visited our local post-office. We took some photos and asked the post office clerk to inform us about the letter distribution system. The students will spread the information they got to the rest of the students who participate in our project and upload it on our special page and our blog. Hellenic post! We the Greeks are Hellenes, Greece is Hellas. Do you know whose is that face with the feathered hat on the sign?

 

Student's Report of our visit to the post office

In case someone wants to send a letter, he has to go to the local post office. There he buys a stamp, the price of which depends on the destination of the letter and its weight. Then he give the letter to the clerk in the post office.

All the letters are collected and they are sent to Thessaloniki when the post office is closed at 3 o'clock.

In Thessaloniki, the letters are separated according to their destination. However some letters are sent to Athens and from there to their final destination. A night, the latest, they are sent to their recipients in different destinations.

                                                     Reporter: Mary, A class, Ierissos Junior High School

ΜΑΡΤΗΣ

On the 1st March, children and grown ups, usually make a small bracelet with red and white thread. They wear it in March and is supposed to protect them from the hot rays of the sun. You could make one too. It is very easy and it looks nice. Do you have that custom in your country or a similar one?