Traditions of Greece: Folk dances, music and stories....

[Linet]

In Zakynthos we have several traditions :

Zakynthian Easter needs a whole new thread on its own

Then use your time here

[Vias]

best thread in a while

[Linet]

Pontus

1. Μαχαίρια -Knives . Α very special dance on which 2 dancers pretend to fight each other with knives, till the one dancer to "kill" the other.



2. Κότσαρι - Kotsari



3 Τρυγωνα-Trigona (the dance starts at 0.20 sec)

[Linet]

Macedonia

1.Sofka:
The story behind the dance is this: Sofia, a girl from the village Γρίβα (Griva), daughter of Constantine and Maria Δήμκου was sick, but was hiding her illness from her parents till they found out. Her story became known and also became a dance:




2.Bella Olympia:
Olympia Κοϊου was an infamous for her beauty girl from the same village as above, Griva. When she came of age to get married, rich men and nobles flocked from all over and were offering her rare and expensive presents of enormous value in order to win her heart.
This is Olympias photo on 1913:

And this is the dance she inspired, danced by the girls of her village:




3.Leventikos or putsenko:




4.Γκάιντα-bagpipe:
Mens dance - Traditionaly should be danced only under the music of bagpipes:

[Queen B]

3.Leventikos or putsenko:

[Linet]

Μικρά Ασία - Minor Asia
Greeks dances from lands not Greek any more....

1. Εζ Βασίλη - Εζ Βασίλη (from Ionia)



2.Χορός των μαντηλιών - dance of the scarfs (from Cappadokia)



3. Χορός των σπαθιών - Dance of swords (from Cappadokia)



4. Γιωργίτσα - giorgitsa (from Cappadokia)



5. Σύρε να πεις στη μάνα σου - Go tell your mother (from Cappadokia)

[Linet]

dirty mind....ts ts ts

[Linet]

We have so many dances, is excausting
....how many more to go? 400 without to count the different versions ?

[Queen B]

Easter in Zakynthos:

The celebrations start on Holy Friday with a procession carrying the effigy of the Crucified Christ through main town.

A small ''funny'' custom is for the local youngsters to remove many labels from shop and either change them with others, or collect them all in town's main square.
Early morning on Saturday at about 4'o clock in the morning (unlike the rest of Greece in which it take places late at night of Friday) the "Epitaphios" ( Christ's bier ) is carried through the town symbolizing the funeral of Jesus Christ. (Also, unlike the epitaphies in the rest of Greece, Zakynthos' doesn't have flowers, but it is artistically woodsculptured, with velvet and gold)

Earlier on Saturday (6:30) in the ''first resurection'', a fake earthquake is recarnated out of the church
(knocking the walls of the church,etc)
After that, it is custom to smash water pitchers made of terracotta at St. Marko's Square symbolizing the anger at the Jews for the crucifixion.
On Saturday at midnight, the crowd gathers at St. Marko's Square and celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ together with the patriarch of Zakynthos. The celebration is finished with a big firework.

Our Easter chants are also quite unique as well

[Linet]

Creta and Pontus
The linked story of Pentozalis to the Pontic dance Serra


The Pentozali is a war dance, vigorous, with high jumping movements and allows for much improvisation. It was created to celebrate the decission of the Cretans to begin war against the Turks. It tried to capture the essence of the ancient Doric war-dance Pyrrihios. The original Pyrrihios is still danced by the people of Pontus and is known also as Serra or Tromahton. The Turks loved it and dance it under the name "horon" which in Greek means "dance".

1. Pentozali


2.Pyrrihios or Sera or Tromahton
The dance had special place in the Spartan educational system and celebrations. They would teach it to their children in the idea that this dance itself is a training for war. From Sparta and the rest of the Dorians (Corynthians, Macedonians etc), the dance became also known to the Atheneans about the 6th century BC. From there it soon spread to all the colonies and the entire Greece. Pontic Greeks never stopped to dance and honour it till today