A Greek Story from the Aegean Sea!
When you holiday on a Greek island, you most likely enjoy having lunch or dinner in a picturesque seaside tavern. Here below a story that we found in a nice taverna on the island of Syros.
Greek recipe : Stuffed Tomates and Peppers (Gemista)
“Gemista”, or usually translated in English as “stuffed tomatoes and peppers” is a traditional Greek dish and easy to make food. It also smells wonderful! You will be delighted!
Greek Listening Exercise About A Greek Tradition
In the following video you will see teacher Konstantinos and three other Omilo members picnicking in the background. This video is taken in the Singrou Park of Maroussi (Nord Athens), at 600 meters from the Omilo school and was made for the Omilo Quiz about Greece. Konstantinos asks two questions. He also explains more about the “sarrakosti” traditions.
Listen to the video to practice your Greek listening skills. You can read the Greek text also below the video, as well as the English translation.
Βίντεο – Text
Γεια σας. Αυτή η ερώτηση έχει να κάνει με τις παραδόσεις της Ελλάδας. Ψάχνουμε το όνομα μιας συγκεκριμένης μέρας.
Αυτή η μέρα είναι η πρώτη μέρα της Σαρακοστής. Η Σαρακοστή είναι μία περίοδος 40 ημερών όπου νηστεύουμε, δηλαδή δεν τρώμε κρέας αλλά ούτε και γαλακτομικά προϊόντα. Αυτήν την ημέρα πηγαίνουμε στα πάρκα, στην φύση, κάνουμε πικ-νικ με πολύ συγκεκριμένα φαγητά και επίσης πετάμε αυτό εδώ.
Έχω 2 ερωτήσεις για σας:
– Πώς λέγεται αυτή η μέρα;
– Πώς λέμε αυτό εδώ που πετάμε ψηλά στον ουρανό;
Translation of what Konstantinos says.
Hello. This question is related to Greek traditions. We are looking for the name of a particular holiday.
This is the first day of “Sarakosti”. “Sarakosti” is a 40-day period during which we fast, in other words, a period we do not eat meat or dairy products. On this day we go to the parks, in the nature, we organize picnics with very specific foods, and we also fly this “thing” you see here.
I have 2 questions for you:
– What is the name of this particular day?
– What is the name of “this thing” that we fly high up in the sky?
Can you answer the questions?
You can find the answers below or in the following article : https://www.omilo.com/kathara-deftera-clean-monday/
PS. After this day, we start counting 40 days till Easter, and the period is called “sarakosti”
Click here for more info more info: https://www.omilo.com/advents-calendar-greek-easter/
Answers:
1. Καθαρά Δευτέρα (Kathara Devtera) – Clean Monday
2. Ο χαρταετός (chartaetos) – the kite
Carnival in Greece – a lively tradition
The aim of Carnival is to encourage all citizens, and visitors, to be a part of a lively, fun-filled celebration, which takes place in many venues, squares, streets and schools of villages, towns or city neighborhoods. In Greece, Carnival is a big winter celebration, during which Greeks really enjoy themselves, organize many parties and eat a lot of meat!
Greek traditional product : mastic or mastiha
Mastiha is a product that comes from the mastic tree. The sticky secretion, the resin, has the color of old wax and might not seem very special, but it has become a product that is known and wanted all over the world. Mastic has not only a unique taste but it has also been shown by scientific research that it is beneficial for the health. When a mastiha tree produces the resin, locals often refer to it as “tears”, or the “crying mastiha tree”!
Alkionides Meres – Greek Mythology Combined With Sunny Winter Days
As in every country and season, there are natural phenomena. A Greek winter can be cold and in the mountainous areas, it always snows. However, every year there are also some very warm days with a lot of sunshine. They are called the “Halcyon days” or “Alkionides Meres”. Unfortunately, we never know on which days exactly those calm bright days will come. Usually, it is the period after Christmas until the end of January when there is a non-interrupted period of days with clear blue skies and warm temperatures, which at least in the Athens region can reach more than 20°C during day-time. Read more
The Vasilopita-The Greek New Year cake
In Greece, there is a nice tradition of baking the “vasilopita”, a special cake for the New Year, to start things off right! When cutting the cake into slices on New Year’s Day, Greeks will name each slice as they cut it, after everyone in the family and friends. Usually also a coin is hidden in the bottom of the cake. Whoever is lucky enough to get the coin in their slice is considered especially blessed in the coming year! So maybe a nice Greek tradition to also try it with your family and friends back home?
Greek Christmas Traditions
Here below you will find information about some Christmas traditions in Greece. As a listening exercise you can click on the button above, where you will find the text in Greek while listening to teacher Konstantinos reading the text for you.
Read more
The Greek National Holiday of October 28th
In every country some days of the year are considered as “national anniversaries” because they remind everybody of important historical events. For most of the people, as well as for public services, these days are also “public holidays”.
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Hammam: an Oriental experience in Athens
Athens combines elements from classical antiquity, the Ottoman past and a modern city. Since it was under Ottoman occupation between 1458 and 1833, it also had public baths called hammams. When you come to Athens today, you can visit the Bath of the Winds or experience spa services at one of the modern hammams of the city.
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