Greek folklore
Ancient Greece
Meet the Anemoi, the Greek Gods of Weather
Ancient Greeks believed that the weather, like nearly everything else on earth, was the result of divine activity. Wind, specifically, was associated with the Anemoi, or the Greek gods of the wind.
The Anemoi are the four gods named Boreas,...
History
Karpathos: The Greek Island Where Women Dominate
Karpathos, the second-largest island in the Dodecanese island chain, is a place where women dominate.
Ancient Greece
Vampires in Greece: From Ancient Greek Creatures to the Vrykolakas
Vampires are some of the most famous creatures of the horror, and now romance, genres. The folklore of countless cultures around the world features some sort of vampire figure, and Greece's Vrykolakas is no different.
The Greek vampire is an...
Greece
The Vampire Who Haunted Mykonos Island
Mykonos, Greece's most famous island, is well-known for its luxurious amenities, party atmosphere, and the Hollywood celebrities who visit the island each year. However, little is known about the vampire who haunted the island.
According to Greek folklore, there was...
Culture
Greeks Celebrate Saint George’s Day in Style at Arachova
The celebration of Saint George on April 23rd is one of the most important feasts in Greece and at Arachova in particular where the saint is the town's patron.
For days this town in central Greece prepared for a local...
Animals
Modern Critics Rally Against “Inhumane” Greek Easter Lamb Feast
For Greeks, the annual roasted lamb, slowly turning on the spit on Easter Sunday, is not only a mouth-watering delicacy but also part of a centuries-old tradition written into the national psyche.
The event brings together family and friends outdoors and...
Animals
Why Greeks Roast a Whole Lamb on the Spit on Easter Sunday
The picture of a whole lamb slowly turning on the spit over charcoal and the smell that accompanies it spells Easter Sunday for Greeks.
Greece
Tsoureki: The Traditional Sweet Bread of Greek Easter
Tsoureki (τσουρέκι in Greek) is the traditional sweet yeast bread Greeks make every year on Holy Thursday, which is then consumed on Easter Sunday.
Early in the morning on Holy Thursday throughout Greece, women start kneading the dough for the...
Greece
Greeks Mark Holy Friday With Solemn Epitaphios Processions
Holy Friday, or Good Friday, is a profoundly mournful day in Greece which commemorates the Passion of Christ with the traditional Epitaphios processions.
A nationwide affair, it recalls the moments leading up to and including the crucifixion of Jesus Christ,...
Greece
March 25 Marks the Annunciation, A Feast for Orthodoxy and Hellenism
March 25 is a very important date for Hellenism as it marks both the anniversary of the Greek War of Independence and the Annunciation.