Greek folklore

The story of Maria Pentagiotissa contains all the elements of an urban legend, yet she was a real person and some consider her to be the first femme fatale in modern Greece. Maria Daskalopoulou is said to have been born...

August 27th marks the celebration of St. Fanourios, and, to honor him, Greek women typically bake a Fanouropita, or Saint Fanourios Pie, in hopes of finding something they have lost. The martyr is known for helping the faithful find lost...

The eastern slopes of Mount Helicon have been known as the Valley of the Muses since ancient times. They were the site of an ancient Greek sanctuary where, since the 3rd century B.C., the Thespians would organize Mouseia festivals...

Hundreds of people descend on the town of Langadas near Thessaloniki each year to participate in the ancient fire-walking ritual of "Anastenaria" in which barefoot people walk on glowing coals. The communities which celebrate this ritual are descended from refugees...

Rizitika songs are the oldest type of Cretan music, originating from the western part of the Greek island, but now heard in central and eastern Crete as well.

Siesta time is a sacred tradition of the Greeks, spanning back many centuries. Although modern life has had an impact on the short nap (taken in the early afternoon often after the midday meal), in the less touristy parts of...

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,...

Karpathos, the second-largest island in the Dodecanese island chain, is a place where women dominate.

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...

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...