Cretanvista Site News & Reviews - August 2010 Issue 90 | |||||||
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AUGUST
WEATHER
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Current Chania Webcam
Current Cretan Weather
Link Small-sized Big event - A Greek Wedding
When we came to our tiny village some seven years ago, the inhabitants were mostly over fifty years of age. One of the few exceptions was Michalis, a noisy and exuberant 25 year old, always at the centre of any celebration. He wore his dark curly hair long, and with his flashing blue eyes and love of life, he was a real magnet for any visiting children, who he would take for rides on his ancient and creaking tractor.
The first summer we were here, when visitors from the mainland returned to their old homes and to see family, the village had a series of barbecues. We could see right away that Michalis was smitten with Eleni, the 20 year old daughter of a couple now living in Thessaloniki. Weeks went by and their contact was limited to smoldering glances across tables full of food and drink. Contact was limited because Eleni's parents did not think Michalis was good enough for Eleni - he was a shepherd/tractor driver with no prospects, and she was a trained hairdresser and a city girl.
At the end of the summer, Eleni and her family returned to Thessaloniki and Michalis went into a period of decline. The outgoing young man became silent and morose, and there was even gossip that he was being treated for depression.
Imagine our happiness for our friend when Eleni and her family returned in October for our church name-day celebrations, and Michalis and Eleni were seen together at the church! This meant that her parents must have had a change of heart; for the couple to be seen together in public where both sets of parents were also present, meant that the relationship now had parental approval.
A condition of the approval appeared to be that Michalis had to leave the village and earn enough money to be able to support a wife. So, sadly, we said our farewells to him as he left to get a job in Thessaloniki, near Eleni.
At the beginning of August this year, Eleni and Michalis returned to the village, bearing wedding invitations for all of us. They were to be married here on Crete, at a tiny church down in the olive groves near the village, on August 15th.
Michalis must have had the longest 'stag do' in the history of Greek weddings. Four nights before the wedding, there was singing and celebratory gunfire coming from his mother's house as he partied with his male friends and relations.
August 15th was in the middle of the hottest heat wave Greece has had for years. Even at 7 pm, when the wedding was due to start, the temperature was more than 35 degrees. We made our way down the track through the olive grove to the tiny church, where Michalis and his family were waiting. The Pappas had decided it was too hot to have the service inside the church, so a table had been set up outside to act as the altar, and two great sheaves of flowers were mounted on columns, one each side of the table. Michalis looked - pale and hung over, but very smart (and hot) in his best suit. His two brothers and his mother were in their best clothes, very proud and happy.
In Greece, the bridegroom waits outside the church with the bride's bouquet, waiting for his bride to arrive. No man has ever looked less at ease holding a bunch of flowers than Michalis did!
Eventually we heard a cacophony of car horns approaching - the signal for the arrival of the bride's party. A cloud of dust enveloped everything for a minute, so the bridal party wisely stayed in their cars until it had settled. All this prolonged the agony for Michalis, who now looked to be approaching a dead faint. Eventually Eleni put him out of his misery and joined him in front of the church, where she was presented with her flowers.
The crowd gathered around and the service began. The Pappas had to ask people to be quiet a couple of times, as they were all chattering away - as they do here. The bride's father kept mopping her brow with his handkerchief (how she must have been suffering in that big white dress!) and Michalis's brothers took it in turns to wipe him down as well.
Eventually, after the ring exchange, the bridal head wreath exchange, the three circuits of the table and the sipping of the wine from the same glass, the Pappas pronounced them married. The happy couple were pelted with rice by all the children, everyone queued to congratulate them, put their gifts of money onto a silver salver, and were given little bags of sugared almonds and tiganista - curly pastries dripping with honey.
Everyone piled back into their vehicles and took the long and winding road back into town where the feast was to be held. The dust storm around the cars was something to behold!
A taverna next to the beach was the venue for the feast - with long tables set out with all the usual celebratory foods; cheese, honey, nuts, bread, chocolates - followed by boiled goat and pilaffi (a rice dish using the meat stock), etc. etc. Although the wedding was tiny by Greek standards, there must have been 200 guests at the feast.
It was hot, it was noisy, we were the only non-Greeks there, so our staying-power was not good. We lasted until about 11.30 pm and then crept away, thinking we would not be missed.
Next day in town, Richard went to the bakery to get some bread. He was made to sit down and explain exactly WHY we had left so early .... there was lots more food, he was told, and the dancing went on until 5 am.....!!!
Some photos of the wedding are shown below. |
If you would like access to the news from Greece on a daily basis, click here: http://www.ekathimerini.com/ In the news this month: Striking truck drivers return to work Striking truck drivers, who have caused recent shortages in many items including petrol, decided to return to work ...... Link to Story. Pot plants discovery Probe into financial irregularities Drugs bust in
Chania Blitz on driving
test examiners Crete hit by
fires Technology failure at
Athens airport Shortage of teachers
for new school year Preveli fire probe Government officials have called for an investigation into how the catastrophic fire near Preveli monastery started... Link to Story. Airforce jets
collide Another try at a smoking
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Earthquake activity in August: A strong undersea quake, measuring 5.4 on the Richter scale, occurred off the coast of Zakynthos on August 23rd, but no injuries or damage were reported. The quake’s epicenter was located in the seabed off the Ionian island’s south western coast. Link to Story. Earthquakes are a
common feature of life in Greece and it is unusual for deaths, injuries
and or damage to buildings to occur. If the earthquake is below 4 on the
Richter Scale, and happens during the day, it can pass completely
unnoticed. With a major anniversary coming up as a cause for celebration, our friends Mike and Jillie decided it would be a good idea to make some ginger beer for their party. For 7 days they fed the 'plant' every morning and then bottled it into plastic lemonade bottles. After some discussion they decided to store it in the bathroom, 'just in case it should leak.' As the days passed, the bottles expanded. The original liquid level had been about 1.5 inches from the top, but as the bottles got bigger the level dropped to about 5 inches from the top. Mike was worried about the pressure building inside the bottles, so carefully released the tops and let some gas out. He was pleased to note that the liquid tasted really good and promised all his friends that there would be lots of real, old-fashioned, home-made ginger beer at the party. Two days before the party, they were woken in the night by a very loud explosion. Mike said he woke on the 'B' of BANG, and heard the noise of plastic flying round the bathroom. He went to have a look and was amazed how many small pieces of plastic one bottle could produce and how much liquid one bottle could hold. Luckily, the only damage was a broken shower curtain ring which had sustained a direct hit. Mike said his initial reaction was to go back to bed and hope it had all been a nightmare. Jillie, being sensible, was worried about the other bottles exploding. A conference was required. Ten minutes later, Mike entered the bathroom again, wearing a snorkeling mask, his heavy waxed coat (back to front, of course) and a pair of thick gardening gloves. Jillie wanted him to put a bucket over his head as well, but he demurred. Working through the shower curtain for extra protection, he gingerly (sorry!) unscrewed the top off the first bottle. A huge fountain of froth, gas and ginger beer shot out, most of it over Mike, and the bottle was made safe. The remainder of the bottles were dealt with in the same way. Jillie pointed out that Mike's task, although dangerous, had taken about 4 minutes. Hers - cleaning the bathroom - took all morning. Sadly, not a drop of the ginger beer survived for a taste test at the party! Maybe for the fiftieth anniversary celebrations?
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Wildlife Gallery - So far 48
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How very Greek... A few days ago we remembered - with a certain degree of embarrassment - that we had forgotten to collect all our winter rugs and bedding from the local dry cleaners. We had taken them in at the beginning of May, and as the shop is not exactly large, had visions of them taking up half the room and getting in the way. I went in sheepishly, and in my best Greek apologised for having forgotten to collect our things. The dear lady laughed out loud and said that it had been much too hot to worry about things like that. So much so that she hadn't actually got round to doing them yet. Could we come back again in about two weeks? That's all for now, folks. Ann and Richard |