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| WHAT TO KNOW |
| ABOUT GREECE |
| Why tree trunks are painted white; |
| QUESTIONS and ANSWERS |
| Why and what are the monuments you often see by the roads in Greece; |
| Why greek men are often seen occupied with some kind of chain; |
| Why they hang a garland on the front door of their homes; |
| Why almost every house in Greece seam to have an unfinished roof; |
| Why everything's closed for several hours in the middle of the day; |
| The white paint is insectacide.It's to keep destructive bugs from causing demage to the tree. White paint is also used to prevent sun scald,which can occur in late winter and early spring.The sun makes the sap flow,and then when the sun sets,the tissue will freeze and injure the tree. Therefor they shade and seal the tree using white paint,whitch reflects the sun. |
| Why do greeks break plates; |
| Platebreaking is another way of applausing musicians and dancers! This is NEVER done with force!Just an easy drop of the plate. It's a concept of 'kefi',meaning good humour and fun. Breaking plates always occur on happy occasions,and is a spontanious act of joy. This is rarely done in Greece today and it's now replaced by throwing flowers. Drunken tourists with bad aim is part of the reason flowers now are considered more appropriate. Non-greeks have a hard time seeing this as anything but an aggressive act. We're unable to relate this action to appriciation and joy and therefor react like we're programmed to and feel hostile and angry while breaking things. Combined with alkohol it's easy to see how things can get out of hand. The idea is not to harm the performers or even unease them. So today this is even illigal in Greece and only take place in private arrangements or under special supervision and control at some tavernas. |
| If a greek thinks he has a better car than you,he is obligated to proove it.They show their superiority by driving to impress and endanger. They'll be tailgating,passing on the right,speeding up just to gain a few meters and so forth. This is part of the greek mentality and even if not all,as many as 95% act this way.The other 5% are just frightened as they would say. And with good reason according to the amount of traffic accidents in Greece. Even though it's required by law,noone wears a helmet or put on their seatbelts.And the police do not enforce traffic laws. |
| Why they're such crazy drivers; |
| Why there's so many named Kosta,Yannis or Georgious in Greece; |
| This is not due to a lack of imagination. To get baptized in the orthodox church you have to be named after a saint. In Greece namedays are more important than birthdays.Every day of the year is dedicated to a saint and those named after it. Also it is a custom to name the child after the grandparents on the father's side. This way many cousins end up with the same name. This custom,i bet,can be very annoying to foreigners who marry into a greek family and want to choose another name for the child. Not following the tradition will be very insulting to the grandparents, even if the name is hopeless in any other language than greek. In Greece it's very unusual to have to firstnames,and especially for boys. |
| They're called road shrines and are shrines of rememberance. Often in honour of victims of road accidents. Inside there's candles or oil lamps,icons and sometimes a picture of the victim/victims and a cross on top of the shrine. And they are everywhere! A reminder that Greece has the second most traffic accidents in Europe. The candle's supposed to always burn.The first passing driver to notice will often stop and lit the candle if the flame has gone out. Some greek families keep a shrine in front of their home in order to bless it. Also survivers of traffic accidents can put up a shrine to honour the saints for saving their lives. The shrines come in different sizes and some look like small chapels. |
| The garlands are made on May 1st whitch is the Feast of Flowers. Feast of Flowers is a celebration of spring and flowers. It marks the end of winter and the beginning of new life. It was really an ancient pagan celebration called the Beltaine. The garland is a symbol to welcome spring. May 1st is also Labour Day,and the workers used to carry flowers in the Labour day parade. The garland or wreath was also used in the ancient greek olympic games as the trofee for the victory champions. Somewhere in Greece you'll see dried garlands on the front doors. They leave it there until it sort of falls apart on its own. But other places in Greece the garlands get collected on midsummernight and carried down to the sea shore,where they are made into piles and lit on fire after the sun sets. While they burn,kids are allowed to jump over the fire. If you ask,many in Greece don't know why they make the garlands,they just do because it's always been done. The tradition probably came together as a combination of the two hollidays,and the old pagan custom. The church still see this as a pagan ritual. |
| They're called worry beads and they have no religious meaning. Playing with the beads is a way of killing time and a great way to release stress. Keeping your hands busy this way has somewhat the same kind of effect as meditation.The bead is also common in the middle eastern countries. |
| In Greece you see many houses where iron bars stick on top of the roofs. The reason for this is to simplify the building of another floor in the furture. It's NOT to avoid paying taxes as some may argue! The greeks seam to constantly be building houses,and they are!!! Greek parents build a house for each daughter as a wedding gift when they marry. Often they add a new floor to their own home for their daughter and husbond to live in. So the unfinished rooftops might indicate there's an unmarried daughter in the family. Since the greeks tend to live in the moment and only build what they need today,they might plan to extend but it won't be done until it's necessary and needed. In Greece it's always the daughter who inherit the house when the parents pass away. |
| Eating alone is very unlikely in Greece,so the waitor probably thinks you're waiting for someone. And it is impolite to ask for the order before all the guests have arrived. |
| Why the waitor might not come to your table when you sit alone in a restaurant; |
| Thefts are very,very rare in Greece. If it do happen it is probably done by a tourist and not a local. The reason for this is that it's considered too humiliating to steal other people's things and money. But it is ok to cheat and trick a bit! |
| Why there are hardly any thefts done by greeks; |
| It's time for siesta! Usually between 13.00 and 17.00,and during this time almost everything is closed. The greeks spend half this time eating and the other half resting. First they clean up their stores before they go off to eat their large lunches. Then they rest or sleep or relax with friends and family. Since they stay up rather late every night,it's a great idea to rest for a few hours during the hottest part of the day. It's important to respect this and let it be nice and quiet during this time period. Greeks have a different view on time and what's morning and evening.Read more..(see below) |
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| There's more.... |
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