Traditions and everyday life in Greece
Festivals, family customs, favourite places and everyday traditions, written by members of Global Penfriends who live in Greece. Each cultural keepsake is a short note about life where they are.
23 keepsakes from Greece
Faith
Theofania Celebration Greece
Theofania is an annual Greek religious celebration that is held a week after the new years day and it's connected to Christianity since it's beginning ( Christ's baptism) .This day is the closure of the Christmas days…
Shared by Sofia Ch.
Activity
The Athenian Train
If you ever visit Athens then you should be aware of the three main tracks which are the bread and butter for any tourists trying to get across the city. The Athenian train line, also known as Line 1 is one of those tracks and…
Shared by Alexandros Ag
Faith
Easter celebration
Every Easter my family and I decorate the house with various Ester decorations. On Holy week we go to church. On Holy Thursday we paint eggs red and decorate the in baskets. On Holy Friday we have the custom of epitaph. The…
Shared by Lucy_P
Tradition
Evil Eye (Mati)
A lot of people in Greece believe in the evil eye or the "mati", which is the notion that someone's negative energy or jealousy can affect you, causing headaches, yawning or even nausea. Some people claim to know the cure and…
Shared by PhantomintheTheatre
Tradition
Greek national celebration
Greeks celebrate the 25th March a double holiday: a historical and a religious one. Greeks celebrate the War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire. The “Greek Revolution” was a successful war of independence waged by the…
Shared by Ch1983
Place
Old fortress of Corfu
The old fortress of Corfu town, it was built by the venetians to control a big part of the coastal line of the east part of the island. It was used mainly to protect the people of the island from pirate attacks and nowadays it is…
Shared by Zinaki
Tradition
Easter in Corfu
So well Greece it’s a religious place and we celebrate Easter and the best thing about Corfu it’s the fact that people come from all Europe to see the way we celebrate. We throw vases from our balconies in order to keep the bad…
Shared by Christiannage
Activity
Visting family in Ioannina
Every year when its summer people usually friends and family will visit their extented family in their homwtown so that they can see their relatives and spend some time together.Most people are from either a city an island or a…
Shared by Heathfelloffacliff
Place
Greek islands
Greek islands are famous for their beaches, where you can do a variety of sports or simply relax and sunbathe. They are also well known for their Mediterranean cuisine, the pleasant weather almost all year round, their beautiful…
Shared by ana72
Tradition
Filotimo and Meraki the Greek virtues
Filotimo is an Ancient Greek word that means love of honour! It’s an untranslatable word and nowadays it describes a variety of virtues like courage, justice etc! Meraki is when you love doing something so much that you end up…
Shared by Nick Fal
Tradition
Greek Carnival (Apokria)
The Greek Carnival season is a two week long celebration where people dress up like halloween, drink and celebrate. It take place three weeks before the Orthodox Easter, and end with Clean Monday, where the lent starts
Shared by MoonGeto
Tradition
Flying a kite , Lent
On the first monday of lent, before easter, every single family is flying a kite. According to the tradition the kite symbolises the soul of the human, trying to be free from everything that keeps it trapped on earth.
Shared by Boann
Tradition
The tradition of pomegranates
The ritual happens around New year's. Greek households hand a pomegranate above the entrance of the house. It is believed to bring prosperity and fertility to the family. It also signifies renewal and regeneration
Shared by B4tn3st
Place
Town of Ioannina
Ioannina my favorite place in Greece, located in the mountains. The photo is from the old town, with an ottoman mosque and an orthodox church together.Our lake can also be seen in this photo
Shared by Themislemmy
Everyday life
Against the city’s grey
I wanted to tell you about INO, a brilliant street artist based in Athens. He's known for his thought-provoking murals that breathe new life into the city's often overlooked architecture.
Shared by Marieltou
Family life
Celebrating xmas
Celebrating Christmas with family and friends is the most happiest holiday season in my country. To reunites the whole family ,eating together, laughing and having fun all day.
Shared by Mia pearl
Event
National Holiday
In Greece we celebrate the beginning of a victorious war (war of independence 25th of March 1821 , October 28th 1940 start of the Greco-Italian war) instead of its end.
Shared by Blue_traveller
Place
White Tower of Thessaloniki
Located in the center of Thessaloniki, this 15th-century Ottoman tower originally served as a fortress and a prison. Today, it stands as a museum open to visitors.
Shared by Ulomp
Tradition
Traditional songs and dances
We, Greeks, are very proud of our culture our songs and our dances perhaps more than any other country. These are some traditional clothing we wear when we dance.
Shared by Foiv1
Tradition
The start of the olympic games
Girls 20-25 year go to ancient Olympic, they wear greek ancient clothes and illuminate the olympic flame.
Shared by AlexianaWant to hear about life in Greece first-hand? Write to a penpal who lives there.
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