Greek traditions?

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Very good question!
Many traditions are still kept, like a real strong sense of family, naming the children after the grandparents, loving Greece a lot, etc.
However, as Dellarovere said, traditional dances are being lost; pretty quickly. People have started to listen to other kinds of music and leaving behind their own, which certainly holds a lot of what the Greek culture is.
I know all this is part of a modernisation process, that is given everywhere. But still Greek culture is so beautiful and timeless, that really should be kept as one of the greatest treasures lovely Greece has to offer.

Regards from Peru.

Dellarovere

Greeks are keeping some traditions only superficially. At my vitsits to greek provincial towns and villages I realized that the traditional music has been substituted by popular songs of bad quality, the traditional dances have been forgotten and substituted by "tsifteteli" or "zeibekikos", while some groups and organisations give a fight to keep alive the original greek traditional music and dances, with no help by the State.
On the other hand, almost all museums of traditional arts are neglected, like the one in Plaka - Athens, which used to be a very rich and beautiful one.
As for traditional customs there still survive some, but always related to some religious feasts.
Greek traditional cuisine has been forgiven or neglected as well.
Having studied greek folklore and being a collector of greek traditional articrafts I feel deeply disappointed of this situation...

Frank B

Neither the Greeks nor any other western nation keeps its traditions. This has always been the case of course. Old will always gives its position to the new. The new is not necessarily better though... In Greece, I regard this "new" as a wannabe neocon / neo-yapee culture mixed "elegantly" with an Orthodox Christian flavor (arrogance + delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence...all so Byzantine...)

Not great...Isn't it?

But then, in few instances, I must say Greece surprises you pleasantly with some cultural traditions that go back thousands of years.

Sometimes, I don't know who I really am in this country or where I belong to :)

Selena

Dear Leonarda,

To find your real traditions, I had to go to small villages and I will never forget that amazing wedding party somewhere deep in the Peloponnese!
Unfortunately, just like everywhere else, traditions are disappearing and are becoming a tourist attraction. But it is up to us to keep them alive and to blend them with modern society! Whilst living in French Polynesia, I noticed that young people revived ancient traditions and really tried hard to teach them to everybody, even tourists. I once met a young man who told me that his dream would be to go abroad and take artifacts from his country and explain traditions. I really respected him a lot for this and thought if only everybody could do a small gesture like that, the world could really change. Not only could we learn from each other but also it would reduce by a lot racism and other social problems. So, inspired by him, I usually take something traditional from my country and give it to someone from the country I am going to visit. Rome was not built in one day and we all can make a difference through little contributions.
We are the people, we are the culture!

reifguy

i can tell u one thing ,u r a great ambassador of greek traditions and habits and lifestyle to the world,,,u knowledge me a lot,,and all i know is the warmness of hospitality u get will be a reflection of so many traditions,,,some get lost and renewed with new life styles ,,but whats greek is always greek,

Pilots never fear!

Of course we are.......... Some greeks don't but I DO!!!! Even if i am 12!!!......But Greece tries to get more into things,tries to get modern......... Thats what our goverment is working on........ FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE A MODERN FUTURE! :)
Take care,your greek friend Eleanna

ele

It's true Greeks like keeping the traditions but it's impossible to preserve them intact...only the eldest remember how things were done back then and only the most popular ones are kept by the new generation....

uic9999

It's like in Romania. In some ways you are modern (thinking, acting), in some areas you like to keep the traditions alive. It's quite hard to keep a balance between old and new. People are coming in Greece (Elada) to see the old stuff - traditions, buildings etc. But they are pleased to find also modern facilities. I've been in Greece (4.000 km) from north to south, I've seen all the interesting stuff, but also we went in non-commercial sites. We were in villages, to see the real life in Greece, to talk with the simple guy, to see other types of menthalities. Every major city or capital is, in some ways, the same... You can not know about a country if you are going in Bucharest, Athens or Sofia.

zigzag

The traditions are kept, especially by the greeks of abroad, who raise up their children with all the greek ideals..This is what keeps a country alive...

chrisvoulg1

I think that the corect answer is somehow in the middle.Some Greeks want to forsake their traditions because they want to appear as"modernised" and perhaps for other reasons....The rest however try to cling on in elements of these traditions (per ik seondo parte;c'e impossibile perce noi, gli Grecci non siamo cosi maleducati)

yiotadelta

First of all we should define tradition. Is it folklore music and dancing, is it the way of raising up a family, is it artifacts produced in the past in a different way, is it the way our farmer ancestors lived, is it the fear to adapt to real life, what do you mean by tradition? In my opinion, tradition is the excuse to avoid reality. We live in 2007, not in 1835, and we have to face different problems than our ancestors did. And therefore, i.e. folklore is nothing but a tourist attraction -even for the greeks- because it has nothing to do with actual today life.

bidrino

i love you..............

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