I’m slowly figuring out the main characteristics that make this country strong in every way that is not financial, hah. Because their financial state is so weak, they successfully make up for it everywhere else.
Being anywhere long enough, you can spot the daily customs that make up a specific place. When you hear about Greece, most of these characteristics are brought up quite a bit, and they’re spoken about so much because they’re true.
Here’s some validation featuring photos.
This country is full of mountains and hills. As much as it makes me uneasy walking down some steep hills, it’s pretty cool to see layers in the city of Athens. When I found this spot to stand on, the view was amazing. Flat lands would never give you a view like this. This is the only reason I like hills: the view from a distance is fantastic. Apart from that, I have yet to witness many clouds. The skies are so blue and clear just like their ocean. It’s a sight you don’t see much in America. Especially the crystal clear ocean.
The history means so much to Greeks. Yes, a lot of worldly history was born here and Greeks are real proud of that. They have the right to be. As I’m constantly being reminded by my parents, the rest of the world was swinging on trees when Greeks invented philosophy.
They preserve everything they possibly can to continue sharing their history with the rest of the world. I visited the Acropolis Museum the other day and it was a good reminder of ancient stories that I’ve forgotten about. I always forget how much meaning there was behind everything ever made.
Aside from history, culture means everything. It’s what differentiates themselves from every other culture. They could take credit for a lot of history, but their history is shared everywhere that their own culture is only what they have that truly belongs to them.
During summers, there’s so many cultural events and bazaars that occur. This one dance was happening in the park across the street from where my aunt lives. Dancers from different islands travel to perform their traditional dances because every island has their own traditional dances and outfits. Imagine how many different traditions there are for all them Greek islands. So many!
I’m going to be honest, I don’t know where Greeks stand on religion these days, but no matter what, it will always be part of their culture. As new generations roll around, less youngsters are attending church. Even so, the majority of Greeks are named after saints. Each saint has a day dedicated to them, so those whom are named after saints celebrate these days dedicated to their names which are thought to be more important than birthdays. Religion will always play a role like that even if the attendance at church decreases every year.
While taking a stroll oneday, my aunt brought this shop to my attention. The man that owns this space hand carves all these custom pieces for altars for churches. You have to see these wooden pieces up close to see how insane of a job this is to have. The fact that these are all carved by hand blows my mind. Being a crafty person, I can understand and appreciate the amount of work that goes into works like that.
It’s no exaggeration, Greeks love their feta cheese. I’m sure every Greek person has feta in their fridge. If you take a look, it’ll be there.
When I go food shopping, I’m surprised at how little of other cheese there is. There for sure is no shortage is feta. And there never will be.
I could talk plenty more about other aspects such as their music, instruments, and laid back lifestyle. I’m leaving it open for the possibility of another post. 🙂
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