Considered one of the most sacred holidays in the Greek Orthodox faith, Easter is the day we prepare the biggest and most memorable feast with our family and friends. Every household takes special care and attention to the offerings that will be served and featured that day. At the same token, I will prepare you with the wine offerings for our special Easter feast.
Katerina Karavatou wedding bells!
After much thought for who will be the candidate songs to represent Greece at this year's Eurovision, the ERT decided to formally announce all the songs that will "compete" for the magic ticket to Oslo. Listen to all seven songs that will compete in the national final in Greece on March 12 in the order of their appearance.
This month, Zach Galifianakis will jump onto the silver screen in the upcoming independent feature, “Visioneers”. He stars in this film along with Judy Greer, best known for “27 Dresses” or from her recurring role on the television series, “Arrested Development.” Galifianakis plays George Washington Winsterhammerman, an employee at a successful company where his coworkers begin to spontaneously explode from stress. Afraid he is next to explode, he begins to take steps to ensure his survival which leads him to question the life he is fighting for.
The story of Maria Callas, renowned Greek opera singer, and Aristotle Onassis, the richest man of his time, will be brought to life on screen in 2011. The film is based on the book, Greek Fire by Nicholas Gage, a Greek author who’s family comes from Epirus. The script has been developed by Jullian Fellowes, and will star Eva Mendez as Maria Callas.
This year, the Screen Actors Guild Awards granted the six-time Emmy winner, Betty White with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award.
Maria Menounos is producing “Serial Buddies” a serial killer “buddy” film – think Dexter meets Napolean Dynamite. The actors starring in the film are Hal Rudnick, Paul Ashton, Gina Molina, Richard Christie, and Todd Wilson. Menounos, who also has a role in the movie, commented about her cast that “They are so committed, complaint free and talented”. Keven Undergaro, who has collaborated in the past with Menounos, is the director and writer of the comedy which is currently filming in Connecticut and Massachusetts.
We’ve all had our share of sparkling wine during toasts at weddings, at Valentines Day dinner, at the countdown of New Year’s Eve, and probably offered at a social gathering. But how often do we order a glass or a bottle of sparkling wine as our choice of beverage? Recently, sparkling wine sales have been steadily increasing with creative marketing and trend setting approaches amongst various demographics. This refreshing and effervescent delight has been in production for centuries dating back to the 1600s when wine that was being shipped, accidentally went through a secondary fermentation creating a bubbly effect. This pleasant accident caught on quickly and became popular instantly.
Eight sexy and single contestants will be island hopping the Greek Isles in search for their “Perfect Catch”.
One Of Greece's hottest singers! She has not been to the United States in 5 years. We miss hearing the hits "Masai", "Sex", "Den Pao Kala", "Ki Allo" and more! So therefore, we are happy to announce the North American Elli Kokkinou Tour!
Agia Sophia, the Church of God's Wisdom as it was known, was closely identified with the life of Byzantium and its renowned capital Constantinople, today's Istanbul. Agia Sophia has been for many centuries the symbol of Christianity and of divine power throughout the Byzantine Empire and the Christian world. Built on a hill near Bosporus, in the area of Constantinople that also housed the Great Palace, the Hippodrome and the Augusteum, the "Great Church" for centuries served as the center of Ecclesiastical life for Christendom.
In times of crises, such as sieges, starvation and epidemics, all Christians, Catholic and Orthodox, sought salvation and Holy Grace from the Basilica of Agia Sophia.
Agia Sophia as we know it today was built by Byzantine Emperor Justinian and it accommodated 23,000 people. Its splendor, according to Byzantine writers of the time was without equal. Nothing like it was built before or after. The "Great Church" was dedicated to Jesus Christ the "Wisdom of God", and celebrated its feast day on Christmas (December 25).
Agia Sophia was consecrated in a magnificent ceremony on December 27, 537, A.D., by Emperor Justinian and Patriarch Minas. When the Emperor entered the Church through the royal gates he was so stunned by the grandeur of his work that he turned to heaven and exclaimed "Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such work. Oh, Solomon I have surpassed thee!" referring to the magnificent Temple King Solomon had built in Jerusalem. Succeeding Emperors maintained the vast complex of Agia Sophia and enriched it with priceless gifts.
The "Great Church" remained as the mother church of Christianity and the symbol of the Orthodox Christian faith until the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks in 1453.
The Fall of Constantinople to the Turkish forces led by Sultan Mohammed II on May 29, 1453, interrupted the functioning of Agia Sophia as a Christian Church. By the time Mohammed the "Conqueror" entered Agia Sophia to "pray" a few days after the conquest, the Holy Christian Basilica had already been converted into a mosque.
The conversion of Agia Sophia to a mosque meant that both the interior and the exterior of the "Great Church" underwent significant alterations. The cross above the dome was replaced with a crescent and the first minaret was erected. The magnificent icon of Jesus Christ the Pantocrator (The Almighty) within the dome was gilded over, the altar and icons were removed and the irreplaceable majestic mosaics on the walls of the church were plastered over.
In the 553 years of captivity, many Ottoman Sultans showed particular interest in embellishing and maintaining Agia Sophia as a Mosque. Changes were carried out under Sultan Salim II when a second minaret was built. Two more minarets were constructed during the reign of Sultan Murat III.
With the end of the Ottoman Empire and the creation of the "modern" Turkish State, the use of Agia Sophia as a mosque came to an end.
In May 1934, the government of Turkey converted Agia Sophia into a museum. Today, the mother Church of Christianity, the Great Church of God's Holy Wisdom, functions as a pseudo museum with the title "Ayasofya Muzesi" hosting local and international trade shows, musical concerts, exhibitions, tourist photo ops and other commercial activities.
Some of our long-term viewers may remember way back when GreekBoston hosted a private screening of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. We were the first in the country to promote the movie and we even did a great interview with stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett. We're happy to say Nia is back with another movie based on her Greek heritage and filmed in Greece! We are giving away free tickets to the GreekBoston sneak preview so click here to get your tickets now!Breaking with a no-go policy, applied without distinction to the great and good of modern cinematography, Greece's powerful archaeological council (KAS) has permitted the classical masterpiece to feature in the movie - known for the moment as My Life in Ruins, and produced by Tom Hanks.
Filming of the comedy, a life-long dream of its star, Nia Vardalos, who shot to fame with the autobiographical hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding, is expected to begin in Athens next month. Ms Vardalos, who plays an archaeologist tour guide whose groups get entangled in comic situations among the ruins, struck lucky after convincing KAS that the movie would strengthen Greece's appeal abroad.
Despite persistent requests from some of the world's most acclaimed directors, Greek officials had always rejected the idea of the site, dating from 500BC, being filmed - on grounds it would degrade a monument regarded as sacred.
The actor reportedly spent months explaining the fine details of the comedy.
The movie will be produced by Play Tone, the firm run by Hanks and his half-Greek wife Rita Wilson, and will also feature Delphi, Epidaurus and ancient Olympia. An official at the Greek culture ministry said the 2004 Athens Olympics' successful impact on tourism had "most definitely" helped win the deal. "Ultimately it was decided that a Hollywood film shot in situ after the Olympics would promote ancient Greek civilisation and have long-term benefits for the country."
Hanks, who with Ms Wilson did much to promote Vardalos, a stand-up Los Angeles comic before she was discovered by the Hollywood couple, has a holiday home in Greece and regularly visits.
The decision is all the more startling since My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a low-budget film that became the highest grossing independent feature ever released, also irritated many Greeks who were unhappy at the way they, and their ethnic cousins in the US, were portrayed.
by Paul Delios
US Vice President Joe Biden will hold a meeting late May with the leadership of overseas Cypriots and Greeks, in Washington, who will outline the positions of the Greek-American community on various issues concerning Greece and Cyprus. President of the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (PSEKA) Philip Christopher has said that the meeting will take place 22 of May.
In statements recently in Astoria, Christopher said that the positions of the new US government during its first 100 days in office, on Greek and Cypriot national issues, have been positive.
“The fact that President Obama has held a meeting with the Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis before going to Turkey and that he spoke positively about the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Cyprus issue, as well as his, even brief, meeting with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, is our success”, he noted.
Christopher expressed the view that the Obama government foreign policy on Greek and Cypriot issues would be different and more positive.
He also noted the contribution of Cypriots overseas to the meeting held in Prague between US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Cypriot Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou as well as to Clinton’s positions on the Skopje issue.
(source: CNA)
Our favorite time of year is once again upon us! The celebration of Greek Independence Day is a wonderful time for all Hellenes, especially the Greeks who operate a Greek community website! In order to make things a little easier for all who would like to observe the festivities this weekend, we put together an event list with times, locations, and descriptions so you can pick and choose how you would like to celebrate. Our personal advice to all of our fellow Hellenes would be to attend and support each and every event! Below is our Greek Independence Celebration schedule - ZHTO H ELLAS!
Easter time, from the time before the Lenten fast through Holy Week and the celebrations of Easter, is a special season in Greece. The date of the Greek Orthodox Easter is based on a modified Julian calendar, while the Western world uses the Gregorian calendar, therefore the festivities do not usually occur at the same time as other Christian Easter celebrations.
In 2009 Easter will be celebrated by many Christians on April 19, with many traditions that make Easter in Greece different than Easter celebrations in other lands.
Greek foods and traditions mark the season as uniquely Hellenic. The history of Greece traces back far past the beginnings of Christianity, but from the very earliest days of the Christian faith the Islands of Greece and the Greek people have embraced these beliefs and made them part of the Greek heritage. Of all the Christian feast days, Easter is the greatest time for foods, feasting and celebration to people in the Greek Orthodox faith.
Greek Lenten Traditions
The celebrations for Easter truly begin two months before with Mardi Gras. The Carnival or Apokria season starts on the Sunday of Teloni and Fariséou and ends on Shrovetide Sunday with the Burning of the Carnival King...setting fire to an enormous paper maché effigy of Judas in the early evening. The fireworks and feasting continue throughout the night. The next day, Kathará Deftéra or Kathari Deutera, is known as Clean Monday or Ash Monday
For Greeks, Clean Monday is one of the most festive holidays of the year. Decorated with the colorful local almond trees and mimosas bursting into bloom, nature invites children and their parents into the hills of Athens and the Greek countryside. Flying kites and feasting at local tavernas or outdoor picnics is how Lent begins in Greece.
Htapothi Octopus and calamari or squid, prawns, Soupies Giahni - cuttlefish stewed in wine, rice pilaf with mussels, varieties of bean stews and salads, Taramosaláta - fish roe dip, Lenten dolmades or Dolmáddes - rice stuffed grape vine leaves, Halva a semolina pudding, plenty of meat free salads and the once-a-year lagana, a yeastless bread, are a small portion of the unique tastes of the day accompanied by joyous music.
If Apokria, Kathará Deftéra and Lenten Sunday feasts are the preliminaries for Greek Easter, Holy Week is the peak of these activities. On Holy Thursday the bright dyed red eggs that are symbolic of Easter in Greece are prepared. Tradition says that the Virgin Mother, Mary, dyed eggs this color to celebrated the Resurrection of Christ and to celebrate life. Every Greek family prepares these eggs as part of the Easter Sunday Resurrection Table.
Otherwise, the women in Greek families are busy baking kouloúria - dough cookies and Tsouréki - traditional sweet bread for the Easter feast. In Corfu and Zakynthos earthen water pitchers, Stámnes, are thrown into the street to bring luck.
On Good Friday or Great Friday, flags at homes and government buildings are set at half mast to mark the mournful day. The Procession of the Epitáphios of Christ, the Ritual Lament that has survived from Homeric times, mourns the death of Christ on the Cross with the symbolic decorated coffin carried through the streets by the faithful. On Corfu, the procession of St. Spyridon is held on Easter Saturday.
Holy Saturday is filled with anticipation of the religious celebration of Easter and the Resurrection. People begin to gather in the churches and squares in cities, towns and villages by 11 p.m. for the Easter services. Large white candles, lampáda, are carried by just about all of the faithful. At midnight the church bells toll as the priests announce Christós Anésti...Christ is Risen! Fireworks are set off, in some areas gunshots are fired and the each person in the crowd answers with the joyous responses of Alithós Anésti - Truly He is risen and Alithinós O Kírios - True is The Lord.
Greek Easter - A Time for Family
The people leave the churches and crowded squares and make their ways to homes of friends and relatives. The candles they carry are placed in each home and burn through the night to symbolize the Light returned to the world. Celebrations continue with the cracking of eggs and The Resurrection Table. The Kokkina - pasxalina avga - dyed red Easter eggs that are found on the Resurrection Table become pieces of a traditional game. Each person takes an egg and challengers attempt to crack each others' eggs. The breaking of the eggs is meant to symbolize Christ breaking from the Tomb. The person whose egg lasts the longest is assured good luck for the rest of the year.
The traditional foods on the Resurrection Table: hiroméri - smoked salted pork; cheeses; Magirítsa - a creamy, lemony soup made from the lamb sweetmeats; kouloúra - Greek Easter bread; Tsoureki; Lambropsomo and other Easter breads and plenty of wine, retsina and ouzo insure a feast that will last throughout the night.
After the night of feasting and celebration, everyone is still up early on Easter Sunday morning. The Easter Sunday table is prepared and the festivities continue! The Easter meal is truly a feast. Salads of beans, greens and seafood, vegetable dishes that are grilled or cooked to be served with the rice dishes, Kokoretsi, breads, cakes, cookies, wines, ouzo...
The main dish at the Easter Table is the lamb or goat. Served in honor of the Lamb of God who was sacrificed and rose again on Easter, the whole spiced lamb roasted over a charcoal fire is the most traditional of Greek Easter foods. The Easter Sunday celebration lasts through the day while visits are made to family and friends and the Easter feast is shared with every guest.
Each person that enters the home is greeted with Gigto kaló tis iméras! - For the good of the day! and with a plate of food and an invitation to join in the feast. Besides bringing insult and bad luck to a host who is rejected, the foods are so delicious...who could refuse?
Easter Monday is a much more relaxed day when everyone gets ready to return to work and school. The main work of Easter Monday is to finish the foods that were not eaten the day before!
Kaló Pás'ha...Happy Greek Easter!
The president and Vice President Joe Biden welcomed a multitude of guests to the White House Wednesday to celebrate Greek Independence Day. Among the guests of honor were Ambassador of Greece in the US, Alexandros Malias, the head of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, Archbishop Demetrios, and many other notable Greeks and Greek-Americans. President Barack Obama mentioned in his speech that "founders were students of Greek history and turned to ancient texts for allies" while Archibishop Demetrios noted that "Greece and the USA share values of freedom and democracy" and stated that he prays strongly for the first family. He also compared the President with Alexander the Great, saying the President should follow the example of the ancient military conqueror to help solve some of Greece’s problems.The President responded, "I will tell Michelle that I’ve been compared to Alexander the Great, I will see whether that gets me a little more respect at home. At home she knows she’s still the boss." The event started at 5pm in Washington, D.C. and included many Greek culinary specialties. A special guest at the White House Kitchen was Greek Chef Michael Psilakis, who prepared Greek dishes such as raw mezze of tuna with feta dust and pickled raw and dehydrated watermelon; open goat moussaka; braised snails with rabbit confit and halvah. Psilakis is the first outside chef that was invited to cook for an event in the White House by this administration.
Last night President Obama proclaimed March 25, 2009, as "Greek Independence Day: A National Day of Celebration of Greek and American Democracy".
