Greeks are traditionally associated with folk dancing and singing, often in picturesque national dress. Their biggest folk festivals are linked with the Greek Orthodox religion, which is followed by 98 per cent of the people. Easter Sunday, especially, is a day of great rejoicing when families gather in town and village squares to sing and dance, and roast lambs on spits. (It is often a different day from that celebrated by the Western churches.) On saints days, fairs are held outside monasteries and churches. There are two national holidays in honor of the Virgin Mary - on March 25 (which coincides with Independence Day) and August 15, when there is a national pilgrimage to the monastery on the island of Tinos.
The people of Greece are united by religion and by the modern Greek language of dhemotike, derived from the ancient language and spoken by almost everyone. An artificial language, katharevousa, was introduced for use in government documents and by officials, but is now dying out. Dialects survive in many rural areas, but Ancient Greek is incomprehensible to the layman, and is taught only in high schools and universities.
Rural life is simple, and recreation is mostly confined to Sundays, feast days and weddings. Older people pass the time sitting and talking in the village square. Traditional costume is still worn by older people on festive occasions. There are great regional variations in embroidery, colors and patterns: old hand-woven costumes, coloured with plant dyes, are valued by collectors. Hand-woven carpets and blankets are still made in Thrace, Crete and central Greece, assisted by state subsidy.
In the cities and towns, social life for older people is centered on -the cafes; eating out at tavernas is still a widespread custom for those who can afford it. In the few traditional tavernas that survive, one can still see men dancing by themselves - the zeimbekiko. Poorer city families eat at home, but the meal is an important family gathering.
When people from rural areas move to the towns, their values and family behavior change little. A village girl may use her parents' savings to buy a flat in Athens as a step towards marriage. But she will probably marry a country boy who is using his family's resources to study in Athens and seek a job in the civil service. Many families deprive themselves to send their children to live in Athens. In return, children tend to work hard at school, and are disciplined and obedient at home. Young people usually need their parents' permission to go out in the evenings, take a job or get married. The father is the head of the family and makes decisions for all its members, This is a rural lifestyle, but it is only slowly dying out in urban environments.
Women suffer discrimination in many ways. A bride is expected to provide a dowry, perhaps a flat or the equivalent cash. After marriage, a wife must obey her in-laws as well as her husband, In many rural areas, single girls are not expected to appear in public unless accompanied by a male relative. Married women are not supposed to go to work, have guests at home, or meet friends outside, without their husbands' permission. Many family businesses use their womenfolk as unpaid labour, leaving them with most of the work while the male head of the family idly sits on the pavement or a balcony.
It is part of the Greek character to 'watch the world go by'. The country faces a huge task in trying to create a modern industrial economy while tradition is dying so hard.
GREECE ATA GLANCE
Area 131 986 km2 (50 960 sq miles)
Population 10 000 000
Capital Athens
Government Parliamentary republic
Currency Drachma = 100 lepta
Language Greek
Religions Christian (98% Greek Orthodox), Muslim (1%)
Climate Mediterranean; average temperature in Athens ranges from 6-13°C (43-55°F) in February to 23-33°C
Locals hypothesize that the legacy of Italian blood and culture in Cologne, colonized by the Romans more than 1500 years ago, makes the people more jovial and lighthearted. Cologne is the largest city on the Rhine.
Kolsch is not only the dialect spoken here but, also the name of their own top-fermented beer. There are more than 4,000 pubs, restaurant's and brewery taverns in Cologne.
Unlike many of the world's large cities, Cologne, with a population of over a million, gets better every day, there are more things to do and see, more new and innovative buildings... more
Travel is an opportunity to learn, whether geography, languages, history or other subjects.
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Cologne is situated on the beautiful Rhine River.