Limnos is the
island of fire. According to myth, Hephaestus, the handicapped son of Zeus, was thrown
from Mt. Olympus (where the gods resided), landed on Mount Mosichlos and broke his hip. On
Mosichlos, Hephaestus built his workshop and started teaching the smith's craft to the
Sindies, who are said to have been the first inhabitants of the island. These people took
care of Hephaestus after his fall. During the reign of Thoandras, the first king of
Limnos, the island was under the state of matriarchy, as the women of Limnos, in order to
seek revenge against their husbands for neglecting them, forced them to drink heavily.
After getting the men drunk, the women then killed their husbands. After the Argonauts
returned from Colchis and took up residence on the island, the men began to rule again.
According to Homer, in addition to the Sindians who came from Thrace, the other
inhabitants of Limnos - ancient Aithalia - were the Tyrians (8th century BC), who were
considered by many scientists as being related to the Etrurians. In the early Byzantine
years, the military position of Limnos was at an advantage due to its ideal geographical
location in front of the Vosporos straits. Its gulfs were ideal in securing the imperial
fleet, and it was the first stop after exiting Hellespont. The Enetians and the Genoese,
who succeeded the Byzantines, produced the biggest financial and commercial prosperity the
island ever knew. In 1289, it came under the Byzantine rule, and in 1453, Constantine
Palaiologos granted it to the Genoese Ioannis Justiniani, in exchange for his help in
defending Constantinople. From 1462 onwards Limnos has been the object of quarrels between
the Enetians and the Turks, and in 1479, Venice was forced to consign it to the Turks.
During the Greek revolution of 1821, Chian ships and fighters participated in various
operations under the command of the famous admiral Koundouriotis.
But Limnos
remained off the map of Greece, like other eastern Aegean islands. It was finally set free
in 1912, during the First Balkan War, but the final incorporation to Mother Greece was
concluded with the Treaty of 1920. Limnos lies in the center of the Northern Aegean and it
is the eighth largest island of Greece. Today, the island's capital, still called Mirina,
or Kastro, sits at the back of the bay in exactly the same location as its ancient
namesake. A Venetian castle presides over its characteristic captains' houses adorned with
wooden balconies. Mirina has an important archaeological museum with finds from the region
as well as from Hephaistia, Cabeiria and Poliochne. Representing every period from the
prehistoric to the Hellenistic, the artifacts consist primarily of relief works, idols,
pottery and sculptures. The city of Mirina also represents a typical example of the
traditional architecture of Limnos. It is a blend of old and new buildings made of stone
in the neoclassical style with wooden balconies, which give a touch of class to the
scenery. Nevertheless, there are traditional settlements on the island as well, such as
the one at Kaspakas, with its marvelous roof-houses and narrow pebbled streets. The
Lemnians are a people who like feasting at every occasion. Their feasts and festivals take
on a special meaning, since they are always filled with joy and merriment when the
islanders dance the local island dances. In Nea Koutali, on August 6th, there is a great
festival which attracts people from all over Chios. They dance the local dance of
Kehagiades or Kehagiadikos, which is the most famous on the island. It is performed by
couples, and traces its origin from the old Kehagiades. The Kehagiades of Limnos were the
elders or representatives of the village or stewards of large estates. When the government
appointed them, they were also responsible for keeping order on the island and collecting
taxes. The Kehagiadikos dance is also known as Ballartos. Other local dances from the
island of Limnos include the Katsivelikos or Tsompanistos, a dance usually performed with
couples facing each other. It consists of turns, squats and clapping of the hands. Patima
is another dance mainly performed by men in a circle holding arms. Most likely this dance
got its name from the way the dance is performed, i.e. with high intensity patimata
(steps). They also dance Ballos, Syrtos, Zeibekikos, Kalamatianos, etc. At weddings,
European dances are also popular (waltzes, quadrilles, polkas etc). The dancers, dressed
in their traditional white costumes, dance to the sounds of the local popular instrument,
which looks like the Cretan lyre and is still being taught today. Other instruments used
are the violin, clarinet, santouri (dulcimer) and laouto (lute). On the island of
Hephaestus, the inhabitants follow traditions the same way the islanders all over Greece
do. Carnival, in particular, has a unique color in Limnos. It is celebrated with
traditional feasts and political satire organized by the cultural association
"Koinotiki Vivliothiki" at Kaspakas, while islanders build huge fires and burn
kakanoures, the large flower wreaths made on May Day. On the island, there are small
workshops for classical pottery and woodcarving, which produce beautiful ceramics and
wood-carved articles. Finally, of note are the local woven fabrics and embroidery, which
are beautiful examples of the traditional folk art of the island. |
In March
of this year, I went to Greece with our two younger sons and my mother. My son (Youth
Group member) William and his brother had never been to Greece and my Cousin Dionysius had
written to me and advised that the boys should come to Greece "na cheroun tis rizes
tous" (so they could know their roots). I took his advice to heart and we planned the
trip during their school's spring break. We visited many places on our 10-week sojourn:
Athens, my father's village of Vamvakou (north of Sparta), Mani, Mystra, Methoni, Kalamata
and Sparta. The time we spent in Athens was highlighted by the March 25th Independence Day
parade. As my cousins had promised, this parade was a unique experience. I'm told there
are parades in every town in Greece on March 25th but apparently the parade in Athens is
the largest and most spectacular. We arrived early and got a spot right across from the
Queen's Gardens about two blocks east of Syntagma Square - right at the parade starting
point. The parade itself began with a roar - both literally and figuratively - as about a
dozen tanks drove by. These were followed by a group of about 100 marching women soldiers
followed by a couple dozen armored personnel carriers followed by about three dozen jeeps
each mounting a soldier and an anti-aircraft rocket in back. That was just the beginning.
The variety of military equipment which followed was really quite remarkable. Finally, the
climax of the parade was the fly-over by the air force. This fly-over was done at rooftop
level - which in that part of Athens means about 6 stories above the ground.
Sound-barrier-breaking American-made jets, helicopters and French Mirage jets filled the
air! These sonic booms really were an impressive finale to an impressive parade. Of
course, we did some shopping in Monasteraki; however, we didn't buy much because my wife
(our family's best shopper) was not with us. We found a most unusual church a few blocks
from Syntagma Square, where there is a skyscraper built mostly on stilts. In the space
underneath the skyscraper is a tiny church, which I understand is well over 1,000 years
old. Apparently the real estate was too valuable and too close to city center not to build
the skyscraper - but the church was too important to demolish. That's why there is a
little church with a huge skyscraper (right) on top of it, which holds about two dozen
people comfortably. We made a trip to the Acropolis, and the boys had no trouble climbing
to the top and sitting on the rock from which St. Paul addressed the Athenians. Over the
years, so many visitors have climbed on this rock that it is worn smooth like glass.
Another site of note in Athens is the new Syntagma subway station, whose walls are
basically an archeological museum. These walls are not covered with cement or any other
finish. They have been preserved as they were originally dug up by the construction
workers - offering a cutaway view of several thousand years of Greek history. At the
bottom of the wall are broken pipes and pottery from the time of Pericles, and in the
layer above that are artifacts from the next historical period, and so on... Some of our
favorite sites were the castles in Methoni, the Byzantine churches in Mystra (where some
of the icons are 1,000 years old), and the area of Mani. The houses in Mani are
interesting because each has a tower attached, which provide a perch from which the owner
could observe his "enemies". At the Mystra historical site, we took a cab to the
top of the mountain, but then walked down, and I was pretty proud that the boys and I were
in such good shape - but then we observed an old yiayia walking up the mountain carrying
what looked like a five gallon can of olive oil, and instantly, I felt less proud of our
climbing abilities.... And how can we forget dancing? One night at a restaurant in the
Plaka section of Athens, we were sitting at a table facing the Acropolis, and all of a
sudden, Will leaped up and did some Tsamikos jumps. (Maybe he was inspired by the image of
the Acropolis, or maybe it was just a burst of nervous energy.) The waiter looked at this
with disbelief and then said "Hey ... do that again." Will obliged, and the
waiter responded "Very good ..." Apparently having seen it a second time, he
finally believed that this foreign tourist really was dancing the Tsamikos. One day we
attended a class with Hara Deliyannis in Spata outside of Athens. Hara was most gracious,
and we enjoyed visiting her class - but I have to say that to my unschooled eye, the kids
in Greece were not discernably better dancers than the Orpheus kids. That's got to be a
compliment for the Orpheus instructors. Take a bow, teachers!Editor's note: John
Pierce is the father of William Pierce, a member of the Orpheus Youth Group. |
Dance practice
this summer has already started for the Youth Group! Eight classes will be offered every
Saturday afternoon from June 10 - July 29 from 1:15 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. The cost is $60. The
location is St. Isaac Jogues Church, 8101 W. Golf Rd. in Niles (1/4 mile east of Milwaukee
Ave.). The space being used is part of the Plato Academy, a Greek bilingual school. A
special treat this summer will be the instruction of Hara Deligiannis from the Lyceum of
Ellinidon of Athens, who will be teaching the Youth Group during the last 4 sessions in
July. Hara brings her expert teaching skills to give the Youth authentic instruction
direct from Greece. The Orpheus Youth Group is scheduled to perform alongside the adult
group at the Evanston Ethnic Art Fair on July 16, it will be a full summer of activity!
Come join us! For more information, please contact Youth Group Coordinator Bessie
Kouchoukos-Grosso at 773-286-5132 or Yannis Economou at 847-657-0958. |