I came across this delightful video this week, showing Greek dancers celebrating Carnival in Chalkis on the island of Evia. Greeks love to dance! Click on the photo to watch it on YouTube.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many people dancing in the same place at the same time! If you’ve never been to Greece during Carnival, well it’s quite something. The city of Patras is one place that’s renowned for its Carnival celebrations. For the Children’s Carnival there was a parade of over 12,000 kids through the city!
It set me thinking about Greek dancing memories. Who can ever forget the first time they saw a Greek guy grab the corner of a table in his mouth and dance around the room with it? Did that really happen? And the first time you got hauled up to join in with some Greeks who were dancing, with you trying to follow the steps?
Last time we were in Crete, our night in the village of Profitis Ilias happened to coincide with the entire village celebrating the opening of their new village square. There was food galore, music of course, and dancing. I had my camera out as Donna (in the denim jacket) got up to join in with the locals having a dance. Click on the photo to see the video on YouTube.
On that same trip our visit to the wonderful Crete Botanical Gardens happened to be late in the day, and we decided to stay on there and eat. We’re glad we did as they were hosting a Greek Night for a German cruise ship, and we were able to see the more typical traditional dancing you’ll find at Greek Nights throughout the country. Again, click on the black-and-white photo if you want to see it in all its colourful glory on YouTube.
And no newsletter about Greek dancing would be complete without a mention of Zorba the Greek. Here’s the scene where the passionate Zorba teaches the buttoned-up British-Greek intellectual Basil how to dance. Again, click on the image if you want to be reminded of the scene, or maybe have never seen it before.
Finally, if you enjoyed reading the interview with Jennifer Barclay a few weeks ago, you might enjoy this piece she wrote for The Guardian Online about Tinos, that was published this week:
In May it is bliss, silent except for whistling bee-eaters: Tinos, the Cyclades, Greece
Definitely makes you want to go there!
Till next time
Mike and Donna
Greeks seem to really enjoy life! I’d love to experience a night dancing with Greeks in Greece!