Having exported chaos, drama, tragedy and democracy before most
nations stayed up late enough to want souvlaki, Greece boasts
a legacy that's unrivalled. From smoggy Athens to blindingly bright
islands, there are more ancient fragments than you can shake a
stick at - the belly button of the cosmos at Delphi, fallen columns
galore on the sacred island of Delos, frescoed Minoan palaces
in Crete and even, quite possibly, the remnants of Atlantis at
Santorini.
Greeks are fierce guardians of tradition, but that doesn't mean
they don't know how to have fun - their propensity for partying
dates back to Dionysos. In addition, hot sun and limpid seas conspire
to make Greece a compelling place to relax. Whether you're supping
in a beachside taverna, sipping coffee in a shady plateia or disco-dancing
till dawn, chances are the gods already have you ensnared.
General Information
Religious affiliations: Of all citizens of the Hellenic Republic
97,6% are Greek Orthodox, 1,3% Muslim, 0,4% Roman Catholic, 0,1%
Protestant, 0,6% other, including Jews. The Greek Orthodox Church
is autocephalous, with its own Charter but indissolubly united
in doctrine with the Great Church of Constantinople, i.e. the
Ecumenical Patriarchate. On the peninsula of Chalkidiki, located
in southeastern Macedonia, is the famous Mount Athos, where a
number of monasteries of the Greek Orthodox Church form, as they
have for centuries, an autonomous monastic community.
Language: The Greek language with a documented record spanning
three and a half millennia is a strong element of national continuity.
Modern Greek derives from the same idiom used by Homer. Greek
is also the language of the Gospels. The Greek alphabet and the
Greek language have contributed much to all western languages.
Today's Greeks, however, are the only ones who ensure this linguistic
continuity. In this respect Greek, is to be distinguished sharply
from Latin which generated numerous neo-latin languages from Rumanian
to Portuguese before it became itself extinct.
Electric
Current : The standard in Greece is 220V AC (50Hz). Appliances
from North America require a transformer and British ones an adaptor.
We recommend that you pack one together with your electrical appliance,
so that you do not have to spend valuable time looking for adaptors
and transformers during your stay.
Time : Greek
time is two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, an hour ahead
of Central European Time and seven hours ahead of Eastern Standard
Time. Along with the rest of continental Europe, the clock is
advanced one hour during summer -from the end of March to the
end of September- almost a month earlier than the UK, the US and
Canada. Therefore keep in mind that the time difference with these
countries is one hour greater for some weeks in April and October.
If you want to find out what is the exact time call 141 (recorded
message in Greek).
Public Holidays
New Year's Day: January 1st
Epiphany: January 6th. The seas around Piraeus are blessed. A
Cross is thrown into the sea and young men dive to retrieve it.
Ash Monday: 41 days before Easter. Lent begins. On Ash Monday,
Greeks fly kites, eat lenten food and celebrate the koulouma.
Independence Day and the Feast of the Annunciation: March 25th
, Military parade.
Easter: Good Friday-Easter Monday. Vesper evening is on Good Friday
and every church decorates an Epitaphios (bier). The Epitaphios
processions, followed by people holding lit candles and chanting
hymns, fill the streets of every city, town and village in the
country.
Anastasi (Resurrection): celebrated with fire-works and lit candles
at midnight, on the eve of Easter Day. Pascha (Easter): on that
Day Greeks traditionally eat lamb, spit-roasted on charcoal. The
festivities include singing and dancing through the day.
Labour Day: May 1st . Many Flower Festivals take place all over
Greece.
Whit Monday: 50 days after Easter.
Dormition (Assumption) of The Virgin: August 15th .
October 28th: rejection of the Italian ultimatum in 1940. Military
parade.
Christmas: December 25th -26th.
Telephone
OTE (the Hellenic Telecommunications Organization) offices
are the cheapest way to make local or international calls. To
do so, just walk in and wait for a booth to be free.
At the end of the call, the desk operator will present you with
a bill. OTE offices are open from 08:00 to 14:00.
Local and international calls can also be made from public cardphone
booths and kiosks (periptera) equipped with meters.
Telecards can be purchased from kiosks and OTE offices.
Postal Service
Signs denoting post offices are usually bright yellow, as
are post-boxes.
If you need to send a letter there are stamp vending machines
and post-boxes outside all central post offices. Parcels sent
abroad must be inspected, so do not wrap and seal them beforehand.
Brown paper, soft padded envelopes and cardboard boxes can be
bought at the post offices themselves.
What to Wear
You are expected to dress in a respectable manner when visiting
churches and monasteries: long trousers for men, sleeved dresses
and no miniskirts for women.
Events
The Greek year is a succession of festivals and events, some
of which are religious, some cultural, others an excuse for a
good knees-up. Gynaikratia on 8 January is a day of role reversal
in villages in northern Greece. Women spend the day in kafeneia
(cafés) and other social centres where men usually congregate,
while the men stay at home to do housework. The Greek carnival
season runs through February-March over the three weeks before
the beginning of Lent, and features fancy dress, feasting, traditional
dancing and general merrymaking. Easter is the most significant
festival in Greece, with candle-lit processions, feasting and
fireworks displays. Emphasis is placed on the Resurrection rather
than on the Crucifixion, so it is a joyous occasion. There are
numerous summer festivals across the country, the most famous
being the Hellenic Festival (mid-June to late September), which
hosts drama and music in ancient theatres. |
