Recently I had the opportunity to visit Greece without leaving town for Be The Wondering due to the generosity and knowledge of the Dovshek family. For the first night I learned of the Greek culture and enjoyed the cuisine (I'm not a food critic, but I will offer my opinions). Here's what I learned.
Most meals start with a traditional appetizer, called Tiropitas. To a non-Greek food eater, it was definitely different. It's made with phyllo dough, cheeses (feta, gouda, parmesan) and fresh mint. The mint is a pleasant surprise. With that we had goat cheese actually from Greece that you warm over an open flame. Definitely not for me, but also something I've never had before.
For the main course we had chicken Gyros (a safe bet) and Pastitsio. The chicken gyros consisted of pita bread, seasoned chicken, lettuce, feta cheese (which I don't like by itself, but a great compliment in a Gyro) and tzatziki. I learned that in Greece chicken gyros are the common place, not lamb. The thinly sliced lamb is an American addition that's not authentic to the culture. Pastitsio is best described by a Xeni (non-Greek person) as a lasagna. It consists of butter, pasta (elbow macaroni), parmesan cheese, ground sirloin, minced garlic, minced onion, tomato sauce, salt and ground cinnamon covered with Bechamél sauce. Both dishes were very good.
For dessert we had Loukoumades and Galaktoboureko. Loukoumades are round doughnut like fried balls covered in honey and cinnamon. Galaktoboureko consists of semolina custard in phyllo dough topped with syrope. Both are absolutely delicious, one of the best desserts I've ever had. It is confirmed, Greeks have mastered desserts.
Ouzo is traditionally drank after big meals so I tried it. It is a liquor that tastes like black licorice, so if you like that taste, Ouzo is for you (not for me).
Along with our meal I learned more of the Greek culture, which is very religious. Religion is incorporated into everyday life, not just Sunday worship. I learned of the icons which I found fasinating. It's common to see them all over the house, which I did. An icon "is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, from the Eastern Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodoxy, and certain Eastern Catholic churches. The most common subjects include Christ, Mary, saints and/or angels" (wikipedia.com). I learned the most important is that of the Panagitsa, which is the Virgin Mary.
Maria told me a fascinating story of witnessing the Panagitsa icon crying. It went something like this :
"Every summer almost all of the Greek Orthodox children get together to go to camp. The Camp is called Camp Nazareth. I began going to Camp Naz in seventh grade. In my eyes when I was younger it was a magical place. Every time you left camp you had a feeling that was indescribable. It was a Thursday at Camp Naz about 3 years ago and things did not seem right. People were scrambling and rushing around. We as campers were confused; we did not know what was going on. Later in the day they stopped us from our agenda. Everyone in the camp got together in the meeting place that we had and Rhea, the head of the camp had said "everyone we are going to see a miracle today". She proceeded to tell us that the "crying icon" was coming to camp. The crying icon was a big deal. So much so that the bishop who was several hours away made an appearance for it. The bishop, Bishop Savvas, arrived a few hours before the church service. Hours after preparation, it was time for the church service. Finally, a door opened in the back of the chapel and we all knew it was here. They stopped and introduced us to the priest and the decan that had brought the icon. They then began to tell us stories about the icon and the miracles that had taken place because of it. One story was about how a person had brain cancer and the icon went to the hospital and began to cry and days later the cancer was gone. The doctors said the cancer was incurable until one day it magically disappeared. After a few stories they then began to tell us that there was no guarantee that the icon would cry for us. When the icon was brought in it was dry, but in a glass box. I personally did not believe it was going to cry. After a short time something began to drip from the icon. Everyone knew right away and before we knew it, the icon was weeping. Oil was streaming out of the icon. As I looked around I noticed that some more people were crying with the icon. They then stopped the service again. They told us that each row would be signalled and the priests were going to bless us with the oil coming from the icon. They told us if we have a wound ask the priest to put the oil on it. I could not believe what I was witnessing; it was a miracle. Eventually by the time everyone had gotten blessed with the oil every single person was crying, people of all ages. When the service was finished we all left the chapel. We kissed the icon and we received a small icon of the crying icon with a tear painted on. In life there are many things that happen that are unexpected and amazing, this was one of them."
The next Greek experience I learned of Ayios Fanouri, which is an icon that when something is lost you pray to the Saint and in return you make bread as an offering in order to thank him. It is said to be a fail safe way to find lost items. The bread is made with a wine base, which you can definitely taste. It has the consistency and thickness of banana bread, but the bitter grapey taste of a wine.
After January 1st I was fortunate enough to experience Vasilopitas. This is a New Years tradition where a coin is hidden in the bread, randomly. When the bread is being prepared the coin is wrapped in aluminum foil. When January 1st comes, the bread is cut into the amount of people present plus two. One is for Jesus and one is for the household. During my experience, it was cut into 10 pieces. After it was cut, the bread was spun and you place your finger on a piece of bread. I was the lucky recipient of the coin! The coin signifies good luck and health for the following year, so I'm feeling pretty good in 2018.
We played the Greek card game Bastra. I will save the awful explanation of how to play, so if interested, you can read of how to play here. It's confusing at first, but a lot of fun once you get the hang of it!
I waited to post this due to Georgia's recommendation of experiencing Holy Week. This year for Americans, Easter was April 1st -- for Greek Orthodox, Easter was April 8th (one week after our Easter).
From Sunday - Sunday it is Holy Week. This is a depiction of the stories and events of Christ leading up to his crucifixion. Sunday is Palm Sunday, which is a service of Jesus' arrival into Jerusalem before his crucifixiton. Monday and Tuesday are the Bridegroom service (a metaphor for Jesus, not to be confused with a wedding), which are services of being prepared - always having your oil in the latern - also know as being prepared to go to Heaven if you were to suddenly die. Wednesday is the Holy Unction service which is when people are annointed with Holy Water. It is to heal your infermities (mental, spiritual or physical weaknesses). Thursday is Reading of the Gospels where the story of Jesus is told through the 12 Gospels. During the Gospels is where Jesus is brought out and nailed to the cross. Friday is Good Friday, during the 3 P.M. service Jesus is taken off of the cross and wrapped in a white sheet. During the evening service it is Jesus' funeral. There is a tomb made of wood called Kouvouklion that is decorated in white and red flowers. During the service you physically walk underneath the tomb as a blessing. Saturday is Holy Saturday which is the mourning of Christ's death. The evening service starts around 11 P.M. and ends at 2:30 A.M. At midnight the church gathers around the cross, lights candles and sings Christos Anesti which translates to "Christ is Risen". After the Anesti service, there is Sunday Liturgy. Sunday is Easter Sunday where families spend time together. The church service is brief and called the Agaph service. For the next 40 days following Christ's resurrection Greeks greet each other with "Christos Anesti" (Christ is Risen) and the response is "Alithos Anesti" (Truly He is Risen).
For most Greek people this is the biggest holiday of the year.
I attended the Monday service in Canonsburg at the All Saints Greek Orthodox Church. The church is absolutely beauitful, like nothing I've ever seen before. Father George delivered the service. As an American, the first part is confusing due to it being mostly Greek singing. Not only is singing difficult to understand, I do not speak Greek. After the singing, Father George proceeded with his sermon. The sermon was very powerful. The Monday service like mentioned above is about being prepared; during this service he offered the knowledge of how we tend to have values elsewehere. We own too much stuff, we look for problems where they don't exist in ourselves and we put value in tragedy, such as television shows that depict divorce as entertainment. We're all guilty of glutony opposed to preparing ourselves for Jesus.
I attended the Good Friday service in Aliquippa at Kimisis Tis Theotokou, the Dovshek's home church. The church is also beautiful with Saints and icons displayed everywhere. The church has more of a homey feel as the community is tightknit where everyone knows each other. I was greeted with open arms and lots of smiles. The service was delivered by Father Stelios. The Good Friday service as mentioned above is the funeral service. Everyone is dressed as if attending a funeral. The Kouvouklion was stunning - every inch of detail to every flower petal was perfectly placed. A part of the service takes place outside where you walk around the church with the Kouvouklion. I did not experience this due to a rain/snow mix so it took place inside (walking under the tomb). The whole experience was very humbling.
I like to now consider myself Greek (hahah), but seriously, I love the culture. It has been my first real experience with diving into a culture that I knew nothing about. I have an immense desire to visit Greece now, which I see happening in my future. I hope that you, the reader, have learned something from this post. The amount of knowledge I have gained from this experience is beyond words. I'd like to thank the Dovshek family and their Greek family/friends for embracing me with open arms. I've not only gained knowledge that will stay with me, but also friends that will last a lifetime. Stin iyá sas!
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