Democracy is a concept born here in Ancient Greece. The same “demos” that listened to Euclid and Diogenes in the squares of ancient Athens took to the streets on October 28, 1940, chanting “Ohi!”, that is, “No.” This was the unanimous response to the ultimatum fascist Italy allow troops into Greece to occupy strategic positions.

The Greeks understood perfectly well what awaited them if they refused, but they said “no” to the Nazis. National character fully revealed in difficult times. The strong adherence to principles of the Greeks also manifested itself during the years of rule of the “Black Colonels” regime. The so-called Cyprus adventure, which led to the split of the island into southern and northern parts, led to a change of power in Greece.

The Greeks are religious, the majority of the population of Greece are zealous Orthodox Christians, and at the same time, the Greek coast ranks first in the world in the number of nudist beaches, and the island of Mykonos is considered a mecca and a pan-European holiday destination for sexual minorities, a kind of Greek Ibiza. Perhaps tolerance for the liberties of tourists is the only thing left in the inhabitants of Hellas from the ancient Hellenes. But such tolerance can be attributed more to the democracy of Greek society than to the remnants of Hellenism.

The Greeks are hospitable, and their hospitality is not ostentatious. The obligation to show cordiality in the service does not at all cool the ardor of the Hellene in the role of host. If you are invited to a Greek home, be prepared, at a minimum, to drink coffee (depending on the season, this could be “café hellenica”, black natural, or “frope”, cold iced coffee), and at maximum, have lunch full program. Pontic Greeks - Russian-speaking repatriates from Georgia and Central Asia.

Older people love to gather in coffee shops. Unlike taverns, they do not eat there, but only drink coffee, tea, national anise vodka Ouzo and white table wine Retzina. Ouzo is drunk diluted, causing the drink to take on a cloudy milky color. Pensioners often spend their days in coffee shops. What else can old people do other than chat, play cards and drink tea in a cozy establishment.

Only in Greece does the concept of “our tavern” and “our coffee shop” exist. In terms of spending their time, the Greeks are terribly conservative. People go to the tavern, located, as a rule, not far from home, not for years or decades, but for generations. It was not uncommon for both the father and grandfather of the current patrons to go to the same tavern, and to be served by the father and grandfather of the current owner.

Lifestyle and the traditions of the Greeks

Greeks drink coffee always and everywhere, even bus drivers sip chilled frope from special thermos mugs. It is customary to bargain when making purchases; do not forget that, despite completely European concepts, Greece belongs to the Levantine countries, and no one has canceled Mediterranean habits here. Market traders bargain for a long time and tastefully, owners of small shops are less compliant. Trade here is not only a business, but also a kind of self-expression. Those who know how to negotiate competently and persistently are respected, while those who immediately agree to the quoted price are considered simpletons.

Holidays in Greece

Easter is widely celebrated in Greece. Solemn processions are held, festivities. Good Friday begins with colorful processions that head to the central squares of all cities and towns.

On Independence Day and the Feast of the Annunciation, traditional military parades are held, not only in Athens, but in other cities of the country. The Feast of St. George is dedicated to the knight who killed the dragon and is celebrated throughout the country. May 1 in Greece is not only Labor Day, but also Flower Day.

The Rockwave rock festival takes place in Athens every July. Rock bands from all over the world play right on the street, in open areas and in concert halls. Also in summer, Greece hosts the International Sailing Regatta. In July and August, Greece hosts a Wine Festival. In August, the Lunar Festival begins in Greece. It's worth seeing - dancing in the moonlight delights everyone without exception! " Holiday Year» St. Nicholas Day and Christmas conclude.

National holidays in Greece:
January 1 - New Year.
January 6 - Epiphany.
March 25 - Independence Day.
May 1 - Labor Day.
August 15 - Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.
October 28 - Okha Day.
December 25 - Christmas.
December 26 - Boxing Day.

National dishes, food culture in Greece

A tavern may specialize in certain dishes that the in-house chef can prepare better than anyone else in the area. On occasion, try Kokorezzi - an incomparable grilled meatloaf. This dish is quite difficult to prepare, so even in Greece, kokorezzi is not prepared everywhere or every day. Good brizols are pork chops made from fresh meat, a delicate green salad with yogurt called dzadzyki, fried octopus, shrimp in mustard sauce. The splendor of Greek cuisine is beyond words, you just have to try it.

Regardless of the status of the tavern, and they vary quite a lot in prices, the visitor will receive a warm, welcoming welcome. Of course, because you brought money, which means that everything in the tavern obeys your desires and revolves around you. The waiter lays a snow-white tablecloth on the table in front of visitors - this is an immutable rule of any self-respecting tavern. Aromatic fresh bread is served on the table in baskets, and cutlery is placed. After a pause in the picture, the waiter decorously hands out the menu and brings wine. Meeting visitors, escorting them to the table and serving food is a ritual, a theatrical performance performed only by men.

Street barkers are also good. Many establishments hire lively young people to invite guests into the tavern. The barker is a flatterer and a sycophant, and a deliberate one at that. He will close the car door behind you, compliment you and your lady, smile, joke, and only then offer to go to the tavern. Well, how can I refuse?

Cultural life in Greece

Young people in Greece, as well as throughout Europe, listen to Western music, rock and pop during the day in the car or on the iPod. But in some incomprehensible way, young Greeks remain faithful to traditions - in taverns, where many young people gather on weekends, live music sounds folk music, people drink wine, eat a lot and dance. At the same time, drunk people are not seen on the streets even on holidays; the culture of drinking alcohol is traditionally high.

Holiday destinations in Greece

Conventionally, Greece is divided into island and continental parts. Islands, of which different estimates There are from 800 to several thousand, offering a variety of holidays at different prices. Those who like to soak up the beach in peace and quiet go to the small islands of the Ionian archipelago, while those who like non-stop noisy fun prefer Crete or Santorini. The mainland also abounds in resorts. The most colorful and popular of them are located on the Halkidiki peninsula.

The three spurs of the peninsula, Sithonia, Kassandra and Ayios Oros are truly heavenly places, but for beach holiday only two of them are suitable. Ayios Oros, or Athos, is closed to tourists because it is home to a monastic republic. This peninsula is the largest center of pilgrimage for Orthodox believers. There are 18 monasteries here, including the Russian one, Panteleimon Monastery, currently inhabited by Russian monks. Protected places with untouched nature are unique in their beauty.

Women are strictly prohibited from entering Athos, and pilgrims must obtain permission to visit the peninsula from a special department of the Thessaloniki prefecture. Sithonia and Kassandra are a concentration of beaches and hotels for every taste and budget. Azure sea, purest quartz sand and Pine forest make your holiday there unforgettable.

Transport in Greece

Air communications are also developed; the airports of Athens, Thessaloniki, and Heraklion offer a wide selection of domestic routes. You can fly from Athens to Thessaloniki or Crete in just half an hour, so domestic flights are popular not only among tourists.

Bus routes cover the entire mainland of the country. Traveling by bus is not as comfortable as traveling by plane, but you can admire the sights along the way.

Rail transport is also developed. Trains are quite comfortable, but traveling by rail will take longer than by bus, with a comparable ticket price.

Thousands of rental locations offer car rental. Required documents- European driving license, passport and valid credit card. It is best to rent a car from a large network - less problems with insurance, the condition of the cars is better and it is possible to return the car in another city at a company branch. Some roads in Greece are toll roads. You should be prepared to pay from 5 to 15 euros for travel on intercity highways. However, there are alternatives - less convenient, less equipped indirect routes.

Taxi travel in Greece is inexpensive due to the fact that the driver has the right to pick up passengers along the way. Naturally, an unknowing tourist can be driven around for as long as he likes, collecting fellow travelers. Not all taxi drivers are guilty of this, but, unfortunately, there are precedents.

Sports and leisure in Greece

It is well known that the Greeks, like everyone else, southern people, loud, good-natured, quick-tempered and hospitable. To be convinced of this, it is enough to spend a vacation in Greece. The big picture The collapse of the Greek economy brought such characteristics as negligence and cunning into the list of their traits. Do they have a right to exist? Two weeks spent in Greece is not enough to answer this question. But you can try to analyze the experience of several years.

Walking down the street you see more than one Greek sitting at a table with a cigarette and a glass of frappe, with or without company. Relaxing, peaceful picture. An outside observer will say: an inert person, apart from this chair and a glass of coffee, he doesn’t need anything else. What a deceptive impression! If things had been like this, the Greek nation would still have been under the Turkish yoke. You could drink coffee with them too. Get up from your chair, start a rebellion? Why such difficulties?

However, not so long ago (a little over a hundred years ago), after a long and bloody war for independence, the Turks were expelled forever, and Greece began to write its modern history.

Modern Greeks like to express their love of freedom in a special way: strikes and demonstrations. Take away the right to strike from the Greeks and you take away their soul. Regular strikes accompanied by demonstrations are like earthquakes in a zone of high seismic activity: the more often, the better, as long as there is no serious damage. The Greek people must constantly relieve accumulated tension and discontent, otherwise the resulting blood clot can lead to unpredictable and terrible consequences. Chaining the Greeks is very, very dangerous - just ask the Turks.

Modern Greeks like to express their love of freedom in a special way.

Are Greeks hardworking? Probably no less than anyone else European people. Like big children, Greeks love to complain a little to their neighbor about difficult life, a large number of working hours or a small salary, but all these conversations end with one phrase: “Dula na ehi!” “If only there was work!” A strange slogan for a lazy nation, isn't it? If there was work, the rest would be bearable. The harsh justice of this phrase makes further complaints impossible, the conversation stops, and everyone returns to their business.

The youth are here with adolescence gets used to earning pocket money: rarely does anyone fail to pass the student years waiter or bartender practice. Often such a position is then retained for many years as a second profession - if the first does not bring in sufficient income. But no one perceives this state of affairs as tragic; on the contrary, sociable Greeks quickly create their own microclimate in such an establishment and will not part with their favorite cafe, even if they have to work in it for free.

If we are to tell the truth about the Greek character, then it is worth mentioning such a phenomenon as Greek punctuality and commitment.

Young people in Greece get used to earning pocket money from adolescence: it’s rare that someone did not undergo an internship as a waiter or bartender during their student years.

It’s customary here to arrive on time only for appointments with the dentist and real estate agent - otherwise you’ll go back without a bite to eat. In all other cases, being on time means not respecting yourself. If you have agreed to meet a Greek there in so many minutes, calmly double the agreed upon time interval - and everything will be fine. If you arrived at the indicated hour, and your opponent, smiling from ear to ear, appeared at the door half an hour later, it is better not to show him your dissatisfaction: you will only achieve that the smile on his face will be replaced by surprise and misunderstanding, and he will will forever consider you petty. You weren’t waiting for him on the street in the bitter cold, that’s a great thing.

Greek obligatoryness is a no less sensitive issue. “Let's do it!” - the house manager, mechanic, electrician, salesman and builder will assure you. But, as you know, they have been waiting for three years for what was promised. Wanting to influence the conscience of your debtor and being a silent reproach in his eyes, you will achieve little; you are unlikely to even be able to ruin your relationship with him. You will be greeted by the same open arms and joyful exclamation as before, as well as the assurance that he was literally dialing your number right now. The phrase “I remember you!” is very popular. This will be followed by coffee, a detailed conversation about life and a promise to resolve your issue “next week.”

The Greeks develop a sense of patriotism from childhood.

Softened and reassured, you leave with a vague feeling that you have been left in the cold, and this is true: the next week, as a rule, never comes. Having made a similar promenade with the same result N number of times, you eventually lose your temper and use shouting and threats to achieve results. Is it any wonder that the Greeks themselves begin to shout in advance, sometimes simply for preventive purposes?

It is customary here to arrive on time only for appointments with the dentist and the real estate agent - otherwise you will go back without a bite to eat.

How paradoxical, incomprehensible and at the same time wonderful that these same people, seeing a person in difficulty, will do everything they can for him, and even more - and will never put their merits on his line. Unselfishness and an open soul are the engines that will make a Greek give you his shirt off his back. If later you decide to thank him, the Greek will be sincerely surprised: just think! How not to help, we are people. It would be logical to expect a similar attitude towards yourself - but you won’t be nice by force.

It is impossible to complete our essay without mentioning another feature of the Hellenes - Greek patriotism. Who doesn't have it, you say? So remember how many times did you raise the flag of your country at school? And Greek children - every morning. From this lesson, associated with morning prayer, their school day begins. Service in the army gives young Greeks a feeling of legitimate pride, and the Greeks will tear their throats for their national team in any stadium.

Whatever they think and say about them in the notorious European Union and beyond, the words, like empty water, will flow down from the Olympic peaks, without stopping there and leaving no trace.

Each country can boast of certain peculiarities that have developed after centuries of its earthly presence. But only one Greece represents one great feature. Just look at her way of life, which has not changed much after centuries.

Only the Greeks can say that they know what life is. These are a people who know how to connect with nature and maintain a constant rhythm of nightlife at the same time. There will be entertainment today, and tomorrow will be a new day with its own experiences and joys. In Greece there is nothing wrong with excellent entertainment for the whole monthly salary. So what if you then have to live for a month without a single coin in your pocket? But what a walk we had! It’s a paradox, but every Greek wants to be rich, but will never try to save money. He would rather buy a new expensive car, fashionable clothes, large cottage. All this so that others can see his wealth and his ability to not deny himself anything. Here this is what is called prestige. Even family often comes second to wealth.
The Greeks are an amazing people, in which sentimentality and hot temperament coexist. Even their denial and consent are not the same as what we have become accustomed to since childhood. If a Greek shakes his head from top to bottom, this indicates his agreement, but from bottom to top it is a firm “no” and it sounds like “ooh.” But the Greek pronounces “yes” as “ne”. Complete oppositions. Perhaps they were the ones who made it possible to save local traditions in its original form. After all, without these traditions, Greece is not Greece. Locals not only protect their own customs from assimilation modern world, but also revive long-forgotten traditions. This feeling is especially pronounced before the holidays, when the Greeks, for example, can remember that they have always been favorable to barrel organs. Not so long ago, this musical instrument served as a kind of symbol of Athens and was among many citizens as an important household item. Nowadays, only rich Greeks install antique barrel organs to decorate their homes.

All Greek life from birth to old age is permeated with all sorts of traditions. It is especially important for every Greek to know folk dances. At least the basics, otherwise he might be branded with disgrace. There is nothing surprising if a Greek gets up from the table and starts dancing. If some thief is mass dance marathon will remain sitting at his table, most will think that he is simply not a real Greek or a visitor. And the most important tradition of Greece is to always remain an eternally young country.
The Greek's lively and charismatic character is evident whenever he is awake. Yes, Sparta introduced such a concept as self-control and self-control, but this not only did not take root in Greece, but also remains incomprehensible to this day. Fun is in every Greek's soul. Social status, financial situation and age do not matter. In the face of joy and eternal youth, everyone is equal. Only the Greeks can express pain and sorrow through ritual dance moves. The rest of the world dances only when a person is having fun.
The Greeks are Orthodox Christians, so Easter and Christmas have the greatest scope of celebrations here.
In Greece, addressing unfamiliar people is usually done by last name. With the establishment of friendly relations, usually your new friend will be the first to ask you to call him by name. By the way, the Greeks do not give up their place in public transport elderly people and ladies are not allowed. In addition, when writing down the address, it is necessary to specify the area, or even better, certain landmarks. The secret is that in Athens the same street names can appear several times in the city. Sometimes taxi drivers don’t know how to get to your street.

Greeks can invite you to visit, but this does not mean that you are going to a banquet. Also, don't take your shoes off and don't be surprised by smoking. These people smoke whatever they like and absolutely everywhere - it’s a tradition. The character of the Greek people lacks punctuality. Even a business meeting may be delayed because one of the parties is simply late. Even the usual “tomorrow” for us, which sounds like “avrio”, means something vague. It could really be the next day, or maybe the Greek makes an appointment for you next month.
The Greeks are constantly on the move, but the climate imposes its own restrictions on human activity. Lunch begins at approximately 2 o'clock in the afternoon and can last as long as an hour. After this, it is time for a nap. A Greek can safely take a nap for 2-3 hours. That. from 2 to 6 pm, and also after 10 pm, Greeks call by phone only for very urgent matters.

A Greek restaurant requires tips, a monastery rejects all kinds of summer shorts and miniskirts, because they are from another life. Of course, the Greeks themselves often criticize their customs and argue about the advisability of following this or that rule, but they cannot stand it when foreigners try to do this.
It is also not customary to rush here. You can be late for a meeting, you can also wait a long time for your order in a restaurant, and then the bill. However, this does not affect the promises. If the Greek said so, he will do so, only perhaps a little later.
The Greeks are no strangers to hospitality, so you shouldn’t refuse a treat at village houses. There is a special attitude towards Russian guests here. Russia has more than once helped the Greeks cope with various conquerors, in addition, we have the same religion. Russian tourists leave a lot of money in the local treasury. This includes purchasing expensive jewelry and vacationing at resorts.
An important feature of the Greek way of life is National cuisine. Love for her is not discussed. Moreover, the Greeks love to eat. Most dishes are prepared using nuts, fish, lemons, lamb, tomatoes, garlic and raisins. A kind of cabbage rolls wrapped in grape leaves (dolmates), chir-chir, which is something similar to pasties, and various dishes on a spit are very popular. The Greeks drink alyan - a national drink based on sour milk. They also love sweets here.

Special attention is paid here to barbuni sea fish, horiatika salad (chopped vegetables with pieces of cheese), squid (kalamarakia), eggplant (melitsanes), sea fish roe salad (taramosalat), shrimp (gardes) and hemistes - baked tomatoes stuffed with a mixture of rice and meat.
Wine has been popular in Greece since its inception. The most popular white wines are Cambas, Pallini and Santa Elena. Red wines are represented by the Mafrodafne and Domestika varieties, which are often also white.
In addition, there are local drinks: “Ouzo” is a strong alcoholic drink whose taste is reminiscent of anise; “Raka” and “Mastic”, which is actually processed resin from the mastic tree. The most famous Greek cognac is called Metaxa. Coffee, which is served to guests in a small cup with a glass of plain clean water next to it, is also very popular.
IN general outline Greece is somewhat similar to Russia, so the stay of our tourists in this amazing country turns out to be very comfortable and impressive. In addition, many Russians are not averse to purchasing a house in Greece.

Holidays in Greece ‹ More about Greece ‹ Character of the Greeks

Character of the Greeks

The character of the Greeks, even in the time of Homer, would most correctly be called schizophrenic.
Neither education, nor upbringing, nor wealth creates a person in Greece, and their absence does not create a scoundrel.
In different strata of society you can meet Alexander the Great - noble, brave, intelligent, broad-minded, sincere, warm-hearted and generous, and Karagöz - low, treacherous, selfish, talkative, vain, lazy, envious and greedy - often in one and the same person.

Individualism

Individualism - main feature, characterizing the Greeks, which makes any attempt to sort them into categories and put a label on the Greeks as a nation impossible.
They nurture their over-inflated egos, which makes any collective initiative completely impossible until they come face to face with a national catastrophe, and then they rally in a rare display national unity. The Greeks also display an extreme passion for freedom of choice - which makes them completely impervious to understanding the words "discipline", "coordination" or "system".
"I" - favorite word Greeks When a Greek asks the rhetorical question “Do you know who I am?”, he clearly considers himself the center of the universe. As one old man from Delphi explained, everything is very simple: “The Earth is the center of the Universe, Greece is the heart of the Earth, Delphi is the center of Greece and, therefore, the navel of the Earth, I am the head of Delphi, therefore, I am the center of the Universe.”

Stormy emotions

When a Greek does not sleep, his lively temperament blossoms wildly, unhampered by any conventions. Perhaps this is what led the ancient sages to carve the sayings “Nothing in excess” and “Know thyself” on the portals of the temple of the Delphic oracle in a vain attempt to convince their fellow citizens to restrain their emotions.
They did not heed this call then, and they do not heed it now. From Achilles, whose anger was the cause of such mass slaughter at the walls of Troy, to Admiral Miaoulis, who in the 19th century was so angry with the government that he set fire to the Greek fleet, the Greeks give full vent to their emotions, and... do not care about the consequences!
Self-control, although invented by the ancient Spartans, is not only unknown to modern Greeks, but also completely incomprehensible. They do everything with passion - they have fun and they grieve. They shout, scream, burst into pompous tirades, furiously curse fate alike over important and not very important circumstances. No feeling is too personal to remain unexpressed. Their passions know no bounds.
Such overflowing incontinence often results in a burning need to express oneself in some physical form.
All over the world people dance when they are happy. The Greeks, on the other hand, tend to pour out their deepest pain and heartache in a heart-rending, majestic dance rhythm.
“The devil lives inside me,” explains the Greek Zorba in the novel of the same name by Nikos Kazantzakis. “Every time my heart is ready to burst, he orders me: “Dance!” - and I dance. And my pain goes away.”

Indifference

The ice of the well-known indifference of the Greeks to everything related to improvement is organically combined with the red-hot Greek temperament. public life or to any worthy cause.
IN spoken language the Greeks still call themselves "Romans" because the Greco-Byzantine Eastern Roman Empire continued to exist for another thousand years after the collapse of the Western Empire. The widely used expression "Forget it, brother! I will not risk my neck to save the Roman nation!" indicates the stubborn reluctance of most Greeks to take an active interest in anything that lies outside their immediate environment or that will not bring them personal benefit.
There’s even a song about this that ends with the chorus: “And we’re all sitting in a coffee shop - cigars, coffee and cards, and let it be, brother!”

The nose is architectural center face, since it occupies the central area. The most difficult thing is to find a woman who will consider her nose to be absolutely perfect; basically, the majority are always unhappy with their nose and therefore have a lot of complexes about it. In total, there are about fifteen groups into which this area is classified, each of which carries five main parameters - the root, the shape of the back, the direction of the base, the tip and the length. All of these are basic features that affect the shape of a given organ.

In Rome, as well as Ancient Greece, in addition to beautiful body Women’s noses were valued, as they clarified “of the correct shape”, apparently this is where the concept of Greek and Roman noses came from.

This so-called standard female beauty can be viewed at ancient sculptures, which display all the beauty of women in that era.

Roman profile

If you look at the Roman shape of the nose in profile, you can notice and emphasize a feature in it, such as a peculiar elongated nose with a slightly curved tip.

If you have this profile, then you must be very courageous people who will be able to attack and repel an opponent or enemy.

The appearance of the modern Greek people does not so often coincide with the standard of beauty; even the traditional, classical shape of the nose very rarely flashes among the crowd. This fact leads us to think that the Greek nose was the most ideal of all, which was characterized as a symbol of divine beauty when looking at ancient statues or photographs in profile.

The female nose of the Greek shape is very closely related to the character-defining hairstyle, which emphasized the low forehead and quite beautiful nose. The difference between a man's nose and a woman's is only in size, so the woman's nose is more beautiful and quite thin.

By shape Greek nose you can determine the character of a person, recognize him emotional characteristics and mental abilities, which include:

If a person has a naturally Greek-shaped nose, then this person is usually very reserved, never panics, thinks logically quite quickly, and can also cope with his emotions very well.

Admiral Nelson was naturally blessed with such a nose.

If you look at modern famous personalities who have never changed or, on the contrary, resorted to nose correction - Natalie Portman, Demi Moore, Angelina Jolie, Monica Bellucci.