In August 1974 Greek forces withdrew from the integrated military structure of NATO in protest against the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus.
The breaking of the eggs is meant to symbolize Christ breaking from the Tomb. ... On the "name day" of someone, his friends and family visit him without invitation and offer wishes and small presents. Mezedez often consist of htapodi (small pieces of octopus served grilled, boiled or fried with lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar and oregano), dolmades or dolmadakia (grape leaves filled with rice, onions and sometimes ground beef, currants and pine kernel), kalamarakia (small pieces of fried squid with lemon juice), tiropitakia (small cheese pies, usually made of feta cheese) and spanakopitakia (small spinach pies with crushed feta cheese), small fish, feta cheese and other cheeses such as the saganaki or fried cheese, various olives.Salads include horiatiki (Village Salad), the most famous Greek salad - a mix of fresh tomatoes, olives, cucumber, onions, green pepper, feta cheese, olive oil and oregano; melitzanosalata - an eggplant puree with finely chopped garlic and olive oil; taramosalata - crushed fish eggs.Greeks have a lot of excellent main dishes such as moussaka, which has a base made of potatoes topped with eggplants, onions, ground beef and béchamel crème; pastitsio - spaghetti topped with ground beef, onions, tomato sauce and béchamel sauce; paidakia - grilled lamb's ribs served with lemon; kokoretsi - wrapped and roasted entrails of lamb, served with lemon; keftedakia - fried meatballs of beef, garlic and bread.
Blue is believed to be the color that wards off the evil eye, but it is also believed that people with blue eyes are most possible givers of the matiasma.It is believed that spitting chases the devil and the misfortune away. The priest puts a gold chain with a cross on his or her neck and gives the baby its first Holy Communion.At the end of the ceremony, the parents kiss the godparent’s hands and receive guests’ wishes: “na sas zisei” (Long Life to Your Baby).The ceremony is followed by a celebration at the family’s house or a restaurant.Another big Greek celebration is “Apokries” or Carnival. It is the celebration of the heroic OXI (NO): most Greeks put a Greek flag on their windows and balconies, while a parade takes place with the participation of school students and the army.Greek superstitions are coming either from religion or paganism. Those, who have caught the evil eye, usually feel bad physically and mentally.
The church’s bells ring continuously and people say one to another “Christos Anesti”, to which the reply is “Alithos Anesti” (Indeed He Has Risen).Then the faithful go home or to the homes of relatives and friends to share the Resurrection Meal.
Once the priest has declared them married, the guests throw rice and almond candy wrapped with white sugar (ta koufeta) to the new couple.After the ceremony, the bridal couple stays in the church and all the guests kiss them and wish them “na zisete” (Long Life to You). You may find that an invitation to have coffee leads to an invitation to dinner, escalating to an invitation to join a family event. Just before midnight, all of the churches’ lights are turned off, symbolizing the darkness and the silence of the tomb.At midnight, the priest lights a candle from the Eternal Flame, sings “Christos Anesti” (Christ Arose) and offers the flame to light the candle to the people that are the closest to him. The Procession of the Epitáphios of Christ, the Epitaphio mourns the death of Christ on the Cross with the symbolic coffin, decorated with thousands of flowers, taken out of the church and carried through the streets by the faithful. You will find below the many Greek traditions still honored in Greek modern culture, no matter people's age, until today.
In It is a custom in Greece to get engaged before getting married. The family offers both financial and emotional support to its members and family relationships carry over into business with nepotism largely seen as something acceptable. The guests wish “Kala Stephana” (Good Crowns meaning “Have a Good Marriage”) and “I ora I kali” (that the good hour of the marriage comes) to the fiancés.Marriage is another big celebration in Greece.
Greeks also consider the number 13 to be good luck and the main theory is the belief that having 12 apostles of Christ made Christ the 13th of the group. The festival consists of two weeks of the feast, beginning from the Sunday of Meat Fare and ends with the first day of the Lent, called Easter is the most important celebration for the Greeks, even more than Christmas. In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU) and became the 12th member of the Eurozone in 2001.
Greek families are very supportive of one another.