Percy Jackson - A little bit of Greek!

So, "Percy Jackson - Sea of Monsters" came out in the cinema recently (depending on where you live...!) and I thought I'd give it a mention for all you movie lovers out there, purely because of the Greek heritage. (Yes, I am that easily swayed; anything Greek and I'm all over it!)

For those of you who don't know, the Percy Jackson series are about Demigods who are the children of the Greek Gods. So if you like Greek mythology, seeing the Greek key symbol all over everything, laughing at the 3eni pronouncing Greek words and hearing people buying things in Drachmas (ah, the good old days...) then check out the movie!

Anyone else seen any good movies with some Greek heritage recently or know of any coming out? Let us all know!

Greek-o-vision 2013!

It's that time of year again, the Greek-o-vision song contest, as I like to call it! This year we only had Greece and not Cyprus qualify for the final, but ofou they did really well coming in at 6th place overall! At one point Greece were top trending on Twitter worldwide! 

In case you missed it or you want to relive the experience, you can watch the performance here:

Ahh, so the Greek dudes were kicking it in their converse shoes, while playing the traditional bouzouki and singing in Greek for a change! (I think someone must have read last year's post I wrote here where I made that very suggestion...)

And of course we can't overlook the wonderful catchy lyrics of "Alcohol is free"... yes, well in this current climate free alcohol is the most appealing, enen!

Overall, a cracking performance and a really good result! I don't know why they just didn't let us win it though, even if the country is skint the Greeks will always we able to scrounge the money together for a party and to host the Eurovision! Maybe next year, who knows!


P.S. the moustache wipe at the end was awesome.

Greek Easter 2013

Xristos Anesti to the Greeks! Christ is risen!

So last night was Church night again for midnight mass. That meant more standing around with candles and waiting until midnight to commemorate the time when Christ rose from the dead.

This is where the candle is meant to be taken from the church and to your home without it being extinguished. The flame from the Church on this day is holy and is thought to be a great blessing if taken into your home. So all the peeps coming home drunk from the bars last night were not hallucinating if they saw cars glowing as they drove past... Nor was that drive thru cashier imagining things as the glowing car approached their window. It is highly likely that you may end up with candle wax on your car seats though, so beware!

Seeing as it is after midnight, technically the fast can be broken so generally there is a mini feast ready for when you get back from Church, some nice augolemoni always goes down well! Those lovely eggs we dyed a few days ago can also get smashing too!

And then there is Sunday where the mass "Xristos Anesti / Alithos Anesti" texts get sent to all your Greek contacts on your phone and then you prepare for the biggest feast of the year! Of course, this tends to consist of meat, meat and even more meat. You may need a nap from the meat coma...

I hope all those celebrating Easter today have an amazing day and take the opportunity for a fresh start, like Jesus did :)

Greek Easter - Good Friday

So it's Holy Week and the countdown to the biggest religious event for Greeks begins! On Thursday night is when eggs are dyed.

Usually they are dyed red to symbolise Jesus' blood, but other colours are also used these days. Every Greek home will have their special little basket with coloured eggs in and these will remain untouched until Sunday morning!

Tonight will be the Epitafio where we go to church late at night and walk with Jesus' 'tomb' around the local area, mourning his death. Of course it is a serious occasion for Greeks, but Church night definitely has its comical moments, and seeing as 'Typical Greek' covers the entertaining aspects of the Greek culture, forgive me for wanting to share that side of it! Stay tuned on twitter to be kept up to date with 'Epitafio Problems'! (No offense intended).

Come back for more on Easter celebrations this weekend!

Holy Week 2013!

So it's Holy Week... the *real* one,  not the premature Easter that the 3eni had a month ago...

Be prepared for some grumpy Greeks this week. For some, they would have been fasting for weeks already but that takes a lot of dedication and self control and is usually undertaken by the hardcore yeri (old peeps). The 3eni usually just give up "something" for lent, like chocolate... but Greeks need to sacrifice something really important to them - meat!

For those Greeks who are just starting their fast for Holy Week or coming in for the home stretch, they will most likely be going vegan. Although we do it for noble reasons, it does bring with it a heavy heart of dread of our 'meat free week'... I guess that's the point though isn't it! Also makes the feast all the more sweet!

When a Greek doesn't get their meat, stay out of their way! What vegan meals are you preparing for Holy Week?

Greek Dances - What do they mean?

I have addressed Greek dancing in posts previously, and you may recall that I mentioned that there were meanings behind our dances and that I would delve into them one day. Well, hold on to your vrakes guys, as that day has finally come!

So Greek dancing is all about expressing emotions and telling stories. Traditional Greek dancing had plenty of stories: some were to ensure fertility, preparing for war, celebrating victories, overcoming depression and even curing illnesses. They are usually named after villages or places where they originated from.

So what dance means what? I'll address a couple in this post and may explore some other dances in the future!

The 'Zebekiko'
This is a solo dance usually performed by men (eh but you get the odd 'modern' woman sneaking in these days too!). The songs that you dance the 'Zebekiko' to (can also be called the 'vareto') are always very passionate and often reflect struggles and broken hearts. Hence, why it is also known as the 'drunken' dance... It's usually performed very late into the evening (once the booze has taken full effect, you know how it is...). The moves are generally actually very sporadic and drunken looking and although there are some signature moves, it is generally freestyle; just moving to your emotions. It is always danced with an audience knelt down in a circle clapping you on and appreciating your deep felt expressive emotions (unless you're in a fancy dress apparently...) Watch an example below!

The 'Kalamatiano'

This is performed by both men and women in a circle, and is considered a celebratory dance! There is an even number of people as they are coupled up; men and women dance in pairs as well as in a circle. The person at the front has a mantili (hankie) and waves it around as they lead the group. Depending on the occasion being danced to, you can imagine lots of stories when they dance! If you're at a wedding and there are young people performing the dance, you could imagine that the couples are courting and getting to know one other before they have their own matrimonial ceremonies one day. Also, please pause to appreciate the costumes... bless their little outfits; gotta love the fluffy balls on the shoes!?

So that's the traditional Greek dancing. You know, very sweet, innocent, conservative; traditional! Having said that, current Greek dancing has changed somewhat... As clothing has become more racy, so has the dancing..! If you're out in the bouzoukia, you will witness something very different to the traditional dances, but still interestingly distinguishable as Greek. Check this video below of the 'Tsifteteli' to see what I mean...

So... you will probably have noticed the much shorter skirts, and the more sensuous hip wiggling and body writhing amongst the modern Greeks! A big difference to the traditional dances seen above, enen! These days, children learn to dance this way very early and it is not uncommon to see young kids at the bouzoukia dancing until 4am!

So come rain or shine, depression or glory, pain or pleasure... Greeks express how they are feeling by dancing! Next time you are out watching Greek dancing (be it traditional or modern) really take the time to think about what the performers are feeling and appreciate it. Don't forget to toss some cash at them too to show your respect! (Er.. and no, this has nothing to do with the 'cabaret', that's a whole other story.....!)

How Greek Am I - Quiz!

Have you ever wondered how much of a typical Greek you are? Well wonder no more as I have created a quiz for you to find out!

Take the test below and write your results in the comments!

Happy 2013, OPA!

Χρόνια Πολά everyone and Happy 2013!

Here we are again, a brand new year and time for a bit of reflection!

I started "Typical Greek" back in 2011; TypicalGreek's twitter birthday is 19th January 2011 and this 'TypicalGreekLife' blog was started 21st February 2011! I may do some fun birthday celebrations for those this year, so watch this space! I can't believe it's been 2 years now - that deserves a party!?

Since I started the original Greek twitter account (yes, I was the first to ever tweet things Greek and I know this because I searched extensively before starting up TypicalGreek!) I know there have been MANY who have followed in TypicalGreek's footsteps over the past 2 years and will probably continue to do so in the future (eh, everyone copies the Greeks, enen) but I want to say thank you to those of you who have shown your loyalty to the TG account and also to those of you who read this blog; it means a lot to know I can bring you some joy, and I plan to stay and grow - just for your 'edutainment'! (This is what I call fun knowledge... education+entertainment. Oh Gredutainment... Greek Education + entertainment. Have I gone too far now?)

My last 'happy new year' post of 2012 can be found HERE and you should give it a read again! I talk about the wonder of the vasilobita tradition of a Greek new year! Did you find the coin last year? If so, how did your year turn out? I've yet to win it since I was a child - ooof. (Well, not including the fake coins yiayia hides in the cake so we all end up being winners, anyway...)

None the less, I am looking forward to 2013 and seeing where things go! If you have any ideas of blogposts you would like to read about this year, please leave me suggestions below or email me at typicalgreek@gmail.com - after all, this is all for you guys!

Have an amazing start to the year; try and keep to your new year's resolutions (if you need any tips check out my blog post HERE!)

Sagapw my twitterakia/blogerakia!