TRADITION AND CULTURE
Tradition is an element of defining and securing the particular identity of a nation...
The folk tradition is the transmission of all knowledge and all moral, cultural, artistic, and religious values from one generation to another.
The word tradition is a derivative noun of the verb «παραδίδωμι» ie "to deliver" which means to give in to someone's hands, to entrust something to someone. Tradition is a process, a transmission - usually oral - by which morals, customs, knowledge, or beliefs are passed on from one generation to another and thus perpetuated.
For the Greeks of three thousand years of continuous history, tradition is the most genuine proof of uninterrupted racial continuity despite the various historical adventures.
Morals and Customs are two words that are closely related. Morals are perceptions, types of behavior that people followed from ancient times to modern times in their interpersonal and social relations, while customs are actions, by which morals are expressed. A custom is a long-standing common habit that has been established and regulates the group life of a people.
The main elements of the Greek tradition are the language, the Orthodox religion, the folk songs, the folk dances, the folk art, the fairy tales, the proverbs, the historical memories and legends of the people, as well as the customs of joy and sorrow in every aspect of everyday life.
All these things hold the Greeks together and constitute their national character, which distinguishes them from other peoples.The folk tradition is a cultural heritage for the Greek people with pluralistic importance because it transmits knowledge and experience of centuries, preserves historical memory, is a source of inspiration and creation, but also a link between the past and the present, cultivates morally, spiritually and culturally, contributing to the preservation of the national identity and the special character of the Greek people.
From Linear B to ancient Greek and from there to a multitude of different dialects to today's modern Greek, the Greek language has proven that it is a living dynamic language, one of the few in the world that presents a homogeneous evolution and is a rare phenomenon in the linguistic history of the human race because it is spoken for thousands of years without interruption.
The modern Greek language preserves the ancient writing and spelling of words and 75% of its vocabulary is based on the ancient Greek language.
Approximately 28,000 English words, including keywords such as idea, theory, system, analysis, synthesis, category, hierarchy, method, hypothesis, myth, poetry, drama, music, harmony, politics, democracy, thence, machine, episteme, psyche, Eros, ecclesia, Christ, Europe, theology, etc. are all words of the Greek language
It is a language with unique virtues: it has expressiveness, flexibility, synthetic power, and the productive ability to produce and compose new words according to needs.
Considering that the Greek language evolved and was enriched with words and expressions from the ever-changing everyday life, the history and tradition consist of elements that have been preserved until today, rendering it the most important means of genuine expression of the Greek Culture.
In the spoken language, quotations of popular wisdom are idiomatic expressions, proverbs, proverbial phrases, which were and are widely used by the people, so much so that they have long ceased to be distinguished from the everyday phrases of the basic body of the language or to constitute a criterion of knowledge. They have penetrated deep into the core of the Greek language, were incorporated, assimilated and became one with it.
The contents of the pages of the site concerning the Greek language provide information on learning sounds, words, and phrases for basic everyday oral communication in the modern Greek language, and collections of phrases of popular wisdom, riddles, etc. which are listed with the corresponding historical/laographic information.
All the information provided is the result of personal experience, involvement, research and recording, by a native speaker who is passionate about the Greek language. It is neither a scientific study nor, of course, a complete guide for the systematic and complete learning of the Greek language.
The purpose is enjoyable learning about the cultural aspects of the modern greek language as a communication tool.
Tradition in Greece is still part of everyday life.
In the following sections, you can find information about the most important expressions of the Greek tradition.
Costumes
Perhaps the most powerful means of expression of the Greek tradition is the Greek traditional costume.
Traditional costumes present a great variety depending on the region (island, mainland Greece), hiding symbolism and messages about the use (everyday, festive, girlish, bridal, old age), the profession, the social status, the economic situation and the way of life of the people of each era of the past.
Dancing
The folk song and consequently the folk dances have always been the expression of the Greek.
An integral part of every aspect of everyday life expressed pain, misery, adversity but also joy, heroism, and valor.
Celebrations and Customs
In Greece, some days during the year are designated as official holidays and are celebrated to commemorate historically important events of the Greek nation and religiously significant events of the Orthodox tradition.
Customs are divided into two categories: those related to the so-called cycle of life (birth, marriage, death) and those related to the so-called cycle of the year, i.e. the activities of the people, as well as the religious festivals in the four seasons of the year.