....... as we walked out all the kirks around us were having poetry recitals. I didn't realize that humans had been taking lessons from the cats around here. We are a couple of weeks from Paske (Easter) so the poetry might have something to do with that. They don't do it every Friday evening.
This one is Agia Paraskevi. She is the saint whose intervention you seek if you want better eyesight. (In Greek Friday is named for her - or at least shares a name with her - maybe she is named after Friday.) Agia Paraskevi is our local (as in nearest) kirk.
The poor girl has to share her temple with Agios Nikolaos - patron of seafarers, and on that basis alone somewhat revered in this port town, Piraeus. So revered in fact, that he is one of the two saints for whom there is a public holy day (holiday) here. Both are in December a little over a week apart, and businesses apparently choose which one they will close for. The other one is Agios Spiridonos. We don't know much about his patronages because working as she does for a shipping business, F's public holiday is taken on 6 December for Ag. Nikolaos.
Agios Nikolaos has his own really big kirk down by the port. We pass it on our way to work (and back) - a huge yellow and white confection with a blue roof - so we are not entirely sure how or why he gets to muscle in on our local one as well.
On the holy days there were parades and the priests dressed in in their richly decorated gowns and tall headdresses encrusted with gold. It was all very elaborate. We guess it will be again eventually; its all part of what makes people feel connected to their cultural heritage.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteOOOOHHHH I could listen to lots more of that poetry, Mr T!!! The Orthodox church (both Greek and Russian) are much closer to philosophy and practice with Hinduism than you might think, all the scriptures formed as poems and chanted aloud like this... Thank you for sharing that snippet! Hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
this is new to me, the chanting of poems I mean. I like the sound of it since I don't understand it. it is good it is on speakers so that those not inside can hear it during this pandemic. thanks for sharing this, I enjoyed hearing and reading about it..
ReplyDeleteWe were being a little facetious - they are chanting scriptures. It is a feature of orthodox Christianity and the orthodox Christians (particularly the Greeks) won't like me saying this but it sounds not unlike the Islamic call to prayer that I used to hear over London's East End. It should come as no surprise to them. Here we are on the boundary between 2 major, mono-theist religions that have common roots and share more than just a few prophets, so it isn't a stretch of the imagination to see not an unbroachable boundary between the two, but a gradient of change and much in common on each side of that border.
DeleteThe speakers were a feature of churches here from well before the arrival of plague.
Are the locals still ‘allowed’ to attend services. Our churches were out of bounds for months - clergy became very tech savvy and online services became the norm.
ReplyDeleteI chuckled earlier when I went to ‘look up’ Agia Paravskevi and discovered there’s a tanker by that name ......whose present position was Piraeus :)
I'm not sure what the rules are Cathy - I know they can do socially distanced standing around outside. I expect kissing icons is out of the question.
DeleteAgia Paraskevi is the little church closest to us . It has a really need CE view of the bay below. She's very popular for candle lighting.
ReplyDeleteThis week is 'dumb week'. Not the best translation but it's the week before holy week and no Friday 'poetry'. You can eat fish on Sunday. Orthodox Palm Sunday I think
Hello again Tigger - been away and busy for a while. I rather like the sound of chanting - Gregorian chant especially. It's all sung at one note I think - eerie and evocative.
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