The Greek Martis bracelet tradition. When, what, and what for!

It’s March, folks! Time to wear the ‘Martis!’

My mother, Ioanna, was a seamstress. Every March 1st, when my sister and I were little, she would call us to where she sat at her sewing machine and hand us red and white thread for us to twirl them around each other and make our ‘Martis’. She would then put this crude bracelet around our wrists, tie it up, and say, ‘Here you go! Now the sun won’t burn you this coming summer!’

I presume this happened all over Greece at the time, as I recall many kids in school wearing the Martis in school and they all looked exactly the same. They are like the ones closest to my wrist in the picture – 2 basic Martis bracelets, actually, twirled loosely together into one. Anyway, back in the 70s, marketing wasn’t what it is today, and it was unheard of to buy a Martis. You just had to make one yourself.

These days, this old Greek custom is really hard to ignore, seeing that you see them on display in the shops everywhere in my country, and they come in both basic and elaborate designs, many full of beads and metallic parts, and ‘eye’ beads to, to help ward off the ‘evil eye’.

According to the custom, the Martis is to be worn from March 1st until March 31, then you’re supposed to hang it on a flowering tree or bush. As I mentioned earlier, the bracelet is said to provide protection against the strong sun in the coming summer.

There are variations to the myth, though. According to one, the Martis also provides protection from disease. And, another tradition calls for taking off the bracelet as soon as you see a swallow for the first time in the spring. Having just returned from its southern refuge during winter, the swallow will be looking for somewhere to make a nest. Tradition then calls for placing the bracelet on a rose bush in your garden to encourage the swallow to make a nest nearby.

Apparently, this custom is thousands of years old, deriving from the ancient Eleusian Mysteries that were related to the worship of goddess Dimitra (goddess of agriculture) and her daughter, Persephone. No one really believes the threads will offer any kind of protection these days, obviously, but customs are important. They unite people together, create a relation, and bring back precious childhood memories, too.

For me, tradition is important, and in today’s dark world that seeks to globalize and blend everything together, I believe nations should strive harder than ever before, to protect each, their own identity. So I am wearing my Martis with pride for another year, and I am thinking of my mother.

The bracelet with the blue bead that you can see in the photograph was an impulsive buy of hers as a gift to me. She bought one for each of us when I took her to a store one day, a few years back, while she was in the thick of it, battling cancer. Now that she is gone I cherish it, and I always will.

And that is the meaning and the value of customs.

Please hold on to your traditions. Cherish them and protect them.

If you’d like to get hold of a Martis to wear every year, you’ll find them on sale online and they can be shipped worldwide. Look for ‘Marti bracelet’ on places like Amazon or ETSY.

For some reason, they call it ‘Marti’ in the eshops, but the proper word is ‘Martis’ – the Greek word for ‘March’.

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Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Kate has a guardian angel. She just doesn’t know it. Plus, she’s falling for him. Delightful paranormal romance set on the idyllic island of Sifnos. The descriptions of Greek food will make you feel ravenous. Don’t read when hungry. You’ve been warned! OOOPPPPAAAAAA! Get it now on Amazon

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
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Sightseeing in beautiful Thessaloniki and Greek lamb roast

Hello, All! Today, I am thrilled to share my travel report from my super-short stay in Thessaloniki (aka Salonica) earlier this month. I had only 1 full day to explore it and managed to admire most of its major sights and popular quarters.

Scroll down towards the end of this post to find out how I marinade lamb (or pork) for a Greek meat roast. I am sharing all my best tips on how to prepare this yummy meal including my family recipe for tzatziki. Enjoy it all, folks!

A stunning Greek city, so reminiscent of Rome…

I took this photograph of the magnificent ‘Kamara’ (Arch) on New Year’s Eve. It’s in the bustling city of Salonica, and it is one of many remnants from the Roman occupation of the city. The Kamara was constructed to honor the Roman Caesar Galerius (Galerius Valerius Maximianus) circa 300 A.C. to commemorate his successful expedition against the Persians. Galerius’s palace was situated near the Kamara and its ruins stand today on the other side of the busy avenue, amidst Navarinou Square.

Looking at this precious monument, it was hard for me to imagine that, a few decades ago, trams circulated in the city and used to pass right under the Kamara! I just couldn’t imagine this happening today. And I am pleased no accidents ever happened during that time to cause destruction to this magnificent structure. What a gem for the city it truly is today, creating such a delightful contrast to the contemporary urban landscape.

It is standing silently and with perfect dignity, despite its losses through the centuries, and it is practically obliging whomever approaches it, be it a tourist or a local, to slow their pace and let their eyes wander upon its beautiful, intricate sculpted marble slabs that depict the wars of Valerius against the Persians.

A stone’s throw away from the Kamara stands the magnificent Rotonda…

The Rotonda was built during the reign of Galerius in the 4th century A.C as a Roman temple. In the Byzantine era, it was a Christian church and beautiful frescoes were painted in it, some of which survive today. Later in time, the Rotonda also served as a mosque.

After the Minor Asia Catastrophe in the 1920s, when the Greeks fled their lands and arrived into Greece in droves, many of those who were brought into Salonica were placed in the Rotonda temporarily until they could be put into basic homes. It was an awe-inspiring experience for me to stand in this place of vast and such diverse history, and considered myself very lucky to visit it at a time when there was no one else around but my husband, Andy, and I.

The Rotonda is cylindrical in shape and so reminiscent of the Pantheon in Rome, except the Oculus (the ‘eye’ on the top, at the center) is not open in the Rotonda.

The White Tower and the seafront were that something else…

I thought I was impressed enough visiting Roman ruins and Byzantine churches, admiring old mosques and the impressive arched openings of the city’s famous indoor markets, and then we wound up on the seafront, where the White Tower stood, a beauty to behold, and our excitement hit the roof. I always wanted to visit the White Tower, and, let me tell you – it was well worth the wait.

The ascend is comfortable, with wide corridors and steps, and on every level there are displays that offer old pictures and information where the holding cells used to be, at the time of the Ottoman Occupation of the city. The Ottomans built the tower in the 16th century and were brutal rulers. After they massacred the rebellious Gennissaries inside the tower, the latter acquired a new name… It was referred to for some time after that as the Red Tower or the Tower of Blood.

Today, the displays on each level explore a different facet of the history of the White Tower and Salonica, too. The mentions to the harrowing Nazi occupation era linger on my mind still. During WWII, the Nazis rounded up Salonica’s large Jewish community and put those poor souls on trains to the butcher camps of Europe we have all heard about… Only a few returned to Salonica to tell the tale. Mentions to contemporary times were included on the displays in the White Tower, including ones to Greek movies and songs that are relevant to the city. The view from the top of the tower was too beautiful for words, on all sides…

By far, the best was the sea view, of course, and we marveled at the wide bay that stretched as far as the eye could see. A couple of pleasure boats were docked down below, and others were cruising up and down along the bay, offering even food on board as they gave the tourists a fun ride in the sea air. The most delightful were the pirate ships.

A Captain Jack Sparrow character stood on the dock at the entrance of one ship luring the little ones in, who tugged at their parents’ sleeves from afar, rushing to get a ride. Clever marketing, I say, and it definitely works! But, we didn’t get a boat ride. Our time was limited and we wanted to visit several popular quarters of the city before nightfall. So we went for a walk along the seafront instead, where we made sure to tick off all the famous landmarks on our list of things to see.

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The famous ‘Umbrellas’ didn’t disappoint. Everyone wanted to take the same photo, it seems (unlike this pretty girl in this photo, but then she had loads taken, including THE pose). What’s THE pose, I hear you ask? Well, you’re supposed to grab one of the umbrellas by the handle and have your photo taken with one foot mid-air, knee bent, as if you’re being lifted off the ground. We stood nearby for a while and everyone seemed to know what to do. It made us chuckle.

We also loved the fountains (you can see part of these on the right of this photo). It certainly made the little ones giggle. Standing on that platform you never know where the water will spurt from next. I must return in the summer to try that on a scorching hot day, LOL The famous sculpture of Alexander the Great, King of the ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia, on horseback was beautiful, though our guide ruined it a little for us, by telling us a secret…

There is a mistake in the depiction of this great king and general. His horse is depicted with both its front hooves up in the air, which signifies the rider died in battle, but this wasn’t the case with Alexander. Since he died from disease, one irrelevant to a battle wound even (that would call for one hoof off the ground, BTW), the horse’s front legs would have to both be on the ground.

Still, the statue looks beautiful, and more impressive, that way. And Alexander did love his horse, Bucephalus (pronounced ‘Voukefalas’, in Greek, which means ‘Head of an Ox). I am so glad it was included in the sculpture!

St Dimitrios was the most amazing among all the churches I visited. That says a lot, believe me… Salonica reminded me so much of Rome, and not just because of the Roman ruins and history. It did that also in the sense that its ancient yet magnificent churches filled me with a sense of unparalleled awe. And that was mostly the case when I entered the grandiose church of St Dimitris, patron saint of Salonica. Inside the colonnade on both sides of the main space, one will find a multitude of relics and beautiful icons to marvel at. The top floor offers another impressive prespective, as you can see, and we loved it that it was Sunday when we visited, and a mass was underway, the church full with people.    

As stunning as the main church space is, though, nothing prepares the visitor for the true magificence of what hides in its bowels. Truly, I pity the visitor not in the know, who enters this church and leaves it without ever visiting the Roman crypt underneath – a labyrinthine space that easily throws you back into Roman times, if you let it…

And let it, I did, looking at ancient artifacts scattered everywhere as I visited various cell-like spaces in this underground, outwordly place. It all resonated in me like a chill on my spine, and it was an odd experience because at the same time the comforting sounds of the mass from the ground floor echoed down into the ancient spaces and pleased my ears.

At the centre of it all, stands the exact space where St Dimitrius himself was once kept imprisoned and ultimately executed by the Romans.

Galerios himself ordered the Saint’s imprisonment and ultimately his execution, simply because he prayed in public spaces and believed in Jesus Christ. St Dimitrios is heralded as the Holy Great Martyr (Megalomartiras), and also as the ‘Myrrh-Gusher’ (Mirovlitis) because according to legend, streams of scented oil came forth from his relics.

According to some sources, he was a soldier of the Roman army, which makes it hard for me to fathom just how much hate the Romans might have had for Christianity, enough to turn against one of their own, in a sense. St Dimitrios was young when he was martyred, around 26 years of age.

It was very moving and awe-inspiring for me to stand alone for a few moments before this beautiful monument raised to honour the Saint and pray to him.

A plain bougatsa…. is a ‘bougatsa me krema’ in Salonica!

Salonica is very much about food… and desserts especially. But you have to order them right!

We spent the rest of the time visiting famous quarters of the city, starting from Ladadika. This popular area took its name from the word ‘ladi’ (oil), as this was where the merchants once kept their stock of olive oil, and it was truly fortuitous that the Great Fire of 1917 that destroyed two thirds of the city, leaving 70,000 homeless, never reached this area.

Ladadika became a red light district later in time and today it is a hip place to be, full of vibrancy, a place where locals and tourists alike go for a meal or a drink and it really comes alive in the evenings, or so I hear.

We sat there lunchtime for a gyros pitta, but I forgot to call it a ‘sandwich’ when I ordered, like the locals oddly do. Luckily, the young waitress was well versed on the Athenian vernacular and got me the right meal haha

Same thing happened when we went to one of many small family establishments, just off the famous Aristotle (Aristotelous) Square, to order a Bougatsa. I asked for one and the lady asked, ‘Savoury? With cheese? Or sweet?’ And I had to laugh, because I’d promised myself that when I got to Salonica I’d order for a ‘Bougatsa’ the right way, but force of habit got in the way and I failed. The Athenians and the Salonicans have forever been teasing each other on the subject of Bougatsa…

You see, in Athens, a Bougatsa is filled with custard and sprinkled with cinnamon. It’s sweet. You can’t get it wrong if you ask for one. But in Thessaloniki, a Bougatsa means ‘pastry’. It’s a vague term. So the Salonicans differentiate by saying Bougatsa with cheese, Bougatsa with spinach, Bougatsa with cream, and so on.

So, when the nice lady asked what kind of Bougatsa I wanted, all I could do was say, ‘Sweet, with cream! Sorry!’, chuckle awkwardly, and try to save face… for being one of those odd Athenians haha

We also had the chance to walk quickly past the Louloudadika area (an open-air flower market) that was heaving at the time. It was like Monastiraki in Athens, but on speed! Since it was New Year’s Eve, it was packed, vendors were cooking souvlakis on a couple stalls, and people were eating standing all over the place, dancing and whooping to loud live music.

We found the same kind of crowds and commotion in Fraggomahalas, an area that used to be the French Quarter back in the day.

We didn’t stay long there for the same reason, but we did admire beautiful old buildings, and the most renowned landmark of this quarter – the Old Clock on the impressive bank building that still shows the time it stopped (at 11:05) during the Earthquake of 1978.

After sundown, we headed back to Aristotle Square to watch a beautiful event. Crowds started to gather way earlier than the pre-announced time, and more kept on coming, to place written wishes inside paper lanterns and lit them up.

Soon, a multitude of lanterns was rising into the night sky, offering a magical spectacle.

I took this photo as we were heading back to the hotel, at the end of a tiring (14 hours walking and exploring!) but truly unforgettable day.

I was standing before the Roman Forum, looking towards Aristotle Square and the seafront. It was a whimsical sight with the lanterns in the night sky. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but I hope you’ll enjoy this little peek.

A couple of weeks have passed now, and I miss Salonica beyond words. It was a short stay and we only had one day (New Year’s Eve, hence the crowds) to explore it in the daytime, as we were on the coach travelling or seeing other places of interest on the other days. I hope to visit it again, just hubby and me, to take it all in, in our own pace. And to visit the Ano Poli, which we missed totally during this trip.

Overlooking the city on high ground, Ano Poli (Higher City) offers generous views to the city and the bay. There are beautiful lanes and churches to explore up there, great cafes and eateries, but most of all, there are the ancient walls of the city to admire, as well as the ‘Yedi Koule’ (aka Eptapyrgion) – an Ottoman Fortress of 7 towers. These ‘promises’ are certainly enough to keep me dreaming of Salonica and aching to go back.

Not to forget those pirate ships… I certainly hope to enjoy a boat ride with ‘Captain Jack Sparrow’ at the helm next time!

VISIT FACEBOOK TO SEE THE PIRATE SHIP, ALEXANDER’S STATUE, AND MANY OTHER OF THE PHOTOS I TOOK IN SALONICA!

GO HERE TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO THAT I MADE FOR YOU AT THE TOP OF THE WHITE TOWER!

 

Finger-licking stuff! Greek lamb roast using a delish marinade with herbs and spices

Today, I am pleased to share my special marinade for lamb (or pork). The combination of mustard, garlic, dried mint, paprika, and rosemary makes the kind of magic I cannot possibly describe. You’ll just have to try it to know. You can use oregano instead of mint, and you can add carrots and tomatillos in the pan for a colourful dish. 

GO HERE FOR MY RECIPE, INCLUDING THE ONE FOR THE TZATZIKI DIP. ENJOY!

 

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Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. Visit Amazon

 

Kelly ran a marathon in Nafplio and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with tantalising clean romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon

 

Kate has a guardian angel. She just doesn’t know it. Plus, she’s falling for him. Delightful paranormal romance set on the idyllic island of Sifnos. The descriptions of Greek food will make you feel ravenous. Don’t read when hungry. You’ve been warned! OOOPPPPAAAAAA! Get it now on Amazon

 

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!

 

 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

 

Greek Epiphany swimmers, a scary santa, and how to learn Greek fast

Hi, All! Today, I am sharing about the Greek customs of Epiphany, and a little from Italy too. I am also sharing a great tip on how to learn Greek really fast and for FREE. Any language you want really! I am also sharing the link to my newsletter that’s packed with FREE books! Here we goooo!

This is a pic from my little town’s seafront last Saturday, and as you can see it was packed!

Crowds had gathered once again to watch the annual Blessing of the Waters ceremony.

It was Epiphany, you see, January 6, and we were standing near St George’s church, waiting for the mass to finish, as we listened from the speakers.

These brave lads you can see in the photo got in the cold water well beforehand and stood there, I presume to get used to the freezing temperature before it was time to start swimming.

In case you’re not familiar with this Greek custom, I must explain that the Blessing of the Waters takes place in every church all over Greece on Epiphany (‘Theofania’, in Greek).

The mass of the day commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan by John the Baptist, who is honoured by the Greek church the next day, January 7.

During mass, when the priest chants about the Holy Spirit appearing in the form of a pigeon during the baptism of Jesus, the priest frees from his hands three pigeons that typically take to the skies at once, circling over the church, as the crowd marvels.

The three pigeons signify the Holy Trinity and the ‘Theofania’ itself, i.e. ‘The appearance of God’, as the full Holy Trinity was present on the day Jesus was baptised. The Holy Spirit showed itself as a pigeon, and God’s voice was heard from the sky too, to declare Jesus as His beloved Son.

In every church around Greece, the priest blesses the water in a tank at the church yard. It usually has little taps on it, and after the ceremony it stays at the church yard for a couple days so that people can come and collect the holy water (Agiasmos) in bottles.

Many Greeks will take this ‘Agiasmos’ home and everyone in the family will drink some, careful not to spill any. They will then keep the remainder in the bottle all year round to be able to drink some when ill, for a prompt healing, or to drizzle around the home when they wish to bless it.

Being holy, the ‘Agiasmos’ is not supposed to be thrown in the drain or the trash, but it is okay to sprinkle some in the garden or in the bowl where animals drink water.

Back to the ceremony of the Blessing of the Waters:

When there is a large body of water near the church, the priest will bless that too. So, in our seaside town, the priest leaves the church ceremoniously after the mass is finished, accompanied by a brass band, and gets on a fishing boat…

By that time, the swimmers are in the sea waiting in the shallows, and there are many other boats in the water, including one of the port police.

The priest gives the signal to the swimmers and throws the cross in the sea. It is usually made of wood so it can float, and is always attached to a string.

The swimmer who gets to the cross first is believed to be blessed all year round.

This year, the lad who got to the cross first to lift it high and cause the crowds to erupt into applause, did so 5th year in a row! Amazing!

GO HERE TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO OF THE RACE!

Nuh-uh. I wouldn’t like to be a kid in Italy. With the wild imagination that I have, I’d be going mental throughout the Christmas season, never catching a wink he he

This is Befana, the Italian Santa Claus. She doesn’t go ‘Ho ho ho!’ and she arrives riding something much less glorious than a sleigh led by reindeer. This santa rides a broomstick, folks!

Befana comes on the eve of Epiphany to leave candy inside the socks of the good kids. If they’re bad she’ll leave them a lump of coal, or dark candy at best. Sometimes, she may also leave the bad kids onion or garlic. Admittedly, that won’t be tasty at all haha

And what do you know? This witch is very tidy! She will sweep the floor before leaving! This symbolizes a wish for all things bad to be swept away from the home at the start of a new year.

Italian children are taught to leave a glass of wine and a few morsels of food for Befana overnight.

I spent New Year’s in Rome once, and the stalls on the streets were full of Befanas on their broomsticks.

By the way, I wrote a post upon my return, giving my readers a virtual tour of the most beautiful churches of Rome. They kept me awestruck throughout my short stay, and I was oohing and aahhing all day long. Truly, I am still to see a church half as awe-inspiring than the average church in Rome!

GO HERE TO SEE THE POST

 

I spent New Year’s Day in Salonica. It is such a stunning city! In my latest newsletter, I share the latest from my life in Greece along with a plethora of FREE books. 

In this issue, I am also sharing a great tip on how to learn any language you want, fast and absolutely FREE! To save you time, this is about a free app called Duolingo, but you can see the newsletter for more info and for my own impressions of it, right here. Enjoy!

 

Interested in Greek customs and culture? Check out this blog reel where you’ll find a few of my best posts on these subjects. The New Year’s cake with the hidden coin, the plant that brings good luck in the new year, St George and the ‘Red Egg’, Greek memorial food for the dead, the use of vigil lamps and more. Enjoy!

 

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NEW! A historical paranormal romance box set. This is the timeless love story that will stay with you forever. Set in Moraitika, Corfu and Brighton, England. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3HEvMPG
Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

 

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

 

Majestic views in Lake Doxa and a secret school

This view took my breath away…

My husband, Andy, and I spent one cold Sunday at the end of November filling our minds with images of breathtaking beauty at the mountains and plains of Feneos in Korinthia (i.e. the prefecture of ‘Korinthos’ – Corinth, in English).

I took this photo from the top level balcony of the stunning St George’s Monastery which overlooks Lake Doxa. The monastery of St George was originally built by the lake, but in 1693 the water level rose much too quickly and the monks fled, barely having time to save themselves. The ruins of that monastery are still underwater today. The same year, upon losing their home, the monks got to work building a new monastery high up on the mountain, to make sure history will not not repeated. In the monastery’s garden today, the monks grow a special variety of roses from the Peloponnese that are particularly aromatic.

Once a year, at harvesting season, they get to work using the fragrant flowers to make a syrupy sweet, which they sell at the monastery’s gift shop in jars. They also welcome the guests with a free treat of this sweet, and I can attest to the fact it is highly aromatic and delicious (albeit a little too sweet for my liking). Walking around the charming court of the monastery (that’s decked in stone everywhere you look) and around its different levels and corridors is a pleasure in itself. I was also impressed by the seemingly tireless tour given by an elderly monk. He was such a sweet soul and kept welcoming coachfuls of guests inside the tiny church, sharing about the history of the place in a low soft-spoken voice that rang with kindness and humility.

A depiction of krifo skolio by painter, Nikolaos Gyzis

But, above anything else, for me, the highlight was, by far, my chance to see the tiny nook inside the roof of the monastery that used to serve as a ‘krifo skolio’ (secret school) during the time when Greece was occupied by the Ottoman Empire (1453-1821). To get to the roof, one has to take two short stairs that are more like ladders and thus require a lot of attention. The wood they are made off, and the tiny landing in between, creaked with every step, so guests had to allow up to two people to be up there at a time. Time was precious once you got to the top to admire this precious little space.

The first time, out of respect for everyone waiting below, I took a quick look and felt embarrassed to take out my camera. Luckily, the crowd dispersed later, before it was time to leave on our coach, so I was able to go back up again, my camera in hand this time, to drink in the small space a little better, more reverently as it deserved, and to take a couple of photos. I didn’t go over the high wooden hurdle to venture inside, taking the hint that the place was off limits.

Two elderly men had stepped inside earlier to take a closer look and I thought it was a bit of a naughty thing to do… but also potentially dangerous (creaking floors and all that). But anyway, the photos came out clearer than I’d expected, since the place was deeped in semi-darkness. I love the ray of light captured by the lens, which wasn’t visible with the naked eye. It gives the space that reverence I believe it has. Truly, the ‘krifo skolio’ is romanticised enough in art, just like it is in the famous painting by Nikolaos Gyzis, and it does deserve to be.

After all, every priest and every monk during the Ottoman rule in Greece must have taken it upon themselves to keep the Christian faith and the Greek language alive during those dark 400 years. Had they not decided to organize these meetings in the dark of night to teach Greek children how to read and write in their own language, as well as all about Christian doctrine, chances are the Greeks would not be today the kind of people they are – i.e. people who regard their ancestry something to be proud about and also people that keep God alive in their hearts.

The following stanza from the Greek poet Polemis illustrates the atmosphere of ‘krifo skolio’ perfectly. This is my best effort to translate it into English:

“Outside, black-cloaked desperation

The tangible darkness of a bitter slavery

And inside the vaulted church

The church that every night morphs into a school

The apprehensive light of the oil lamp

Stirs the dreams while trembling

And gathers the little slave children all around.”

When we visited the lake, I quickly turned around to realize my hubbie was nowhere to be found. Crowds had gathered everywhere to admire the local produce on offer that was laid out across many stands along the bank.

I spotted Andy again a little later emerging through the wandering tourist crowds, and he was singing the praises of the locals, saying how hospitable they all were acting. Turned out he’d only gone on a little tour by himself while I was buying all sorts of lentils from the local plains at amazing prices. He was over the moon, having been offered in that short time various kinds of rusks, cheeses and tsipouro to try. I quickly followed his advice and tried some of the samples on offer as well. He was right; it was all delicious. If you’re ever in the area, make sure to try everything. I think we did haha. And we did go away with a couple of big bags. What a saving it all was haha

I’ve already cooked beans and fava and they were both as delicious as they had promised they’d be. I am still to rub the wild oregano I got off the stalks and put it in a jar. That was incredible timing as my longstanding stock of wild oregano from Moraitika, Corfu had recently been depleted 🙂

The lake itself is phenomenally beautiful. I’d love to go back one day and go around it to drink in its beauty at my leisure. In the summer, one can even rent boats (or is it pedalos?). People can cycle along the bank all year round or rent horses and ponies. We only had a short time to enjoy the views as it was quite cold and threatening with rain, but we managed a short walk to the Agios Fanourios church. It is tiny and sits at the end of a long strip of land extending far into the lake.

Our beautiful day out continued with lunch at the village of Feneos – we had roasted lamb, Choriatiki salad, and a side dish of local butter beans in tomato sauce. All enjoyed with fresh bread as we sat by the fireplace. We couldn’t have been taken to a better place for lunch. After all the walking around in the cold, everything hit the spot perfectly.

It’s been almost two weeks since that day and my mind is still full of beautiful images. The colors on the forest trees, the sparkling lake waters, the ancient woodwork and stonework of the monastery, and, last but not least, the sunrays reaching down to the plains as they pierced through dramatic dark clouds. It all helped to take pictures I will cherish forever. This part of Greece is not well known but well worth a visit.

SEE ALL MY PHOTOGRAPHS HERE

 

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Majestic views in Lake Doxa and a secret room in a monastery #Greece #travel #blogger Click To Tweet

 

Get Effrosyni’s FREE books with your signup to her bimonthly newsletter! Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No

 

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

 

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

 

FREE books and healthy Greek horta greens

Hi All! Black Friday weekend is here and I am sharing my newsletter at the end of this post so you can pick FREE kindle books to your heart’s content! Enjoy!

Let’s talk ‘horta’!!!

Picking ‘horta’ (i.e. Greek greens) is something many Greeks do all winter, especially those who have easy access to open fields. Ever since I was a small child I remember the whole family going out for half a day somewhere for a picnic and to pick horta. At the time, we lived in the Athens suburbs so it wasn’t something we did often. Now that I live in a semi-rural area a little further from Athens, picking horta is something I can do in the spur of the moment. The area where I live is surrounded by open fields. Sometimes, I just go on foot around the neighbourhood and come back with a full shopping bag in no time.

I recently posted on Facebook a short selection of photos that show various edible horta to be found in Greece. I encourage you to get a knife and go picking haha! They are soooo nutritious. But you need to go to the countryside to pick them – not in civic areas.

Choose open fields or mountains, away from roads. The further from road traffic you are the better. Exhaust fumes reach up to 200 metres and contaminate the soil with heavy metals.

If you have access to Facebook, you could check out the photos now. In the comments, I have listed the common names for each weed. I don’t have the English names on most of the weeds, but I identify them all with their common Greek names, if that helps some among you.

Those marked as ‘aromatic’ are best used in pies (hortopitta or spanakopitta). These should be used in low numbers when mixing them with dandelions to have them boiled. Same goes for gaidouragatho. Add only a few of those to the mix when cooking dandelions or the taste will not be as it should be…

READ THE REST OF THE POST IN TODAY’S NEWSLETTER! 

You’ll get to hear how to prepare dandelion (and lapsana) for cooking, and how to enjoy them for the best health benefits! You’ll also get to download a plethora of FREE books! Enjoy!

99c offers from my back list. Enjoy!

OOPPAAA! SIGN UP TO MY BIMONTHLY NEWSLETTER AND GET 3 BOOKS FROM ME AS A WELCOME GIFT! SEE BELOW FOR THIS OFFER!

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

Fun news from a Greek author and FREE books for all! #ian1 #freebiefriday #Greece Click To Tweet

 

Get Effrosyni’s FREE books with your signup to her bimonthly newsletter! Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No

 

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

 

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
 
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu!

 

For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

FREE books, a saint’s chilling tale and Greek garlic dip

St Efraim Monastery is world famous for the saint’s chilling tale and the miraculous healings connected to his name… Earlier this month, I had the chance to visit St Efraim’s monastery one quiet afternoon. It is located on a mountain overlooking the beautiful seaside town of Nea Makri in East Attica. I was lucky enough to find only a small crowd in the monastery. From what I’d heard, the norm is an endless trail of coachfuls coming and going all day.

St Efraim monastery is visited by Orthodox Christians throughout the year, many going to pay their respects and to pray for a healing for them or their loved ones. The saint is famous for the many visions that the faithful have had of him over time – and still do today. He has appeared in apparent human form even before unsuspecting people who had never heard of him. The saint gave these people advice for their health, and sometimes simply prompted them to get some oil from the lamps at the monastery to put on the part of the body that needed healing… And healings happened every time, apparently. The monastery still receives a multitude of healing testimonies from many parts of Greece and abroad.

Inside the monastery, cotton wool drenched in oil from the lamps are offered in individual tiny plastic bags to the visitors. Those hoping for a healing or just asking for protection are able to buy tall candles, as tall as a person, to light up and leave inside a chapel.

St Efraim’s body is in skeletal form and is kept in a beautiful open casket for people to pay their respects too.

If you’re interested to know more about the saint’s life, his terrible death at the hands of Turkish invaders, and the miraculous way in which his remains were found hundreds of years later, you’re welcome to find out everything in the next segment.

Either way, I hope you will enjoy the photographs I took around the monastery. It’s so peaceful a setting, high on a mountain top, edged by olive groves and overlooking the town of Nea Makri and the coast.

The monastery itself is decorated with beautiful stonework. The court is particularly quaint!

I am including some photos of the seafront at Nea Makri, too. It was the quietest I’ve ever seen it, but it makes sense as it was a weekday. Every weekend, and especially in the summer season, it’s always packed.

GO HERE TO SEE THE PHOTOS 

Who is St Efraim?

St Efraim was born in Trikala on September 14 (Cross Day) in 1,384 A.D. He was one of 8 children and was given the name Constantinos. When his father died, Constantinos was still a small boy, and his mother took on all the challenges of raising her children on her own. Constantinos expressed a love for God and Christianity from a very young age.

When he was 14 years old, his mother feared the Turks would take him during another of their raids where they took young boys to raise them as Genitsari (Note: Genitsari was a brutal rank of ‘Turkish’ soldiers that hated Greeks with passion. All of them had been taken away when they were small boys (Greek Orthodox children) to be given a strict military upbringing while brainwashed to hate their own nation).

Heeding his mother’s advice, Constantinos left Trikala to seek another part of Greece that would be safe from Turkish raids. She had also advised him to find a monastery and become a monk since he had so much affinity for the monastic life. After many wanderings, Constantinos wound up on Mount Amomon (Mountain of the Clean), which is the very place where his monastery now stands.

Constantinos settled well in the monastery. When he turned 18, he was declared a monk and was given the name Efraim. After a few years, he became a priest. By then, he much preferred to live in natural caves on the mountain as opposed to the monastery.

In 1424, Turkish troops arrived on the mountain and raided the monastery looking for gold. They found next to nothing and slaughtered everyone they found. That day, Efraim was spared as he wasn’t in the monastery. When he returned the next day, he found everyone dead and buried them on his own, then went back to his cave. After that, he returned to the monastery only on special days to do mass in the church.

On such a day (Cross Day), September 14, 1425, the Turks returned and this time they caught him. What followed was 8 months of imprisonment and they tortured him from time to time, insisting to find out where the gold was, but there was none to give.

Finally, on May 5, 1526, the Turks hung St Efraim upside down from a mulberry tree in the courtyard of the monastery and killed him by stabbing him in the stomach with a lit torch.

Fast forward 419 years later…

In 1945, a nun called Makaria, driven by divine inspiration, decided to go to Mount Amomon and settle in one of the old cells of the ruined old monastery. Soon, she began to clear the rubble of the old church inside it, hoping to make it operational again. She asked a local, whom she hired as a worker, to dig at a specific spot, as she had been receiving insistent advice in the form of an eerie whispering voice to do so.

The man was difficult and refused to dig in the specific spot, but the nun insisted so he finally gave up. Digging at about 1.70 meter deep, they found what looked like an old cell and the remains of a man. He wore the robe of a priest, and it was intact. A divine fragrance filled the air as soon as the skeleton came to light.

That same night, while she prayed, Makaria heard footsteps. They were coming from where she had found the remains. On her way there, at the entrance of the church, she saw a vision. It was a tall and thin man, with a long black beard that reached down to his neck. He had dark eyes, and he was wearing the robes of a monk. One hand emitted fire, while the other was positioned in a gesture of blessing. He spoke to her then, asking her to move his remains away from the crypt near the grave where she had placed them.

The next day, Makaria cleared the bones and placed them in a crypt inside the church. That night, St Efraim appeared in her dream to thank her. That was also when he gave her his name.

Over time, St Efraim disclosed to her all the details of what had happened with the Turks and how he had been murdered.

According to the Greek Orthodox Church, the miracles of St Efraim to this day are in the thousands. He is honoured twice a year. On May 5, where his assassination is commemorated, and on January 3, the anniversary of the discovery of His remains.

The mulberry tree where Efraim gave up his spirit has been preserved over the centuries, or, rather, what is left of its dried up frame. Kept safe in an enclosed space in the monastery, it stands as a silent witness to St Efraim’s brutal and untimely death.

Interested in Greek saints and their miracles? Check out my posts about St Spyridon (patron saint of Corfu), St Vasileios (the Greek ‘Santa Claus’!) and St George.

 

In my latest newsletter, you will find a plethora of FREE books to download! GO HERE to check it out!

Skordalia is a yummy garlic dip that the Greeks enjoy with fried fish. Check out my authentic family recipe HERE!

You’ll find all my delicious Greek recipes in the same place. Till next time, keep smiling!

 

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

FREE books, and fun news from a Greek author #authorlife #greek #Greece Click To Tweet

 

Get Effrosyni’s FREE books with your signup to her bimonthly newsletter! Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No

 

Clean romance short read, FREE with Kindle Unlimited. It’ll transport you straight to Corfu to experience summer in an idyllic Greek seaside village. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

 

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

Greek vigil lamps, frankincense, lazy cats, and more fun news from an author’s life

Hi All! Today, I am sharing a load of fun news from my life in Greece. You’ll find out all about the customs of vigil lamps and frankincense burning in Greek Orthodox homes. Stick around for my family recipe for ‘koukia’ (broad beans) and a pesky weed that once fed the starving Greeks during WWII! But first, let me share my super-duper offer for this weekend!

EPISODES 1 & 2 of The Raven Witch of Corfu are FREE! 

An enthralling sweet romance with delightful magical elements. The story is original and brims over with suspense and delicious Greekness. Offer ends May 16.

Lizzie, an English nurse in her early thirties, has just arrived on the idyllic island of Corfu, but her mind is not on having a good time. Far from it, Lizzie has a daunting task to undertake: to claim back her twin brother, who was kidnapped twenty years earlier on her previous visit. In a cave. By an evil witch.

When Lizzie sees her brother again, she receives the shock of her life. The witch has tricked her… As if this weren’t enough, Stamatis, a handsome local, steals her heart to complicate her life even further…

“It’s a step up from Mills and Boon – much more Mary Stewart than Barbara Cartland, with a bit of Gothic horror and Harry Potter-esque magic in the mix. And it’s certainly a page-turner.” ~Hilary Whitton Paipeti, author of In the Footsteps of Lawrence Durrell and Gerald Durrell in Corfu

“A delightful read and the perfect treat for those who love sweet romances set in stunning locations.” ~Readers’ Favorite

The Raven Witch of Corfu is a compelling series of 4 kindle episodes. The suspense is unrelenting and the last twist will blow your mind!

VISIT AMAZON

I recently shared the Greek custom of memorial food that involves wheat berry (it’s in this newsletter if you missed it) so today I thought I’d write about another thing my countrymen do to honour the dead, which is to light a vigil lamp for them. Of course, a vigil lamp doesn’t just have this use. Vigil lamps are lit in Greek homes on all big religious holidays too. Every home has at least one corner in the home (usually the bedroom), where icons are placed on the wall (along with the wreaths from the wedding ceremony of the home owners so the marriage can remain blessed). The vigil lamp is often placed in the same corner too. I have such a corner in my bedroom, but in the recent years, following the deaths of my Corfiot grandparents and then my mother, I created a second shrine in my study, and I burn my vigil lamp in there amongst icons and photographs of my deceased family members. It all helps to keep their memory alive and my spirit connected to them.

The light of the flame serves to remind us that God is light, and that we have a divine light (our soul) inside us too. When the lamp is lit in the memory of a deceased, it is believed that it promotes the peace of their soul. Traditionally, a lamp is always kept lit on the grave for that very purpose, but those not able to visit the grave daily, may light a vigil lamp at home for the souls of their departed loved ones. Vigil lamps come with a cup which you may fill with just olive oil, or water and olive oil if you don’t wish to keep burning the lamp all day. For example, if you intend to leave the house as it’s not really advisable to leave a lamp burning at home unattended.

Put in some water first, then the olive oil. The latter will naturally float on top. To use a vigil lamp you will also need a float made of cork and a box of wicks. The wicks look long and pink, as you can see in the photograph below. After you put the wick through the hole in the float, squeeze the wick above the float with your fingernails to flatten it and thus stop it from sinking lower through the hole. The shorter the wick on top of the float, the smaller the flame and the longer it will burn. Nowadays, tall votive candles are available to buy everywhere in Greece to place on graves. These burn unattended for days on end. However, the traditional burning of olive oil is believed to be the best offering. The burning of frankincense usually goes together with the lighting of the vigil lamp. Personally, I burn frankincense on the big religious holidays and any other time when the energies in my home seem stuffy, negative or off kilter. Over the years, I’ve grown quite sensitive to energy and instinctively know when to do this. There is no set interval, so if you want to try this too for your home, just use your instinct to decide when is a good time. In the above photo, you can see the necessary tools for frankincense burning. i.e a suitable bowl (with a handle, as the bowl itself gets pretty hot), frankincense resin and charcoal discs to put the resin on. To ignite the disc, hold it in the air between two fingers and place the flame of a lighter under it. As soon as it starts to spark, place it in the bowl and blow on it to encourage it to light up further. I light the charcoal disc in front of an open kitchen window and sometimes turn on the kitchen ventilator too for good measure.

The reason is that when the charcoal ignites it produces thick white smoke as it starts to spark, a noxious thing to breathe in. So give it a few seconds to let out the worst of it. When it subsides, carefully drop a couple pieces of frankincense resin on the disc, depending on their size. Before going around the house with the bowl in your hand, ensure you have opened one window in every room, even if it’s just a tad. Why? Because this will allow your logical mind to accept and understand the notion of ‘sending away’ the stale energy. Stale energy in the home needs to be removed or it will cause all sorts of bad things like misfortune, disease or disarray…

Well? Are you interested to find out how I remove negative energy from my home? It’s quite an original process, that’s for sure, as I go around the house not once but three times, each time holding a different thing. Very easy to do, and lots of fun!

READ ALL ABOUT IT IN MY LATEST NEWSLETTER ALONG WITH OTHER FUN NEWS FROM MY LIFE IN GREECE. IT INCLUDES A PLETHORA OF FREE KINDLE BOOKS!

 

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

FREE books, and fun news from a Greek author #writerslife #freebies #Greece Click To Tweet

 

Get Effrosyni’s FREE books with your signup to her bimonthly newsletter! Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No

 

NEW BOOK! Clean romance novella.  Spyri never forgot that old summer in Corfu when she met Markos. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

St George’s red egg and a load of FREE books!

“St George wants a red egg!”

That’s what my Corfiot grandmother used to say whenever I asked her why St George’s Day is late in any given year. As you may know, St George’s Day is celebrated on April 23rd, but in Greece this is not always the case. The reason for that is because in the Orthodox faith, the hymn used to honour Him in church, mentions Christ’s Ressurection. Therefore, it is not possible to honour the saint unless Greek Easter has come and gone. So, if Easter is later than April 23rd, St George is celebrated on Easter Monday.

This was the case again this year. I took this photo on Easter Monday in the main street of my little town of Nea Peramos in west Attica. After the mass, a procession took place to honour St George. The icon was accompanied by a brass band, the priest and town officials, boy and girl scouts, and other youngsters dressed in traditional Minor Asia costumes.

The town of Nea Peramos (‘New’ Peramos) was founded by refugees from Peramos in Asia Minor, who had brought with them an ancient icon of St George – their patron saint. The icon you see in these photos is not it; this is a contemporary one used to worship Him in the town’s church (St George’s church, naturally). The old icon is kept safe in the church as it’s so precious.

St George has always cast his protective gaze over Nea Peramos and its people. The locals speak of sounds of His horse clip-clopping all around town at night. They say the saint was patrolling around town on his horse every night all through WWII, and they believe this is why not one of the people of Nea Peramos lost their life during the war.

As you may know, St George was from Cappadocia, an area now in Turkey that used to be Greek. Legend has it that there was a dragon in Libya that guarded a water spring. Every now and then, people had to pick one of the locals in random to offer for sacrifice so that they could get water from the spring.

When the princess of the land was picked to be sacrificed next, St George, a young officer of the Roman army, arrived on his horse, saved the princess and slayed the dragon with his spear.

Legend or fact? Either way, I am sure you will agree that it makes for a very charming story!

In my latest newsletter, I offer, as always, a load of free kindle books and fun news from my life in Greece. It’s all bound to put a smile on your face faster than you can say ‘spanakopita!’ GO HERE AND ENJOY!

 

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

FREE books, and fun news from a Greek author #funnews #freebiefriday #Greece Click To Tweet

 

Get Effrosyni’s FREE books with your signup to her bimonthly newsletter! Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No

 

NEW BOOK! Clean romance novella.  Spyri never forgot that old summer in Corfu when she met Markos. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

FREE books, Easter eggs, cheeky cats, and Greek memorial food!

Greek Easter is next week (April 24), but I am aware Easter is this weekend for most of you out there! Have a great time with family and friends and enjoy those chocolate eggs and bunnies 🙂

I will be busy in the kitchen this coming week, making Easter cookies and also dying eggs with red onions and turmeric, the way I do every year, like our grannies used to. Some turn out very rustic-looking and totally imperfect, which gives me extra joy. If you’re anything like me, and wish to avoid the chemicals in the dye too, you can see here how I prepare them.

Today, I’m pleased to share the latest fun news from my life in Greece: Cute kiddies dressed up for Greek Independence Day and the latest cheekiness from my cats, Loulou and Sissi. I’m also sharing a Greek Orthodox tradition that is very special and is called ‘koliva’. It is Greek memorial food made with wheat berry. You’ll find all the above in my latest newsletter along with a load of FREE kindle books!

CHECK OUT MY NEWSLETTER

Enjoy, and Happy Easter, everyone!

 

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY… SHARING IS CARING! Tweet this to spread some love:

Rustic Easter eggs, Greek customs, cheeky cats and a load of FREE books! #freebooks #indiebooks #easterweekend Click To Tweet

 

Limited time offer! Get the awarded novella, “The Boy on the Bridge” for FREE, along with the short story collection, “Facets of Love” with your sign up to Effrosyni’s newsletter. Fun news from her life in Greece and a load of FREE kindle books in every issue! http://bit.ly/2yA74No
NEW BOOK! Clean romance novella.  Spyri never forgot that old summer in Corfu when she met Markos. Visit Amazon: https://bit.ly/3pAP3rf

Kelly ran a marathon and wound up running a house. With a ghost in it! Both humorous and moving, with delightful sweet romance, it’s just the ticket to lose yourself reading! Read more on Amazon
Summer love and a mysterious haunting in Corfu! Effrosyni’s debut romance, The Ebb, has received an award from Amazon! Check it out here

Beach fun and sweet romance mixed with magic spells and bird shifters… The Raven Witch of Corfu is an original story that will rivet you with its unrelenting suspense. The final twist will blow your mind!
Available in paperback , box set or 4 kindle episodes!
Planning to visit Greece? Check out our FREE guide to south Corfu! For delicious Greek recipes, go here. Are you an author? Check out our FREE promo tips & resources here.

March 25th celebrations in Greece, vegetarian pastichio, and FREE books

 

This is salt-cured cod – the traditional food for the 25th of March in Greece, and the one thing I could never serve on my table, even if Greek custom dictates it! Growing up, March 25th has always been a bit of a drag around lunchtime. My mother would be busy battering and frying salt-cured cod (we call it ‘bakaliaros’), and I’d be just as busy behind her back fake-gagging and pulling faces, since even the smell attacked my senses. I was not looking forward at all to the time I’d be asked to eat the fried fillet pieces on my plate.

And because I’d refuse to eat them, I’d wind up having only half a meal – the weeds (dandelions or beetroots with their greens) and, of course, garlic dip (skordalia) with fresh bread to dunk in.

Since I loooove greens and skordalia I wasn’t too put out, I guess!

Nothing’s changed since then, as far as my tastes go. Like every other year, I’m having unsalted cod today with my skordalia, thank you very much 🙂

March 25th is a unique Greek holiday – being both a religious one and a national one! So it’s a two-in-one kind of affair that is celebrated in every home with a patriotic spirit… and salted-cod, of course.

On this day, the Greeks commemorate the War of Independence from Ottoman rule after no less than 400 years of slavery. I guess this explains why the Greeks are so resilient, huh!

Athens celebrates with a huge military parade which I’ve had the pleasure to attend a few times over the years. Always a thrill, especially when the Tsoliades (the Presidential Guard) pass by in their traditional uniforms, striking one foot down so forcefully it feels like the earth is shaking. The result creates rippling vibes of patriotic pride to rise into the air. The memory brings a lump to my throat just thinking about it!

HERE’S AN OLD POST ON MY BLOG ABOUT THE GREEK WAR OF INDEPENDENCE WITH PHOTOGRAPHS AND ONE VIDEO FROM THE PARADE.

Since it’s an old post and not in the awful days of covid, you’ll get to see crowds – the way it’s supposed to be. Enjoy the vibe of humanity coming together in large numbers 🙂

Image copyright: makisgonimo.blogspot.com

As I stated earlier, March 25th is also a religious holiday. It is the feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary, when Archangel Gabriel announced to Her She will give birth to Jesus.

The day calls for a lunch of cod with boiled greens or beetroots and garlic dip (skordalia).

The latter is made with crushed garlic cloves, potato, olive oil and fresh lemon juice. I can vouch for the fact that it’s utterly delicious. Mind you, it’ll give you hot dragon breath for the rest of the day, but boy, is it worth it!

As I mentioned earlier, the fish used for this day traditionally is salt-cured cod. Housewives leave it in water overnight to remove the super-salty flavor.

Using salt-cured fish, in case you’re wondering, is a custom that began out of sheer necessity. When the Greeks started to commemorate the Annunciation of Virgin Mary by eating fish back in the 15th century, people had no fridges in their homes, plus, it was imperative for merchants to be able to distribute fish everywhere around Greece, even in areas far away from the sea, in the depths of the mainland, without the fish spoiling. That is what led them to sell this kind of fish instead, which is cheap and can be stored for long periods, too.

So… years, decades, and centuries later, the Greeks continue their tradition of going for salt-cured cod, even though they now have access to superstores, large fish markets, and freezers in their homes. Crazy, huh? But that’s the power of tradition, I guess!

Thinking of new meals to try during the fasting period that extends all the way to Orthodox Easter, I came up with a vegetarian version of Pastichio last week! What started in my head out of the blue wound up steaming on my plate one cold winter’s night, really hitting the spot! It even satisfied my meat-loving hubbie and that’s a feat in itself haha

As you may know, Pastichio (that is essentially an Italian meal adopted by the Greeks yonks ago) is traditionally made with minced meat. This version is just as yummy, cheesy and creamy – a wonderful alternative.

Curious to see what’s in the pasta mix?

GET THE RECIPE!

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