On our little island of Nisyros the people celebrate many religious holidays in the manner that most of Greece does. After all the festivities of Christmas are over, the holiday season does not end as it does here in America. In Nisyros the celebration continues through the first week of January.
January 1, not only marks the new calendar year, but also the celebration of the saint, Agios Vasilis. Agios Vasilis is the equivalent to Santa Claus here in the states. Children wait for the saint to bring little bags called “pougakia” filled with sweets and money for presents. Children go house to house singing the “kalanda”(carols), wishing the people of the town a healthy and happy new year.
On January 6, we celebrate “Ta Fota.” This is the holiday which commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the river Jordan. The priest usually throws a cross into the sea, and children of the village dive in to catch it. The one who finds the cross is said to be blessed for the entire year. In Mandraki and Pali, the cross is tossed into their respective limani (the port). The people of Nikia go to the small rocky port of Avlaki to honor this tradition. After retrieving the cross, the children go house to house singing:
People named Fotios, Fotini, Theofanis, Theofania, Theonie, Iordanis, Iordana and Ourania all celebrate their namedays on Jan 6th.
On January 7th is the holiday of St. John the Baptist. Boys named Ioannis (John) and girls named Ioanna (Joanna) celebrate on this day.
January 17th is the feast day of Agios Antonios. People named Anthony, or Antonia celebrate on this day. There is a small church in Mandraki named for this popular saint.
On January 18th Agios Athanasios is celebrated. The cemetery in Emporios is named for this saint. People named Athanasios (Tommy) and Athanasia (Nancy) have their nameday on this day.
Although times have changed and now the people who live in Nisyros have many modern amenities, many years ago the children of the island did not have electronic games, or even television to keep them occupied. The weather was cold and they could not play outside for very long. Families would sit by their “mangali” (fire pit), and read or sing songs to pass the time. Sometimes the people of each village would gather in the local “Kafeneion” (tavern) where they would listen to music and dance with their neighbors.
The island of Nisyros has very rich soil, because of the volcano. Many fruits and vegetables thrive in the climate. Some of the natural foods indigenous to Nisyros are amygdala(almonds),valanithia(chestnut-likefruit), agramithia, and loubounia. In the colder months the people of Nisyros would gather “rodia” (pomegranates) from their trees. Throughout Greece this fruit symbolizes life, abundance, and good luck.
The “elia” (olive tree) is also considered a symbol of peace. In many homes they would place an olive branch on the mangali to burn. This was said to bring “evlogia” (good blessings) into the home.
Another of the foods Nisyrians enjoy during the colder months are “kastana” (chestnuts). Children would roast these in the mangali, and eat them on cold evenings.
Written by: Tina Papamichael-Molos
This Month's Contributors:
Irini Angelidakis, Despina Diakovasilis, Stacey Figetakis, Rena Konstantinidis, Fotios Papamichael, Kostas Sfakianos, Nina Triantafillou, Maritsa Xanthos
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