Do’s and Don’ts:Do’s: Don’ts:

- Address elderly by courteous titles

- Drive very carefully because Greeks do not

- Wear light clothes, it gets HOT!

- Try Greek food

- Take flowers or cake if your invited over to some ones home.

- Phone ahead prior to appointments or visits

- Thrust the palm of your hand in front of someone’s face

- Insist on paying the bill, offer and let it be

- Turn down any polite gesture or offer it’s insulting

- Pick a fight when your driving, Greeks have tempers!

- Mention anything about the Greek crisis

Food: Grain Foods :

Fish, shellfish and poultry :

Vegetables, fruits, herbs and seasonings :

There are a variety of breads including pita bread and crusty whole grain peasant bread. Bulgur is made from cracked whole grain and pasta which was introduced by the Italians. Rice is also a big part of their diet.

In Greece fish and shellfish are eaten regularly.

The most popular types of fish and shellfish include tuna, mullet, bass, halibut, swordfish, anchovies, sardines, shrimp (prawns), octopus, squid and mussels.

Vegetables and fruits are ate in abundant amounts. Some things included in Greek cuisine are: garlic, tomatos, onions, spinach, artichokes, fennel, lettuce, cabbage, horta (wild greens), zucchini, eggplant and peppers.

Men’s Clothing:Greek clothing has always been pretty simple. Men wore linen in summer and wool in winter. The rich families would wear bright colours and the poor people would bleach their clothes white.

The main item of clothing that men wore was called a tunic. These are big pieces of cloth that are held by pins at the shoulder and waist. You could buy clothes but they were usually to expensive.

Men and woman in ancient Athens used perfume made by boiling flowers.

Both men and woman enjoy brushing their hair. Men had hair that was cut short and mostly had a beard. Blonde hair was rare but Greek people enjoyed the blonde look and often tried bleaching their hair.

Woman’s Clothing:

Woman wore two different garments of clothing, one being the Himation and the other being Peplos. The himation was made from a rectangle of woven wool. The peplos has a piece of woolen material

Colours were also a nig part of Greek dress. The different colours symbolized different things. For example, a dark veil was a sign of mourning.

Common Material Patterns of the Peplos:

- checks

- wavy lines

- stripes

- flowered designs

Commonly Used Colours

- violet

- green

- grey

Festivals – Easter / Apokies:The Easter season in Greece starts with a festival called Apokies three weeks before Lent. Lent is a time where many Greeks don’t eat meat, olive oil or dairy products.

Good Friday is celebrated with candlelight ceremonies and prayers. On Holy Saturday around midnight, Greeks attend Anastasi with the greeting “Christos Anesti” which means “Christ is risen”.

On Easter Sunday, families celebrate with huge picnics or dinners that usually include roast lamb and hard boiled eggs dyed red.

Festivals – Saint Basil Feast&

Christmas Season:The feast of Saint Basil means that a New Year has begun. A special cakeCalled “vassilopita” is baked with a coin inside in, which brings good luckto the one who finds it.

Epiphany on January 6th is the Christmas season. During the Epiphany serive, priests sprinkle everyone with holy water.

World Heritage Sites - Old Town of Corfu:The Old Town of Corfu is located on the island of Corfu off the coasts of Greece. It has it roots in the 8th Century BC. The city of Corfu has a long tradition in the fine arts. The museum of the Philharmonic Society of Corfu has the musical heritage of the island.

World Heritage Sites - Archaeological Site of Olympia :

The Archaeological Site of Olympia is in the valley of Peloponnesus has been there since prehistoric times. In the 10th century, this site had been a place to worship Zeus – a Greek God.

Music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx_QZzONqvs

Language:The official language in Greece is Greek. Greek is spoken by99% of the population. Although most people in Greece speak Greek, they often learn how to speak English, French, Spanish and Italian.

There are many different kinds of Greek Language including:

Classical Greek,Cappadocian Greek, Cretan Greek, Cyproit Greek, Demotic Greek,Pontic Greek, Maniot Greek, Tsakonian Greek, Yevanic Greek, and Greek Sign Language.

Greek Architecture:Classical Greek architecture includes various neat designs, such as pillars under the 3 different types, they are called Doric, Ionic and Corinthian. Greek life was taken over by religion so that’s why the designs look so beautiful and “Heaven” like.

During the Classical Greek architecture period they built temples with columns, and pillars.

Greek Sports:Olympic Games are still considered as one of the major events in Greece and have become an international game. Although they don’t really play that big of a role in different sports, they played a huge role in the Olympics long ago.

In ancient Greece, the Olympic Games that took place every four years were an important part of the religious life of the Greeks. The Olympics were held at the Olympia stadium and was initiated with a sacrifice to Zeus, and ancient Greek god. The six major sports that were played during that period were running, pancration, jumping, dispatch race, discus casting and javelin casting. 

In modern days Soccer/ Football has Greece playing a huge role.

There are plenty different Greek football teams, all competing in the Hellenic Football Federation. There is also a Greece international football team, they compete against other countries.

Greek Local Customs:Greece is a country that is drenched in history and intrigue. It is a rugged land of mountains, forests, islands and sea, beautiful beyond words, as if created by the Gods themselves. And the people who live there and their customs are every bit as interesting and beautiful as the landscape. Fact, Greek people smash plates at their weddings so don’t be shocked if at a greek wedding they’re smashing plates

The people of Greece are a hearty collection, the streets are safe, but you should still look out for pickpockets. Also you should already pre-tan before going to greece to be used to the greek sun. The greek share some traditions like independence day,”Ochi” day, and the theatre festival.

Greek Life:Life in Greece is pure, heart warming, and traditional, lots of fun things to do with the family, many festivals especially in Athens, a very popular Greek tourist area.

If you are religious, cultural and like having a traditional life setting then Greece is perfect, lots of everything and very nice setting all around to have you living a happy life.