Archive for 'Culture'
Happy Independence Day! Posted by Ourania on Mar 24, 2015
On the 25th of March we celebrate the Independence Day, i.e. the revolution of the Greeks against the Turks in 1821. This post is not about the historical facts, there are just some information about the way we celebrate, about kalamatianos, the famous Greek dance, and about the traditional foods we eat. Freedom or Death…
Love is more than a four-letter word Posted by Ourania on Feb 12, 2015
The Greeks are very creative when it comes to words of love. It doesn’t matter if we are cynical or romantic, extrovert or introvert, we all use words of love when addressing our alter ego. Below there is a sample of a “Greek vocabulary of love”. You might think that some of these words are…
A Greek New Year’s Eve Posted by Ourania on Dec 31, 2014
Χρόνια πολλά from frozen Athens! This post is about traditions and customs. New Year’s Eve (Παραμονή Πρωτοχρονιάς, paramonee protohronias) is a special day in Greece and each region has different traditions but some customs are common. In the morning, the children sing the New Year’s Eve carols (κάλαντα Πρωτοχρονιάς, kalanda protohronias) and get money…
Greek Christmas vocabulary Posted by Ourania on Dec 19, 2014
Χρόνια πολλά! It will be Christmas soon so this post is about Christmas vocabulary. If you want to send wishes to your friends and family in Greek, below there are some common phrases that we use: Καλά Χριστούγεννα (kala hristougena): Merry Christmas Σου εύχομαι καλά Χριστούγεννα (sou efhomai kala hristougena): I wish you Merry Christmas…
Funny place names in Greek Posted by Ourania on Nov 13, 2014
Words like εστιατόριο (estiatorio, restaurant), or καφενείο (kafeneio, café) are taught to Greek learners at a very early stage.Besides the place names used in formal language, there are other terms used in oral speech. Some of those terms are generation specific and in some cases they are not even understood outside the generation. Those of…
Pas kala? Exrpess anger in Greek! Posted by Ourania on Nov 4, 2014
One of the stereotypes about Greeks is that they get angry very often and that they use bad language. Although it’s true that the Greek language is rich in slang and idioms that we use when we get angry, cursing is socially acceptable only in football fields or in places where teenagers hang out…
Show your emotions with Greek interjections Posted by Ourania on Oct 22, 2014
The Greek language is rich in interjections. They are short words or phrases which are invariable and are accompanied by the appropriate extralinguistic characteristics, such as body language and facial expressions. They are used in oral speech and also in literature. Α! (ah) : it is used to show exclamation or amazement. We also…