Ο Ακάθιστος Υμνος:Τη Υπερμάχω Στρατηγώ - To Thee, the Champion Leader

Τή υπερμάχω στρατηγώ τα νικητήρια
Ως λυτρωθείσα των δεινών ευχαριστήρια
Αναγράφω σοι η πόλις σου Θεοτόκε.
Αλλ' ως έχουσα το κράτος απροσμάχητον
Εκ παντίων μέ κινδύνων ελευθέρωσον
Ίνα κράζω σοι·
Χαίρε Νύμφη ανύμφευτε.

 To thee, the Champion Leader, 

O Theotokos

we thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and thanksgiving

as ones rescued from suffering ;

but as thou art one with invincible might, 

Deliver us from all possible dangers ,

so that we may cry to thee:

Rejoice, Unwedded Bride... 

Υesterday, Friday, the τελευταίοι Χαιρετισμοί took place, the day that the Akathistos Ymnos, of which this verse is the beginning, is chanted in its entirety in all Orthodox churches around the world, during the last of the Heretismous services - the Salutations to the Virgin Mary services.

 In the 7th Century, the people of Constantinople were saved from the attacking Avars by the divine intervention of the Virgin Mary after they took over the Church of Panagia ton Vlahernon. On the 8th of August wanting to give thanks to the Virgin Mary for her assistance, the people gathered in Aghia Sofia and standing up throughout the psalm, sang the Akathisto Ymno to thank her and to salute her with this most beautiful of hymns. One of Orthodoxy's most beautiful this hymn has been attributed to Romanos o Melodos, Romanos the Melodian, who wrote many Orthodox chants over that period.  

It is divided into four parts for the services of the Salutations to the Virgin Mary, Οι Χαιρετισμοί, which take place on the first four Fridays of Lent. During each of these four Fridays one part of the hymn is chanted whilst on the fifth Friday the entire Akathistos Ymnos is chanted.

Κατά το έτος 626 μ.Χ., και ενώ ο Αυτοκράτορας Ηράκλειος μαζί με το βυζαντινό στρατό είχε εκστρατεύσει κατά των Περσών, η Κωνσταντινούπολη πολιορκήθηκε αιφνίδια από τους Αβάρους. Οι Άβαροι απέρριψαν κάθε πρόταση εκεχειρίας και την 6η Αυγούστου κατέλαβαν την Παναγία των Βλαχερνών. Σε συνεργασία με τους Πέρσες ετοιμάζονταν για την τελική επίθεση, ενώ ο Πατριάρχης Σέργιος περιέτρεχε τα τείχη της Πόλης με την εικόνα της Παναγίας της Βλαχερνίτισσας και ενθάρρυνε το λαό στην αντίσταση. Τη νύχτα εκείνη, φοβερός ανεμοστρόβιλος, που αποδόθηκε σε θεϊκή επέμβαση, δημιούργησε τρικυμία και κατάστρεψε τον εχθρικό στόλο, ενώ οι αμυνόμενοι προξένησαν τεράστιες απώλειες στους Αβάρους και τους Πέρσες, οι οποίοι αναγκάστηκαν να λύσουν την πολιορκία και να αποχωρήσουν άπρακτοι.

Στις 8 Αυγούστου, η Πόλη είχε σωθεί από τη μεγαλύτερη, ως τότε, απειλή της ιστορίας της. Ο λαός, θέλοντας να πανηγυρίσει τη σωτηρία του, την οποία απέδιδε σε συνδρομή της Θεοτόκου, συγκεντρώθηκε στο Ναό της Παναγίας των Βλαχερνών. Τότε, κατά την παράδοση, όρθιο το πλήθος έψαλλε τον από τότε λεγόμενο «Ακάθιστο Ύμνο», ευχαριστήρια ωδή προς την υπέρμαχο στρατηγό του Βυζαντινού κράτους, την Παναγία, αποδίδοντας τα «νικητήρια» και την ευγνωμοσύνη του  "Τη Υπερμάχω Στρατηγώ".

Η Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία ψάλλει τους Χαιρετισμούς κάθε Παρασκευή βράδυ, τις πρώτες 5 εβδομάδες της Μεγάλης Σαρακοστής. Για την ακρίβεια, κόβουμε τουςΧαιρετισμούς σε 4 κομμάτια (λέγονται "4 στάσεις") και λέμε από ένα κάθε Παρασκευή, ενώ την 5η Παρασκευή λέγεται ολόκληρο το έργο.

Τους Χαιρετισμούς τους απαγγέλλει με τη μουσική τους ο ιερέας. Πριν απ' αυτό, οι ψάλτες έχουν ψάλει ένα άλλο περίφημο μουσικό και ποιητικό έργο, που λέγεται "κανόνας των Χαιρετισμών" (οι κανόνες είναι ένα άλλο είδος βυζαντινής κλασικής μουσικής) και δημιουργός του είναι ένας ακόμη κορυφαίος ποιητής και μουσικός του Βυζαντίου, ο άγιος Ιωσήφ ο Υμνογράφος.  Read more at Agioritiko Vima/ΑΓΙΟΡΕΙΤΙΚΟ ΒΗΜΑ

Happy Tsiknopempti - Καλή Τσικνοπέμπτη - Happy Smokey Thursday!!!!

Doing Tsiknopempti justice... 
Souvlakia, loukanika, pita bread, paidakia and some salad - straight from the grill!

Today is Tsiknopempti - literally, smokey Thursday - and as this week is traditionally the last meat-eating week before Lent, it has been named as the Thursday when everybody goes out on the town to eat traditionally grilled meat ...tsikna is the smell associated with meat being grilled!

Tavernas around Greece are generally jam packed on this day as most people go out and celebrate the carnival in style, whether they are in masquerade or not! Be sure to book wherever you may be going or you may be disappointed! 

For those who aren't going out, and this year there will be a few and not just for economic reasons! In Athens it's one of those stay-home-and-get-cosy nights. It's been raining since noon, the roads are wet and you can easily fall into a man-sized puddle, so get together with family and friends, throw some souvlakia, steaks, chops and sausages on the grill-psistaria - Bar BQ, pour everyone a glass of wine or tsikoudia/raki, and enjoy the night!!!

Kai tou hronou!
Και του χρόνου!!!

:) 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!
© GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2022 All Rights Reserved

Global Greece: Koulouma 2010 - Kali Kathari Deftera! Kali Sarakosti to all!

Xronia Polla everybody! Yesterday,  February 14, 2010, was a wonderful daywith most of the world celebrating something! 

Carnival Time, The last Apokria, tis Tyrinis, as well as Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year!

 

Valentine's Day around the world, and Greece was no exception (although the fact that it coincided with the last Apokria and Carnival Sunday meant it was unusually low key this year...)

Chinese New Year and this year, the Year of the Tiger, it was also celebrated in Athens for the first time! 

The Kathari Deftera long weekend is always a special one in Greece.

Yesterday was the last Apokria, and carnival celebrations were taking place all over Greece - Carnivals in Patra and Naoussa - and today is Kathari Deftera,  or Koulouma as it is often called, the official beginning  of the 40 day fasting period of Lent, Sarakosti. Traditionally everyone is out in the open flying kites!

We were no exception, we got up early and all (my husband is the cook in our family) got involved in preparing our lenten food (Sarakostiana) - this isn't a food blog, we have so many expert Greek Food bloggers that we won't even try to pretend we can cook like they do, but we do want to show you some of the traditional Koulouma fare eaten today!

....mussels

....squid, prawns

 ...beetroot

Along with taramosalata and Macedonian Halva, we are now ready for the Kathari Deftera feast. (The cooking is done, you can see the end result further down) and we are off to go fly our kite...

Despite the dire predictions for rain and cold, the weekend has been beautiful and today in Athens we woke up to a brilliant blue sky and a good strong wind - ideal weather for kite flying. 

There is an incredible sense of freedom in kite-flying, it is almost as if we are flying ourselves ,  reminding us of that wonderful song from Mary Poppins....

With tuppence for paper and strings

You can have your own set of wings

With your feet on the ground

You're a bird in a flight

With your fist holding tight

To the string of your kite

 

Let's go fly a kite
Up to the highest height!
Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring
Up through the atmosphere
Up where the air is clear
Let's go fly a kite!

When you send it flyin' up there

All at once you're lighter than air

You can dance on the breeze

Over houses and trees

With your first holding tight

To the string of your kite

It was great to see so many families with children enjoying the good weather out in the open - in Athens there were kites flying everywhere, from Kifissia to Piraeus, a wonderful sight indeed.The Public Power Corporation, DEH, wasn't very happy however, as quite a few kites got caught tangled up in the power lines, resulting in power outtages of several hours in some instances...

We managed to get our Pinochio hexagonal kite up and soaring - with a little help from our friends!

That's our kite  - the top dot!

We even helped to launch this one too!

By this stage we were pretty hungry so went back to enjoy the lunch we had prepared before we left!

Here are a few of the dishes in their completed state

Mydia (mussels) kapama, Octopus krasato with red peppers , Taramosalata

Beetroot, bulbs and leaves - make a delicious salad

Prawns with a delicate olive oil and lemon sauce

And,  of course, the Piece de Resistance, the star of the day...

...the famous Lagana! 

(someone couldn't resist taking a bite out of it on the way back from the bakery!)

Kali Kathari Deftera! 

Kali Sarakosti everyone!

Καλή Σαρακοστή!

For great Sarakostiana recipes visit 

Maria Verivaki's Organically Cooked, or Kalofagas' Greek Food and Beyond