Photo of the Day: Proud to be Hellenes, Proud to be Australian - Happy Australia Day 2016!

Sydney 2015  
 Proud to be Hellenes, Proud to be Australian 
 Australia's active and dynamic Hellenic Diaspora at its Best!

Greek Australian photographer Nick Bourdanotis (Bourdo Photography) 
captures the essence of what being Greek in Australia is all about
 at the
 Greek Independence Day Celebrations in front of Sydney's iconic Opera House

Australia,
 the country with two of the largest Greek cities outside Greece has succeeded in having citizens who are a credit to both their countries!

 Happy Australia Day to all our Australian friends!
 

OPA!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2017 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Global Greek Chef Maria Loi Loves Greece... and it Shows, even in New York!

Η αγαπημένη μας Μαρία Λόη αγαπάει την Ελλάδα...και το δείχνει!

It's snowing heavily in New York and as our amazing Global Greek Chef Maria Loi walked past the winter wonderland near the New York Hilton earlier today she couldn't resist the temptation to advertise

not her restaurant, or her book, 

but her homeland, and ours, 

G R E E C E

on the snow covered cars!

 

  

Bravo Maria mas! 

 

Like us, you love Greece... and it shows! 

  and because you didn't advertise yourself, 

we will do it for you...

Don't forget...

 #BuyGREEK:
Maria's Best-Selling Cookbook - The Greek Diet

#EatGREEK: 
At Maria's fantastic Loi's Estiatorio NY 

Photo Credits: Maria Loi of course! 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

 © GlobalGreekWorld 2009-2017 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: OPA!!!! Do it Like Prince George: Get Your Greek On!

Photo Credit:Vanity Fair
JOHN STILLWELL/AFP/Getty Images

 Greek touch: GGW   

Look who celebrated his 1st birthday in true Global Greek style! 

Little Prince George in the steps of Zorba,  

because there is a little bit of Greek in everyone 

and you are never too young to OPA!!!  

Go George, Go! 

Xronia Polla!

Hasppy Birthday! 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew at Inter-Faith Prayer for Peace in the World

 Photo credit: (AP Photo/Max Rossi, Pool)

 Showing the way forward - planting an olive tree for peace ...

Israeli President Shimon Peres, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, 

Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew

Photo credit: (AP Photo/Max Rossi, Pool)

Making history...
Israeli President Shimon Peres, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, 

Pope Francis, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas after

joining hands in a prayer for peace in the world 
at the Vatican yesterday, June 8 2014

Read more: http://www.goarch.org/news/VaticanInvocationforPeace

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

 © GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

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Photo of the Day: Happy May Day! Καλή Πρωτομαγιά!

My daughter's bouquet of wildflowers perfectly match her purple hoodie 

Paradise is...

gathering some of the beautiful flowers growing on Pendeli Mountain in the late afternoon sunshine
as we give thanks for those that sacrificed themselves so that we could do this

Καλή Πρωτομαγιά!

Have a great May Day everyone!

Καλημέρα - Καλό Μήνα! 

Kalimera - Kalo Mina!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2009 - 2019
All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Χριστός Ανέστη! Christ is Risen!

Το Άγιο Φώς - The Holy Flame, 

 lights up the world and sends out its own message 

of hope for peace and unity around the world

Χριστός Ανέστη εκ νεκρών, 

θανάτω θάνατον πατήσας 

και τοις εν τοις μνήμασιν, 

Ζωήν χαρισάμενος

----------

Christos Anesth ek nekron 

Thanato thanato patisas 

Kai tis en ths mnimasi 

Zoi xarisamenos 

 ---------

Christ is risen from the dead 

Crushing death with His death

Giving the gift of life

To all those lying in their tombs

 Easter is being celebrated throughout the Christian world today and as Holy Week, the most important week in the Orthodox Church, ends with today's Easter celebrations, it is wonderful to see our Global Greek Communities keeping the traditions alive wherever in the world we are.

To all our friends celebrating today

Χριστός Ανέστη!

 Καλό Πάσχα & Χρόνια Πολλά! 

Christos Anesti! 

Kalo Pascha & Chronia Polla

May the flame of the Resurrection keep  burning in our hearts

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!

 © GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Springtime in Athens. Καλό Μήνα - Kalo Mina!

Nurtured by the Athenian sunlight

A bougainvillea blooms in the heart of the city...
Nature at its best in Downtown Athens

1st April 2014 

 Greece is one of the most beautiful places to visit at any time of year, 
but

In Spring it is magnificent!

Kalo Mina

Καλό Μήνα

Have a great month! 

PS

Have you booked your holiday to Greece yet?

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

 © GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Greek Humour - Don't Cut the Fruit...

 ΜΗ ΚΟΒΕΤΕ ΤΑ ΦΡΟΥΤΑ, ΔΕΝ ΦΥΤΕΨΑΜΕ ΜΑΖΙ ΤΑ ΔΕΝΤΡΑ!

DON'T CUT THE FRUIT, WE DIDN'T PLANT THE TREES TOGETHER!

The residents of this tourist spot getting the message across... 
in true Pangalos style who famously said
Mαζί τα Φάγαμε

Photo taken during our summer holidays in

Mani, beautiful Mani! 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Global Greek Chef Lefteris Lazarou - Eat GREEK Buy GREEK!

Greece needs to look outward.

If Greece cannot sell her cuisine,

She cannot sell her products...

Lefteris Lazarou

Award Winning Chef
 Varoulko

Xryso Skoufo 2014 (his 21st!) 

Congratulations!

See the list of winning restaurants in the Athinorama Xrysoi Skoufoi 2014 here

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!

 © GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Great Lent has begun - Καλή Σαρακοστή! Kali Sarakosti!

 Λαγάνα, χαλβάς, καλαμαράκια, ταραμοσαλάτα, 

οχταποδοπίλαφο, γαριδομακαρονάδα, και πολλές σαλάτες

Καλή μας όρεξη

Μόνο αετό δεν πετάξαμε.... έβρεχε όλη μέρα

Δεν πειράζει, του χρόνου!

Lagana, Macedonian halva, taramosalata, octopus and rice,  

kalamarakia, seafood pasta, salads of all sorts! 

Enjoy!!! 

It was raining all day so we didn't get to fly our kite... 

never mind, next year!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

 © GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: IT'S MARCH - TIME TO PUT YOUR MARTI ON!

 

My daughter's Μάρτη

ΚΑΛΟ ΜΗΝΑ! 

1st of March around the world. 

For our Global Greeks it is time to put this 'March' - Μάρτης on our wrists - a custom dating from the Elefsinian Mysteries.

 A custom shared by many of Greece's neighbours in the Balkans, it is primarily for children but has been adopted by many adults.

A delicate bracelet  of red and white interwoven threads is placed on the wrist as a protective shield against the harshness of the Spring sun. 

It is supposed to either fall off or be removed on 31st March... although last year I wore mine for months!  

Από τη 1η ως τις 31 του Μάρτη, τα παιδιά φορούν στον καρπό του χεριού τους ένα βραχιολάκι, φτιαγμένο από στριμμένη άσπρη και κόκκινη κλωστή, τον Μάρτη ή Μαρτιά. 

Ο «Μάρτης» ή «Μαρτιά» είναι ένα παμπάλαιο έθιμο εξαπλωμένο σε όλα τα βαλκάνια, λόγω της υιοθέτησής του από τους Βυζαντινούς, οι οποίοι και το διατήρησαν. Πιστεύεται ότι έχει τις ρίζες του στην Αρχαία Ελλάδα, και συγκεκριμένα στα Ελευσίνια Μυστήρια, επειδή οι μύστες των Ελευσίνιων Μυστηρίων συνήθιζαν να δένουν μια κλωστή, την «Κρόκη», στο δεξί τους χέρι και το αριστερό τους πόδι.

Σύμφωνα με τη λαϊκή παράδοση, ο Μάρτης προστατεύει τα πρόσωπα των παιδιών από τον πρώτο ήλιο της Άνοιξης, για να μην καούν. 

Τον φτιάχνουν την τελευταία μέρα του Φλεβάρη και τον φορούν την πρώτη μέρα του Μάρτη, πριν βγουν από το σπίτι.

Σε μερικές περιοχές ο Μάρτης φοριέται στο μεγάλο δάχτυλο του ποδιού σαν δαχτυλίδι για να μην σκοντάφτει ο κάτοχός του. 

Το βραχιολάκι αυτό το βγάζουν στο τέλος του μήνα, ή το αφήνουν πάνω στις τριανταφυλλιές όταν δουν το πρώτο χελιδόνι, για να τον πάρουν τα πουλιά και να χτίσουν τη φωλιά τους.

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece... and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Greece in Skopje

  Photo Source: Angela Bereri

Greek ladies of Skopje at lunch with Vasiliki Bakatselou-Venizelou, 

wife of Greece's Foreign Minister,  Evangelos Venizelos

during the official visit to FYROM today

Γεύμα με την Βασιλική Μπακατσέλου-Βενιζέλου,
σύζυγο του Αντιπροέδρου της Κυβερνήσεως και ΥΠΕΞ Εύάγγελο Βενιζέλο
κατά την διάρκεια επίσημου ταξιδιού στην γείτονική μας χώρα σήμερα,
από Ελληνίδες συζύγων απεσταλμένων στα Σκόπια.

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2013 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Tas Melas is Proud to be Greek and he Shows it! Bravo!

 Tas Melas, hand over heart as he belts out the Greek National Anthem

It takes a young man with a big heart, a lot of love and pride for his (or most likely his parents' ) motherland and a great deal of courage to belt out the Greek National Anthem during a live NBA TV broadcast, but that is exactly what Tas Melas, one of our Global Greeks from Toronto in Canada did!

Tas breaks into his own very personal, and very public, rendition of the Greek National Anthem as he and his co-presenters of the Starters are watching the NBA Pass League of the Night. A game they have billed as the  Greek Game of the Night, it is between the Grizzlies and the Bucks and three of the players, Kostas Koufos, Nick Calathes and Yiannis Adetokunbo, are from Greece.

Inspired and  inspiring to watch, Tas Melas stands up for Greece and shows us all the way to go. 

Greece's politicians and leaders please take note!

One of the most moving things we've seen, it confirms our belief in our Global Geeks and gives us a lot of hope for the future!  

Just watch the expression on this young man's face as he sings...it says it all!

Bravo, Tas! Polla Bravo!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Greece at the Helm of the European Union

 The official logo of Greece's 5th Presidency of the EU 

Today's official commencement ceremony marks the assumption by Greece of  the rotating  presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) on January 1, 2014, for the next six months.

It is the fifth time Greece will preside over the European Union  since joining what was known as the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1991.

Greece's experience in the organisation of major political and sporting events in the past means that Greece is very well-equipped to make a success of this fifth Presidency, despite the many derogatory reports by some of the world's media and especially those of Germany.
 

There is no reason for this presidency to be any less successful than the previous four. 

On the contrary, Greece is in a very good position to make this a great success by virtue of the fact that she is one of those countries suffering from the consequences of harsh austerity measures imposed without the accompanying measures needed to promote economic development. 
 

Yes, Greece CAN!

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2014 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Kalo Mina with Sunshine, Blue Skies and 27C in Greece, Beautiful Greece!

The weather forecast says...

 Sunshine, Blue skies and 27 C

  

It's the 1st of November today, and in Greece the sun is shining, the sky is blue and we're still wearing our summer clothes. 

While much of Europe has been plagued by bad weather and low temperatures, in Greece we are having record sunshine and good weather.
In Attica especially, we haven't had to worry about heating bills since April....

Paradise?

Sure is! 
 

Greece, beautiful Greece!

The sea is warm and people are still swimming, although many beach side shops have boarded up for the 'winter' so it is hard to get anything more than a frappe... 

  This was our last Frappe at the beach ...

but there are one or two tavernas open throughout the year so we had to have lunch by the sea after our last swim for 2013!

 

Kalo Mina... 

and

Xronia Polla 

to all those celebrating namedays today,  ton Aghion Anargyron.

Anargyros is the singular of anargyroi and in the Orthodox Church refers to one of thirteen saints who were mainly physicians and were said to have assisted the suffering and the needy without accepting payment...
(An = without, Argyros = silver, Anargyros = without silver)

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2013 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: German FinMin Schaeuble Visits Athens and Meets the Political Offspring!

 Keeping it in the family

 Photo/cartoon of the day from Andreas Petroulakis: ‪ 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a cartoon like this is worth at least a million!

Germany's FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble 
(prounounced soi-ble = family Blue) 
meets members of ‪Greece's many political families or 'sogia': 

Soi-Papandreou, 
Soi-Karamanlis, 
 Soi-Mitsotakis, 
Soi-Kefalogianis, 
Soi-Varvitsiotis, 
Soi-Gennimatas, 
Soi-Kedikoglou etc

All of these are Ministers or Members of Greece's Parliament, and children of former Ministers and/or Prime Ministers of Greece...

 

Germany's Minister of Finance is visiting Athens, 

to tell us Greece is doing... well!

Not sure whether we should laugh or cry...

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!

© GlobalGreekWorld 2013 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Summer in Greece is... Blue! Deep Blue! Καλό Καλοκαίρι!

 Summer in Greece is ... Blue 

Deep Blue...

Glorious  Blue... 

Blue... as far as the eye can see

Blue... Unlimited

Blue without borders...

Greece   

Hellas  

Ελλάδα

Το Απέραντο Γαλάζιο

  Καλό Καλοκαίρι! 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows!

© GlobalGreekWorld 2013 All Rights Reserved

Photo of The Day: Anti-Fascism Message from Crete

 ΣΤΩΝ ΧΑΝΙΩΝ ΤΑ ΣΟΚΑΚΙΑ ΔΕΝ ΧΩΡΑΝΕ ΦΑΣΙΣΤΑΚΙΑ

No room for Little Fascists in Chania's alleyways

Message from Chania, Crete and the people who fought fascism at great personal cost as the island celebrates the 72nd anniversary of the Battle of Crete . 

Thank you to Global Greek Foot and Mouth artist Ilias Raftopoulos for this picture.

Ilias Raftopoulos - a self portrait

Born in Kalyves, Greece in 1958, Ilias attended primary and secondary school in Crete, and went on to attend Art School in Athens. In August 1981 he became tetraplegic after a tragic accident which left him with fractured fifth and sixth vertebrae. He started to paint with the mouth in 1986 and just one year later was able to participate in an exhibition in his hometown Chania. In 1988 he was granted a scholarship by the Association, and in 1994 he became associate member, achieving full membership  of the AMFPA in 1998.

In the last few years Ilias has been living in Sweden.

Among his favourite motifs are the landscapes of his homeland, Greece, which he paints in vivid Mediterranean colours. He is also fond of portraits. He uses both oils and water-colours. His works have frequently been shown at personal and group exhibitions at home and abroad. 

You can see some of Ilias' amazing art on the VDMK site 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2013 All Rights Reserved

Photo of the Day: Waitangi Day and the Maori-Greek Connection

  

Flashback to 2003...

Evangelos Venizelos,  as Minister of Culture, Hongis with a Maori Performer of Moana and the Band, at one of the group's performances in Greece for the Cultural Olympiad, in the lead up to the Athens Olympic Games in 2004

The photo is taken from the front cover of Nemecis Magazine at the time

The Hongi is the traditional Maori greeting in New Zealand and is done by pressing noses together. During the Hongi the breath of life is exchanged and the visitor is welcomed as one of the people and no longer a stranger

Wikipedia says the following: When Māori greet one another by pressing noses, the tradition of sharing the breath of life is considered to have come directly from the gods.In Māori fo lklore, woman was created by the gods moulding her shape out of the earth. The god Tāne (meaning male) embraced the figure and breathed into her nostrils. She then sneezed and came to life. Her name was Hineahuone (earth formed woman).
  
Today is February 6  and the day that the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi is commemorated in New Zealand - the signing of a Treaty passing 'ownership' of Aotearoa ' The land of the Long White Cloud' as the native Maori called New Zealand to the representatives of the British Crown. 

Even though it is the subject of much heated debate, the Treaty of Waitangi is considered as the founding document of New Zealand as a nation, and for that reason it was called New Zealand Day and is a National Holiday. You can read more about the Treaty of Waitangi at Griwis - the New Zealanders in Greece Blog

There has been a lot of discussion recently about the identity of the first people to arrive in New Zealand, with the publication of a book by Noel Hilliam who believes that in fact evidence found in New Zealand suggests the Greeks got to New Zealand first.

I had read Hilliam's findings and then, strangely enough, some months ago, as we were sorting through some old furniture in an Athenian apartment, I discovered a yellowing newspaper in an old trunk that was being thrown out. It was French and my eye fell on a heading which read Mysterious Discovery in New Zealand... The article pictured below,  goes on to describe wall carvings which bore a remarkable resemblance to  the Ancient Greek and Egyptian Galleys...

The Newspaper was  Le Matin and the date of the newspaper, 10 January 1926, nearly 90 years ago!!!

We don't know what the truth is but if our noble ancestors did get there first - imagine if Alexander the Great was among them - it wouldn't surprise us at all. There is a remarkable feeling of kindred spirit among the Maori people and the Greek people. Apart from the extensive use of vowel sounds in both our languages, our two peoples have a lot in common: the joy of living life to the full, the strong sense of family, the respect for the dead, the mythology with Gods taking a central role in creation are just a few of the similarities...

Food for thought? We think so!

Happy Waitangi Day! 

Photo of the Day: Kalimera Greek America!

Greek colours flying proudly in Florida's Greek Town
Epiphany City - Tarpon Springs

Kalimera Greek America! 

At Global Greek World, We ♥ Greece...and it shows! 

© GlobalGreekWorld 2012 All Rights Reserved