Monday 19 January 2015

Greek Traditions And Superstitions & Beliefs

The Greeks are very superstitious and believe a lot in religion but also in supernatural or paranormal phenomenon.Greek Traditions and superstitions vary from island to island, from villages to villages and from region to region.Greek Traditions and superstitions vary from island to island, from villages to villages and from region to region. You will find bellow the many Greek traditions still honoured in Greek modern culture, no matter people’s age, until today.

The Greek traditions are known for their belief in the Greek Gods, where philosophy was first discovered, the amazing architecture such as the Parthenon, and the creation of the Olympics, just to name a few. Even though the country has been through a lot of changes throughout history, the people still value greece culture.

Greek Tradition 

Easter may be the more important celebration for that Greeks, even more than Christmas.Women dye eggs in red, godparents buy news shoes, clothes along with a candle towards the kids and, in villages, the outside of the houses and also the streets are whitewashed.

Engagement It is a custom in Greece to get engaged before get married. The man has to ask for the hand of the woman from her father and close family, while the two families give presents to bride and groom. The couple exchanges wedding rings that are worn on the left hand.

Carnival In Greece, the Carnival is called "Apokries". The festival consists of two weeks of feast, beginning from the Sunday of Meat Fare and ends with the first day of the Lent, called Clean Monday (Kathari Deutera).

Greek Superstitions 

The hobgoblins are known as kallikantzari in Greek. According to the folk Christmas traditions, the hobgoblins are short, ungly creatures with many deformities. All year round, they live underground and saw the tree of the year.

The Evil Eye Some Greeks God, especially in villages, believe that someone can catch the evil eye, or matiasma, from someone else's jealous compliment or envy. A person who has caught the evil eye usually feels bad physically and psychologically.

Greek Beliefs

Mati or The evil eye’ is the belief, dating back to antiquity, that individual misfortune is caused by the envy of another. Greeks refer to envious people as having the ability to cast the evil eye on a person with good fortune (wealth, beauty, good health, or beautiful and successful children) causing them ill-health or some other misfortune.

Katara is the Greek word for ‘curse’. Unlike the evil eye katara refers to a deliberate curse resulting in grave misfortune for another person. This word is used to describe a cursed individual, family, or community.

Tihi (Tyche) is a frequently used word meaning ‘luck’ or ‘fate’. It stems from the ancient Greek name of the deity of luck or fortune, Tyche. Greeks often use this word to explain the inexplicable or incomprehensible.It is especially used about marriage, wealth and health.

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