Celebrating with Love. Work & Meat

Some previous days came along with a cold weather and cloudy skies, but, all this tiny aspect didn’t stop people from Greece to celebrate, as only Greek people can do! Unfortunately, celebrations are not happening without a bit of work and sweat. And the last week was a very colorful one with two celebrations Valentine’s day and Tsiknopempti. For Valentine’s day we started the preparation even from the 7th February, one week prior to Valentine’s day.

On Tuesday we started to cut hearts in the school after in the office and we had it all days. We tried to prepare as many decorations for this special day, as possible.

The plan was like that: To cut colored hearts in the amount of few hundreds, that kids will share to each other. And to prepare a mail box for love letters that pupils will write to those who the sympathize. Also pupils cut hearts to hang on the ceiling. To create the right environment for Valentine’s day.

On the 13th of Feb we had groups with the Pupils where they had instructions how to prepare the hearts that they will have to share in the school.

They were putting it on a wooden stick, and on the heart they were writing “I love you” in as many languages as possible.

With another group we prepared the mail box. Pupils did drawings on it, writing texts… Both groups because they worked as real teams… they still had time to write the first letters. So other pupils on get so shy to do it because in the box there are already some letters. The box is staying for the rest of the week in the central hole of the school.

And on the next Monday letters will be shared by the teachers, and me.

Another celebration that I had the luck to join this week was Tsiknopempti. Tsiknopempti (Greek Τσικνοπέμπτη), literally "Thursday of the Smoke of Grilled Meat",is part of the traditional celebrations for Carnival season in Greece and Cyprus. The three weeks of Carnival in Greece are, in order, "Profoni" (Greek Προφωνή), "Kreatini" (Greek Κρεατινή ), and "Tirofagou" (Greek Τυροφάγου). Tsiknopempti is the Thursday of the week of Kreatini, during which large amounts of meat are traditionally consumed prior to the arrival of Lent, the fasting season leading up to Easter. In the Greek Orthodox tradition, fasting on Wednesday and Friday is important, therefore Thursday is the best day for Tsiknopempti, Tsiknopempti is celebrated 11 days before Clean Monday.

I was amazed how on the street in front of each pub, restaurant, coffee place people were preparing grilled meat or barbeque. Streets were full, lots of people enjoying the sun and wearing carnival costumes. Something unique!

I am aware that still many other carnivals are coming in Greece, the closest one will be at the end of February, in Xanthi. I don’t know how many of them I will be able to attend but I will do my best to take part in as many as possible as it is a part of the Greek culture and it will help me to understand it better.