Stories from Greece

GorgonaThe fig dayKatarraktisGrandpa’s BouzoukiKarditsa

Stories from Romania

Cuza’s ‘oca’T he legend of Manole the Craftsman The legend of MoldovaThe legend of Olt and MuresThe legend of the lark

Gorgonaby Anna, Valentina, Chrristianna, Alexander, Apostolos

Greece has many adventurous, beautiful stories and myths from the time it was created, until today.One important and very attractive myth to learn is ''Alexander the Great and the mermaid''. This myth was composed by people who loved Alexander the Great. They were also pleased to have their own hero, who would protect them when they were in danger. In this way, Greek people kept the tradition and this nice history of their country.

In 323 BC Alexander the Great died in Babylon of high level of fever, because he had had a shower beforetraining. His death made all people feel sad and the aftermath was that his sister became a wonderful mermaid. She was very sad after her brother's death, so every time she saw a boat, she was asking the men on board, if Alexander the Great was alive. She begot huge waves and the boats were getting sucked .The people who were on the boat died. That happened when someone told her that her brother was dead. On the contrary, when somebody told her that he was alive, she got satisfied and that person went on travelling with safely.

On the whole, the mermaid couldn't believe that her brother might have been dead. She loved him very much. She hoped that he wasn't deceased and that she would meet him again safe and sound, but that remained an unquenchable desireof hers.

Alexander the Great

Alexander the Great was the king of Macedonia. He became the king of Egypt, leader of Asia and India. He was one of the best Greek leaders ever.

He was born in Pella of Macedonia on 10 June in 356 BC. His parents were Philippos B' (the Macedonia King) and the princess og Hpeiros, Olympiada. He died in Babylon on 10 June in 323 BC, exactly at the age of 32 years and 11 months.

He continued his father steps and he spread the Greek nation. He created the first empire in history. His empire included the whole known world (Asia, Egypt, India, etc.)

The fig dayHalki is a Greek island of the southeast Aegean sea near Rhodes. It is anisland that grows very few fruits and one of the few fruits it grows is thefig. That is why the island’s inhabitants look forward to the time of year when the figs and ripe(first days of August) and when they are, they start throwing them at each other. That is a way of making sure the figs are ripe and have some fun too. Nowadays, this custom has evolved and it doesn’t involve figs only, but also flour, eggs and anything else that can leave a stain on the other person’s clothes. In the older days, there used to be a conflict between the inhabitants of the lower island (near the port)and of the upper island(up in the mountains).The battle always took place in the port.

The port of Halki. A fig.

KATARRAKTISKatarraktis is a small village near Arta of Epirus. It belongs

to the municipality of Central Tzoumerka.

Katarraktis is built at an altitude of 800 meters in Athamanika Mountains, famous withtheir traditional name Tzoumerka,within 62.5 km north of the town ofArta. It consists of the main village andwithin an area of 30 square kilometerscomprises four settlements: Kriopigi -former Moutsara, Milea, Sgara, andVlagkada and together make up the Katarraktis community.

The previous name of thevillage, until 1927, was Schoretsaina.Then the village was renamed and gotits current name from the twinwaterfalls that are very close and alittle higher than the village, near thesettlement of Kriopigi.

The Holy Monastery of Saint Catherine, which is just 1 km away from the main village, has beendeclared as a historical monument. Itwas founded in 1730 but rebuilt fromscratch in 1827. In 2009 renovationsstarted, in order to ensure the stabilityand safety of the temple. The handcrafted wooden reredos and the big iconof St. Catherine with the golden cover, stand out for their art and beauty.

The legend of katarahtis

At katarahtis (waterfall) near Arta of Jumerka, there is a small village named

after two big, blue diamonds water falls. There is a small myth that children

tell to each other when they play at school breaks. This legend is about the

main stone of the big square. Some people say that if you sit on that rock and

say some specific words, the big square will open in two big parts and there

will be the second presence of Christ. In addition kids say another strange

myth for this square because of the red color of the stone. When a woman

with her husband were passing the huge square the stone opened and

swallowed the man. The man disappeared and the woman was crying all the

time. After a few days she couldnt stand her husband's death and she decided

to give an end to her life. She went to the squar, sat on the rock, pulled a

knife and cutted her veins.The stone was covered in blood and the woman

died. That's why the stone is red.

Grandpa’s Bouzouki.This wonderful bouzouki was made in the USA, in 1910. The man who made it was Mr. AnastasiosStathopoulos. Back in those days it used to cost $ 15, equivalent to € 150! Nowadays its price is incredibly high, € 15,000. Its owner is Mr. Aimilios Spiliopoulos’ uncle who happens to be Grandpa’s grandson.

This bouzouki had suffered a lot of damage throughout its long life. When it was repaired the Spiliopoulos family fell in love with it. This is how its story goes; after Grandpa had come back from America, the instrument was played by all, without anyone realizing its value. Yet, one day, after Grandpa’s death, Grandma buried it under a stack of clothes, as she was mourning Grandpa.When Spiliopoulos dug it up, it was in a horrible mess. It was really hard for him, therefore, to maintain it the way it was, so he put it aside waiting for a master technician to take care of it.

Its maker, Anastasios Stathopoulos, was born in the Peloponnese, Greece, in 1863. His parents migrated to Smyrna in 1873. Then (the same year) Anastasios made his first instrument. After his marriage with Marianthi Vamva he set up his own instrument workshop. He used to make mandolins, lutes, violins, guitars, bouzouki and banjo. He was, also, an excellent musician. At the age of 43, after having been through many problems, he had to move to New York where he continued making his wonderful instruments. The repair of the wellknown (grandpa's) bouzouki, was made by Nikos Fronimopoulos. He also repaired the Makrygianni’s tambouras as well.

Karditsa

Karditsa is the capital of Karditsa regional unit.

Inhabitation is attested from 9000 BC. Karditsa ls linked with GR-30, the road to Karpenisi, and the

road to Palamas and Larissa. Karditsa is south-west of Palamas and Larissa, west of Farsala and

the Volos area, north-west of Athens, Lamia, Domokos andSofades, north of Karpenisi, north-east

of Arta, and east-south-east of Trikala, Grevena, Ioannina, and Kalampaka.

Karditsa has schools, lyceums, gymnasium, the Veterinary Medicine Department of the University

of Thessaly, three technical education departments, church, banks, a post office, a railway

station on the Trikala - Karditsa - Domokos line, a sports ground, a water tower, and squares.

Karditsa is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in Greece with an extensive network of bicycle

paths. Approximately 30% of all the city transportation, according to the National Technical

University of Athens, is done by bicycles.

History:

During the period of Ottoman rule in Thessaly, the main settlement in the location of modern Karditsa was called Sotira, but a village named Kardhítza was mentioned by the English traveler Leake in 1810. Karditsa was incorporated as a new city in 1882, the year after its liberation from the Ottoman Empire.

During World War II, the resistance in Thessaly was fought primarily by the ELAS. Karditsa was

the first city in Europe to be liberated from Nazi occupation.

Location

Karditsa

Coordinates39°22′N 21°55′E Coordinates : 39°

22′N 21°55′E

Location within the region [show]

Government

Country: Greece

Region:

Regional unit: Karditsa

Mayor: Dominikos Verillis

Population statistics (as of 2011)

Municipality

- Population: 61.935

- Area: 647.6 km2 (250 sq mi)

- Density: 88 /km2 (227 /sq mi)

Municipal unit

- Population: 44,002

- Area: 110.1 km2 (43 sq mi)

- Density: 400 /km2 (1,035 /sq mi)

Community

- Population: 39,119

Other

Time zone: EET/EEST (UTC+2/3)

Elevation

(center):

108 m (354 ft)

Postal code: 431 00

Telephone: 24410

Auto: ΚΑ

Cuza’s ‘oca’Cuza was a Romanian ruler who lived more than 150 years ago.One night, he decided to go to the marketplace to see how honest the merchants were. He dressed in shabby clothes and went to the marketplace. A merchant, convinced that the man who stood before him was just a poor farmer, not a rich man, greeted him. Cuza asked for an ‘oca’ – the measuring weight – of wine and got half the normal one. Cuza paid and left.But the next day the merchant was called to the court because he had used the false ‘oca’. This all merchants became honest and there were no more ‘ocas’ for rich people and ‘ocas’ for poor people.

The legend of Manole the CraftsmanKing Neagoe Basarab employed ten craftsmen to build a noble abbey for him.Although they worked hard, all they built during the day was ruined at night. Manole dreamt that the first wife who would come with food the next day would need to be bricked in the basement for the abbey to stand.

Unfortunately, Manole saw his own wife coming to the site in the morning. So Manole sacrificed Ana for the building of that abbey.The ten craftsmen all died because they were left on the roof and they fell off the roof.

~ / ~

The legend of Moldova

Dragos-Voda was a smart and brave Romanian ruler from Maramures. He was an exceptional hunter and he very much liked to wander the forest hunting animals. Once, Dragos started to follow a wild bull. All the dogs chased the bull but only Molda, Dragos’s beloved dog, managed to follow the beast. Together they ran day and night but unfortunately when

they had to cross a stormy river Molda died.Dragos, very angry, killed the bull by hitting it with the bludgeon in his crown. Then, like a sign of victory, he took the animal’s head. In remembrance of Molda, the legend says that Dragos named the killing water and the land where the bull died Moldova.

~ / ~

The legend of Olt and Mures

Once upon a time there was a king who lived with his wife the queen and their two sons, Olt and Mures.

One day the king went to war and never came back. The queen sent messages to find him, but it was useless.

When the boys grew up to be men, they decided to leave to look for their father. From that moment on, they started fighting which way to go, and one of the brothers left towards the west and the other one towards the south.

The queen started running after them, but it was too late. She didn’t manage to catch them and she started crying.

Out of her tears the boys turned out to be rivers.

In the end, they both met in the Danube river.

The legend of the lark

Once upon a time there were a queen and a king

who wanted very much to have a child. One night the queen dreamt that she was going to have a child. After nine months, the queen gave birth to a baby girl.

The girl grew up

and fell in love with the Sun. She left home to meet him. On her way she met an old woman who helped her to reach the Sun.

At the Sun’s palace, the Sun’s mother came to see her very angrily. When she heard why the girl had come, the Sun’s mother changed the girl into a lark. That is why larks always try to find the way to the Sun but they never succeed.

5

~ / ~