Sunday 27 March 2011

Thracian evening: In the Footsteps of Orpheus

We are invited to celebrate an evening dedicated to Orpheus, the mythical Thracian musician and poet, and to welcome a group of dancers and musicians from Alexandroupolis, led by teacher, writer, broadcaster and folklorist, Dimitris Vrachiologlou. The event   is held in the Cultural Centre in Giannitsa which boasts the most beautiful bird sculptures on its front lawn. As we arrive, ladies of a local Thracian dance group, who with local musicians will also entertain us and their northern guests, are struggling into their costumes - layers of thick cotton which must be  just as hot to dance in as in a kilt, if not more so. Some are gracious enough to pose beautifully for me and give me permission to post their picture.
         The whole evening constitutes a very interesting presentation on the history and culture of the peoples of Thrace. Mr Vrachiologlou’s research has been prodigious and we are treated to video clips, slides and well-weathered photographs charting events and developments of these diverse groups, including the Muslim minority groups of Turkish origin, gypsies and Pomaks. This demographic and cultural input is interspersed with music and dance of the area- the hard part is listening to ‘Thrakiotiki mousiki’ while sitting down- the urge to get up and dance is compelling! The costumes worn by the dancers are readily identifiable by those in the know in terms of area of origin, just as our kilts reveal family information by colour and design. Some of the aprons worn had the most gorgeous floral and geometric designs.

            
Now we have been invited by our cousin, the ‘droll dentist‘, D, the smiling moustache here with Dimitris, the MC.  Our cousin is one of the most dynamic people I know – with enthusiasms which range from traditional dance, gastronomy and viniculture; he’s a prodigious vintner as well, if we take that to mean wine-making, but not to include its retailing.  D has generously offered to feed and water everyone involved, amounting to over seventy people. And when we say ‘water’, D has provided tsipouro and wine at every table – all his own produce. As we are in the middle of Orthodox fasting, the spread contains only ‘fasting food’ – and, as always, the Greek do that in style!! Strictly speaking, no animal products are allowed, but the board is groaning: as well as a fine range of salads and the ubiquitous chip, there are beans baked in tomato sauce (real stuff – not the 57 varieties!), cuttle-fish in spinach, king prawns, grilled octopus, snails cooked in a garlic sauce, and mushrooms - for the latter two dishes D himself has collected the ingredients! Very soon the dancers – now divested of their weighty costumes- are in high spirits and take to the floor in decidedly constrained space.
           
There’s only one thing for it – the mild weather is with us and the street beyond is a pedestrian precinct so – the event becomes an outdoor one! Accordion, bagpipes, violin and clarinet all move out there….. drumming up the atmosphere.  Dancing is de rigueur and done with the usual Thracian measured tempo and dignity, though executing the tricky Baidoushka rhythms and side-stamps on the cobble-stones presented a slight additional challenge. But one we're up to!     

      
                                                                  
  








 



One of my favourite comments was made by a little old lady up on her nearby balcony, watching the goings-on in the wee small hours, without much choice, really. When asked why she wasn’t asleep she said she had been, we’d woken her up…..and it was grand music! Bless her for her appreciation!
As D bids his well-sated guests farewell, a lady dancer recites a poem of thanks she has penned for him during the evening.  On that cultural note, we’ll draw the curtain on our evening in honour of Orpheus.
                                                          

Sunday 6 March 2011

Winter memories - Ode to Life

Here in Greece we come to the end of the carnival period tomorrow, on ‘Clean Monday’, when the traditional fast begins in the run up to Orthodox Easter.  Thinking of friend, Vera, from Rio de Janeiro, for reasons carnival and because a year ago, with other good friends, we enjoyed an informal Lancaster Uni MA meet-up. Picture is of two glorious Pearly Queens we met fund-raising in a bitterly cold London- I still wear my Marie Curie daffodil with pride!
Joined up later with Pal (fore-mentioned, fellow crossword and Sudoku addict) and had a lovely lunch with a couple - friends from our Golden Greek Era. One was battling womanfully with the C-demon (well they both were, really) and I’m so glad we hold in our memories the giggly time we had together as sadly she left us at the beginning of April. Soon after, a friend announced the joyous arrival of her grandson but was also bemoaning the symptoms of ageing.
So, to honour the Cycle of Life, to honour the memory of Doreen and, perhaps, at this difficult time to bring even a small smile to her husband’s lips, I’m posting this poem :
A Poem: Walk on the White Side!
So you’ve just become a grandma       
  Let's welcome the little soul         
 He's continuing the genetic line     
 The very essence of Nature’s goal.                                    
                                                                           
And here you are – now left behind     
 Genetic baton passed on                                 
Feeling depressed and insecure                                                       
Lest the wick in your engine has gone.
Well, yes – the memory is less acute        
Especially for names and faces                                        
And things mysteriously disappear       
To turn up in the strangest of places.
Skin turns into parchment folds     
Your tum is much less trim                         
Once well-turned ankles start to bloat                      
It all seems pretty grim
Hairline recedes as do the gums   
 And you, once an all-night clubber,         
Are having difficulty working off                    
The winter-accumulated blubber
Though I really am sympathetic                                                                              
You’re not in this alone   
There’s no point whatsoever                                                                                                                                                         In reducing life to a moan
Sure your eyes don’t focus well                  
Jelly blobs make images shimmer                                                                                                                                          
But this way your wrinkles  are less pronounced                                                                                       
In the well-lit bathroom mirror.
The body goes into gradual decline   
But that’s no cause to slump  
For each defect, use sartorial style :  
Hoodies hide the shoulder hump       
 For subtle enhancement there are hormones                                                                                                       
To be taken in smallish doses,         
Cosmetic surgery and don’t forget   
Pills for osteoporosis 
Do crosswords puzzles and sudoku      
To keep your mind alert   
Silicone can also play a role                    
In keeping some places pert.
Still nicely youthful mentally                      
With confidence at the brim     
When you’re annoyed with  people                                    
Let  them have it on the chin
So go for the high-octane perfume                                 
Go extreme and even further    
Wear minis, pile on the slap           
Role model? Tina Turner!
And when our time to go arrives    
For it’s something we can’t duck                           
Think on a recently departed friend   
Whose final words were :Oh f*@k!
Take heart , my dears, life is a joy                                       
Thinking positive is advantageous       
Welcome each day , go smiley-faced                                                                      
You’ll see that it’s contagious!
macinmacedonia.gr