The Assumption of the Virgin Mary, misguided patriotism and celebrating the eve of Prophet Elias' feast day in Koufovouno.

Today, the 15^th August, the Dormition and the Assumption of the Virgin Mary are celebrated by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Here in Greece this is a great event when families will get together and summer leave is usually arranged around this time.

Just a linguistic detour : the word Ascension is normally used to refer to Christ’s ‘going up to heaven’;  while the Assumption of Mary into heaven is expressed by Assumption.  It strikes me that the main point of contrast between them is that the former suggests an active, volitional movement, while the other is more of a ‘being taken up’ , being carried up by a force other than one’s own…….. or is that simply a semantic assumption on my part ?

 So, to all of you called Maria, Despoina, Panayiota, Panayiotis, Marios, and any others who celebrate their name day today  ….…. Chronia Polla ……… many happy returns!

Rather unusually, today’s post will be of a rather religious nature – people who know me well are aware I am not a huge fan of the church established. Be that as it may, we will be going on another trip up to Kofovouno, in Evros, as we did on July 20^th, this time to celebrate the Paniyiri, the name day of the Prophet Elias

On the ring-road on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, we spy a car driven by an elderly couple. What drew our attention was that there were no number-plates. Closer inspection revealed that in place of the rear plate they had a very dusty sign saying, ‘Oh, Greece, I love you!’

Such a declaration of patriotic love is ……. moving (!)

But clearly that emotion didn’t stretch to supporting the economy and paying their road tax.  

                                       Dirty driving, indeed!

         

Koufovouno, H’s homeland, has already featured in my Summer Trip to Thrace blog post of 30^th September 2012. We reach the village just in time to join in the celebrations on the eve of the feast day of the Prophet Elias or Elijah.

              

    

 

On top of the hill above the village stands the church, currently festooned with festive bunting,    dedicated to him. The icon hanging in the church entrance hall depicts him in the wilderness.  This most likely refers to the time (1Kings, 19) when, disheartened, he sought shelter in a cave in Mount Horeb, where Moses was said to have received the Ten Commandments. 

Here Elias was waiting to commune with his Lord, Jehovah, whom he followed devoutly, challenging those who worshipped Baal, god of the Phoenicians and primary god of the Canaanite pantheon. Ironically, Baal was seen as the god of rain, thunder, lightning and dew, for Elias is known in the Balkans as ‘Elijah the Thunderer’ and held responsible for the elements that were once the domain of Baal. He is also associated with fire. Some renditions have him taken aloft to heaven in a chariot of fire – so another assumption, then.

In the Bible, he was the only person said to have returned to Mount Horeb after Moses’ visit several centuries previously. Perhaps that is the reason that churches dedicated to the Prophet Elias are invariably built on high ground, in more remote places. Locally the story goes that Elias was a sailor, tired of life at sea. Armed with an oar, he visited villages, asking the local people to name what he was carrying. When he eventually reached a village where no one could identify the oar, he knew he was far enough away from the sea and that it was there he would settle !

                                        

 

As part of the ceremony, we see two youths, in traditional costume, bearing the icon of the prophet which is carried all around the village for the faithful to revere. Incidentally the word paniyiri derives from the word pan (all) and agora (marketplace) when all the locals would converge on that venue. Nor was it necessarily a religious convention : certain areas still hold the paniyiri as market fairs, in the original sense, where local farmers brought their animals for sale.

 

      

  

 As the sun sets, we see the clerics in their finery performing the litya, or prayer of supplication, which often involves the blessing of bread, wheat, wine and oil, especially when celebrating a major feast. The bread and wine relate to the Eucharist, but the prayer also alludes to the bread used in the miraculous feeding of the five thousand; the wheat, ’dying’ as it does then coming to life, represents Christ, while the oil stands for baptism and for mercy, being a play on the Greek words elia, (olive) and eleos (mercy).  These four foods together are said to symbolize God’s generosity to man.     

      

  

This priest is the very modern, local ‘pater’, Calea Couliano Claudio. In the last two years or so he has brought new blood and new life to the community, getting village youth groups involved in tree-planting and cleaning projects throughout the area. Next to him are the traditional musicians, Akritikos Oichos, contributing to an evening of music from Smyrna, in Asia Minor.

 But our smiling priest is not the only one responsible for organizing the evening celebration.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the doughty dames of the Koufovouno Ladies Association. Here they are proudly displaying the wares all contributed by local households for our delectation. They have spent many women-hours contributing goodies and organising this event, as well as the one for the following evening.

So let’s turn a blind eye as we catch the ladies, pastry-handed and pouch-cheeked, sampling some of the delicacies.

 (The spinach and cheese pies were memorably delicious !!)

There is just nothing to match the dignity and verve of the traditional dances of Thrace. We were so lucky to be entertained by members of the Cultural Association from Rizia, a village about 50 km. away.

  

Ladies, I know you were really keen to see your picture, so here you are in all your splendour – beautiful girls in beautiful costumes. They must have been dreadful to dance in, in such heat, but you did so with elegance and grace .  Lads, what can I say? I guess the granddads behind you must have been very proud to see you carry the torch of tradition. And all that are missing are your worry-beads ….and glasses of ouzo. Well done!

                                  

Finally I come to our fair trio, smiling before the sun-washed church. The gentleman on the right is Dimitris Chatzakis who plays a dynamic social role, being the husband of the Association President! The gentleman on the left has featured in my previous Koufovouno blog: he is none other than Dimitris Louloudakis, blogger extraordinaire on local life. (Again I’ll give you the link: search for Koufovouno – Louloudakis for a really fascinating take on ‘our village’.)      

                                                 

 Dimitri, what kind of camera do you have? Your photos are really stunning!   

And who is the pretty woman in the centre? Well that is H’s sister, who accompanied us to the homelands. Though we did vow not to touch a cheese pie for a wee while after severe overindulgence, we had a grand time.

                                            

Voula, thank you for your great company and to everyone for making it such a memorable evening!!    

                                   

                                              (More to come on the actual Paniyiri. :) )