Itisallgreek2me

Yanni and I at Vanna and Roma's, Kastelli Kissamos

This weekend, 50 days after Easter Sunday, is Holy Spirit weekend, with Monday being a Public Holiday.  A time when those who have passed are particularly remembered.  Yesterday after breakfast, Anna and I sat at the table and I mostly listened as she told me many things about Costas’ last weeks and days, knowledge of which I did not have prior.  A few tears, however, very therapeutic for us both.  Katina had left the house early with a bowl of Koliva to take to the church up on the hill by the cemetery.  In the Greek Orthodox Religion, Koliva is a dish that is heavy with ritual significance.  It is more metaphor than food, really, symbolising the circle of death andrebirth.  Wheat berries represent the promise of everlasting life, the raisins the sweetness of life and the spices are symbols of plenty.  The dish is traditionally served only in a few specific circumstances, including the beginning of Lent and during memorial services.  Each family prepares it’s own Koliva in memory of those they have lost and then they share it with the congregation.    

The weather here like everywhere has been something of a mixed bag – a little rain, one minute overcast, the next sunshine.  It is now almost 1500 hours Sunday afternoon and no sign as yet of the three younger ones I came home with at 0530 hours this morning – all three, Vassilis, Joanna and Yanni, still fast asleep upstairs.  Vanna, Anna’s eldest grandchild is married to Roma, a Russian and yesterday Vanna’s son Manolis arrived home on leave from his army service – also his 24th birthday.  Vanna loves to cook and it is not unusual to find oneself at their home on a Saturday night, sharing great food, wine and music with family and friends.  Last night was one of those nights.    

Can’t tell you how many of us were there last evening – a very long table stretching the full length of the room.  On such occasions  time has no meaning and almost anything can become the topic of conversation.  Guests included Jillie (or Chillie) and Rick, an English couple I first met at Vanna and Roma’s three years’ ago.  For sometime now, they have been renovating an old house near the village of Kampos about an hour’s drive from Kastelli and they try to spend at least two months out of every year here.  Roma is to build their balcony this week and I hope to be able to visit them there before I move on next Sunday.    

Jillie was anxious that I should appear in many of the photographs and so it was that she took control of the camera.  Unfortunately, I did not explain that one needs to allow time for the camera to focus before shooting and therefore, some frames are not as clear as they otherwise might have been.  However, I believe they still do capture the atmosphere.     

A night of partying and celebration – a good time was had by one and all.  Today we maybe paying the price a little but all I can say is – it was well worth it and I will do it all over again should the opportunity arise next Saturday or any other time in the future.

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 23rd, 2010 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.