Today, 6th January 2021, is the Epiphany. Though ‘epiphany’ derives from Greek, the feast is called ‘Theophany’ (Θεοφάνια). I have not been following the debate closely, but it seems that the Church and government reached a compromise: the churches could open but the ritual blessing of the waters would be prohibited. This ritual involves priests... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene & Covid Episode #16
With everything shut because of Covid, I am seeing in 2021 in my little study/music room, with a small can of Heineken and some crisps. It is 10 minutes to midnight, but some people have already set off fireworks. It has gone silent again. The Greek health services seem to have regained some control over... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #16
A few days ago I made a mess of the two doors on the driver’s side of my car. Bollard 1 Car 0. I took it to the dealer who quoted a price not much lower than the car’s current value. My neighbour told me I should take it to the nearby φαναρτζή. I replied... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #15 & Covid in Greece
As of tonight (Dec 21st/22nd) all flights to and from the UK will be cancelled indefinitely. This is because of the new mutation of Covid 19. Apparently (and hopefully), it is not worse than its older brother, but it spreads more easily. The UK health secretary, angry at the mass exodus from London, stated that... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #15
φράγκο = franc, nowadays more generally money, especially in certain expressions. After Alexander, Greece suffered many invasions. First it was the Romans (οι Ρωμαίοι), then the Franks (οι Φράγκοι), Venetians (οι Ενετοί or οι Βενετοί) and Turks (οι Τούρκοι); and their periods of rule in Greece are called η Φραγκοκρατία, η Ενετοκρατία and η Τουρκοκρατία... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #14
τσιφούτης – tsifoutis = mean, stingy Recently I wrote that for a nation of moderate drinkers (by north European standards, at any rate), Greeks are not lacking in expressions for ‘drunk’. It is the same with parsimony. If one were asked to describe Greeks in one word, I imagine ‘mean’ or ‘stingy’ would be far... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #14
I spoke too soon when I said restrictions would be lifted by 14th December. The Greek government announced last night (8th Dec) that it would extend the restrictions until 7th January. I suppose the good news is that Christmas is going to cost around €14! A Greek friend of ours who plays in the band,... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #13
Covid continues to rage through the country. Some shops will open on Monday 7th December and others will follow on 14th, but restrictions are going to persist well into January when, it is anticipated, the vaccine should start to roll out. At the moment, deaths are running at around one hundred a day, with Thessaloniki... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #13
σιχτίρ – sikhtir I must confess that for an unduly long period I thought the word was ασιχτίρ because it is nearly always preceded by άι, a sound similar to aye in English. I make this confession to illustrate how easily one can get things wrong. Many Greeks like to think (much like Mr. Portokalos... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #12
After managing the Covid crisis so well, the disease is now raging all over the country. Over the past ten days, the total number of deaths has equalled or even surpassed the total number of deaths that occurred between March and October. Even more depressing is that the average age is decreasing with the result... Continue Reading →
Greek word of the Week #12
τσακ μπαμ – tsak bam. An adverbial that means ‘quickly’. στο πι και φι στο άψε σβήσε Below is an example of it being used in a noun phrase though the meaning remains adverbial: Στο τσακ μπαμ τις λύσαμε τις ασκήσεις…
Irish Music Scene Episode #11
This time the practice was in town. Age, illness and Covid are slowing us down, so only three of us managed to turn up. This meant a practice that focused almost entirely on instrumentals. We also took the opportunity to measure the length of some instrumental sets. Not out of nerdiness, I must add. Depending... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #11
λιάρδα – liardha One of the big societal changes over the past thirty years in Greece is the increase in alcohol intake among young adults. They seem to drink as much as their northwest European counterparts. In upmarket “pubs”, however, where a beer can cost as much as €5 or €6 for a half litre,... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #10
On Tuesday (15/9/20) I took the Thessaloniki Water Bus from Nei Epivates to the Port of Thessaloniki. The €5 single fare was well worth it. It’s a pleasant walk from my home to the harbour wall and, at the end of the trip, the walk from the boat to the port gates is also very... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #10
μουνίκακας – munikakas My last entry promised that this week’s word would be a lexical item not used in polite circles but, first of all, allow me to give you a little vocabulary lesson. Here are two English words which come from the Latin word for wife: ‘uxor’: uxorial and uxorious. The first is just... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #9
μπουχέσας – buhesas Not in any of my dictionaries. The online app Word Reference translates μπουχέσας as ‘blimp’. I think the word is a lot more offensive than that. The middle syllable (whether deliberately or coincidentally – I do not know) adds to its vulgarity. This is because ‘χεσ-‘ is the root of the Greek... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #9
Last night’s and last week’s practices were limited to three people, two old-hands and a new guitarist. So, they were technical get-togethers to see how the guitarist was coping with unfamiliar material as he is new to Irish music. I’m pleased to say he’s coping very well. The last two practices have concentrated solely on... Continue Reading →
Irish Music Scene Episode #8
It’s been nearly three months since I posted anything. The unFamous Five finally got together in a garden on Saturday, July 25th. Even our tin whistle player made it. He’s on holiday from his workplace in Bulgaria. We have more or less agreed on a playlist which has now – with sheet music, chord frames... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #8
αβγατίζω – avghatizo It means to amass, increase I thought it derived from the Greek for egg [αυγό] and I imagined hens sitting on eggs to help them hatch. Something akin to “nest egg” in English. Totally wrong, apparently. It derives either from an unrelated (to egg) Ancient Greek word or the Latin augere meaning... Continue Reading →
Greek Word of the Week #7
ασκέρι – askeri Greece – or parts of it - was under the Turkish yoke from the 14th century until the 20th century. Unsurprisingly, a lot of Turkish loan-words (τουρκικοί δανεισμοί) entered the language during that period. On closer inspection, many of these loan-words entered Turkish from Arabic before being borrowed by Greek. Ασκέρι is... Continue Reading →