Category: Greece: ancient and modern

Play Kottabos!

Kottabos – A Crazy Ancient Greek Drinking Game

    Why not Party like an ancient Greek? Let the wine flow freely, drink from cups decorated with decadent scenes intended to set the atmosphere for a crazy game of kottabos, where prizes...

kyra sarakosti

Kyra Sarakosti – Mrs. Lent – a Greek Easter Tradition

    Kyra Sarakosti, Mrs. Lent or Lady Lent    Kyra Sarakosti, Mrs. Lent or Lady Lent, is a charming, old Greek custom, connected to Lent, the seven week, (forty days) period of fasting...

Head of Mars Ultor (the Avenger), 2nd century CE, from Temple of Mars Ultor Palazzo Altemps, Rome.

March – a Month of War – Ares the Greek Vs Mars the Roman

    Here’s food for thought, if the Romans, had kept the names of their gods Greek, the month of March, named after the Roman god Mars, would maybe now be called Ares, as...

Ancient Greek wedding procession - Greek at the time of the Republics - Wedding Procession - Coloured engraving by Heinrich Leutemann (1824-1905) - Bilder aus dem Altertume (Pictures from Antiquity) 1866

Gamelion – the Ancient Greek Month of February

    Gamelion, the month of marriage, was the seventh month of the Attic calendar of ancient Greece which coincides with the modern day month of February. The word derives from the Greek γαμηλίa (gamēlía),...

Feeling ‘Greeker’

My 10 Most Popular Posts – About Greece – Greeks and all things Greeker

    It’s all here, all you need to know about Greece and the Greeks, what makes them tick,  how they think, where they came from and how they got here. Weird and wonderful...

World famous sights of ancient Greek culture - The Parthenon and the Erechtheion - Athens - The Acropolis of Rhodes - Temple of Apollo Ancient Corinth

Top 30 Archaeological Sites and Landmarks of Greece

    Greece, one of the most loved and highly regarded tourist destinations and home to one of the World’s oldest civilizations, is a treasure trove of archaeological sites, ancient temples, sanctuaries and artifacts....

Hera (Juno) Greek Goddess of the Month of June, Goddess of Women, Marriage, Childbirth, Children and Family.

June – the Month of Hera Greek Goddess of Women

    June is the most popular month for weddings, nowadays, the reason for this is the higher chance of good weather, in ancient Greece though, this was not the case. The month of...

Maia was one of the seven daughters of the Titan Atlas and the Oceanid Pleione, a Pleiades nymph. The seven Pleiades were Maia (the eldest), Electra, Alcyone, Taygete, Asterope, Celaeno and Merope. The Pleiades - Elihu Vedder (1836–1923)

Goddess Maia and Greek May Day Traditions

    The Ancient Greek Goddess Maia   The month of May, a month celebrating spring and the summer ahead, a month of rebirth, nuture and flowers.  May takes its name from Maia, in...

Patras Carnival, Photo from Official Patras Carnival site

Patras Carnival – The Largest and Craziest in Greece

    Carnival season is here and if you’re lucky enough to be in Greece, head for Patras, home to the Patras Carnival. Patras, a vibrant, lively city, the third largest in the country,...

The 3 weeks of Greek Carnival, “Apokreas”

The 10 Week Run Up to Greek Easter

    We’ve only just about recovered from Christmas and New Year, and here in Greece, the Greeks, ever on the lookout for a reason to celebrate, (actually, they don’t need a reason )...