G l a s g o w H e l l e n i c p r e s e n t s

w w w . g l a s g o w h e l l e n i c . c o m

It’s all grεεκεεκεεκεεκ 2 me Written and edited by young Greeks born abroad, mainly in Glasgow

Special report Glasgow Hellenic’s c u l t u r e & h e r i t a g e t r i p t o C y p r u s As part of an EU programme designed to pro-mote young people’s learning about their cul-tural heritage, 12 of the Glasgow Hellenic dance group spent a week of August 2005 immersed in the historical, religious, and cul-tural life of Cyprus. Along with young Greeks from Cyprus, Thebes (Greece), and Calabria (Italy), we took part in a structured pro-gramme of cultural activities based at the Saint Ioannis Camp at Kalopanayiotis in the Troodos mountains. It was a memorable experience. For some of us it was the first encounter with the rich-ness of Cyprus’ archaeological and early Christian heritage, as well as the island’s unique political situation. It was an introduction to many aspects of Greek culture, as well as Greek-Cypriot and Greek-Italian culture. We found out what makes Cyprus a little bit different from Greece as well as the many common threads. We discovered something about the fasci-nating Greek legacy in Italy’s southern region of Calabria – and were invited there as part of a similar programme next year. And we showed everyone there how “Greekness” can survive even in Scotland, especially through our dancing, of which we did plenty, both old and new. Music featured daily and at unexpected moments — from spontaneous Byzantine singing in corners to traditional Greek island drinking songs; from modern laika (popular songs) and tsifteteli (belly dancing) to southern Italian tarantella, and ‘Strip the Willow’. It was a truly unique fusion of cultural expression through dance and music. Find out more about our trip inside this issue.

Issue 8

Winter 2005

Cyprus trip 2-3

Outward Bound 4

Greek school insert

Community news insert

Scottish Hellenic insert

Local Greek busi-nesses

insert

Inside this issue:

Nevena Marjanovic Cyprus was an experience that I will never forget. As one of the group who has no links to Cy-prus, as I am from Serbia, I found the trip very interesting and fun. I got to see not only the touristy side of Cyprus with its beach resorts and nightlife, but also the other side, not usually seen by visitors - the real, Cypriot side. The people I spent that week with meant this trip was a once in a lifetime oppor-tunity as we were from all walks of life. Visiting the many monasteries and churches also gave me an in-sight into a religion which I have been a part of since birth but knew very little about. The people that met us at each holy place, along with the not so holy, were all very friendly and gave us lots of very interesting information about Or-thodoxy, Cyprus and Cypriot tradi-tions. I wish that it could have lasted longer as we only got used to the very hot weather at the end of the week.

Georgia Stafylarakis This was the first time I have visited Cyprus and the trip was an entirely different and interesting way to see a country for the first time. The Glasgow Hellenic Dancers were joined by groups from Italy, Greece and Cy-prus to take part in the pro-gramme. One of the most difficult obstacles to overcome was the lan-guage barrier but this made the "getting-to-know-each-other" part of the programme even more challenging and ex-citing. We visited a number of different places that of-fered us an insight into the rich culture and heritage of Cyprus. But the places we saw played just a small part in the whole Cyprus experience. It was everything from the people, the food, the singing and dancing and even the donkey rides, that all added that extra bit of spar-kle. It was an informative and eye-opening trip that left us all a little sad as we had to say our goodbyes to our newfound friends and a wonderful country.

Georgios Vardaxoglou If some-one asked me a year ago where he/she

should go on holidays in Europe, I would

probably suggest Greece or Spain. But

now, I changed my mind. I would definitely

suggest Cyprus. I spent about 10 days on

the island this summer with some amazing

people and we had a great time, I think, due

to many factors. Firstly, we really enjoyed

the natural diversity of the island; from

beautiful beaches and turquoise waters to

very hot and dry areas to fresh and green

mountains. Secondly, we were given the

opportunity to discover the rich history of

the island (I have to admit I was not fully

aware of its history) and the whole Medi-

terranean area, when we visited Nicosia,

its museums and archaeological sites. In

addition, the local people on the mountain

of Troodos and its villages gave us a taste

of the island’s culture, customs and tradi-

tions, which was really unique. I should

not forget to mention our hosts, Father Kyprianos and a

group of young Cypriots, and two other groups (one from

Greece and one from South Italy) who all made our lives

“tiring” – without them we wouldn’t have immersed our-

selves in music, dancing and singing. In a few words, would

you like to visit a place with natural and cultural diversity?

Would you like to explore the historical roots of the Mediter-

ranean area? Would you like to experience the real Greek

hospitality? Then, visit Cyprus.

Konstantinos Kibaris Cyprus: having never been there before, and only having heard various stories of its greatness from those I know who have experienced it, I could only go there with an open mind. Thankfully it didn't disappoint, and the pic-turesque beauty of the mountain valley village that was our dwelling - complete with gravity defying structures built on almost vertical inclines - was bettered only by the outstanding hospitality the Cypriots afforded us. Of all the things about the trip that stuck with me, the main thing I will never forget is the nighttime atmosphere we were always able to create after our long days under the sun, 'appreciating' the an-

cient culture. Music. Games. Dancing. Food. Tradition. All from 4 different cultures melded together like long lost cousins who seem to have everything in common. Even the language barriers couldn't slow down the spirit of the ball we all had at every opportunity; whether it was in the enclosure of the camp hall, or on the walkway of a coach, causing a spectacle for anyone driving level with it. Whether we will ever be able to take part in this type of event

again is uncertain, but if one thing is for sure it's that this was unique for us. Even if I don't get to take part in another, I’ve had enough of a taste of cultures dif-ferent to my own to know that there's no point in limiting myself in ignorance for the rest of my life. Keep an open mind; and next time you frown on something strange about an ethnic tradition, remem-ber being British can seem pretty weird in a lot of the

world too.

This was our home base for a week in August 2005—a camp at the village of Kalo-panayiotis in the Troodos

mountains of Cyprus. The village is famous for the church of Agios Ioannis Lampadistis with its amazing 13th and 16th century frescoes. In fact this small area of Cyprus prides itself as having three UNESCO world heritage sites—as well as ‘our’ church, the 13th century chapel of Panagia tou Moutoulla and the painted church of Archangelos

Cyprus 2005

Kon & Georgios

Georgia, Anna, John & Nevena

the divided Island by Elena Styli-anou Up until 1974, Cypriots - both Turkish and Greek - lived side-by-side. However, the situation changed when Archbishop Makarios on the 15th July 1974 was toppled by the military junta ruling Greece at that time. This gave Turkey the much longed for excuse to invade the Republic of Cyprus, which it did on 20th July 1974. Today, 35% of the island is occupied by Tur-key and its ‘official’ name is the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, founded in 1983. It is not recog-nised by any country except Turkey. In April 2003, the borders which divide the two communities of Cyprus were opened, allowing for the first time Greek and Turkish Cypriots alike to go freely into the north or south of the island. This was a huge step, in my opinion, towards a once again unified island. However, with the opening up of the borders came once again more problems. The majority of Greek Cypriots I have spoken with since the opening of the borders feel that they shouldn’t need to show any form of identification as they still deem Cyprus to be ONE country. During the summer camp experience, we got the opportunity to go to the north of Cy-prus. I felt that this was a great chance to see and experience a part of my native coun-try which I had never before known. For the entire time of the camp, I was very much looking forward to visiting the North as I did-n’t know what to expect. Just like many oth-ers, I had mixed feelings and preconceptions. My first impressions of entering into Northern Cyprus was quite a surprise as the border controller was asleep in his little shed! What does that say about Turkish secu-rity?! And here was I thinking that this would have been a similar daunting experience to that of the corrupt Russian border control which I encountered on many occasions while studying in Russia! Travelling east towards the town of Ammochostos (Famagusta), we drove past a number of residential homes and buildings which now stand derelict or completely destroyed. The effects of the 1974 invasion are still very much visible to any visitor to the north. There are signs everywhere warning that photographs are prohib-ited! This of course didn’t deter me in the slightest! Travelling along the coast of Ammochostos Bay, we visited a number of places of interest which reinforced one of the main themes of the summer camp – the cultural heritage of Cyprus. One such place was the tomb of St. Barnabas. It was built to commemorate the

principal saint of Cyprus, whose life was intertwined with the spread of the Christian message. We then visited Salamis, an ancient archaeological site. Most of the ruins date back to the Roman period at the time when Sala-mis was part of the Roman province of Cilicia. Within the grounds, we saw the amphithea-tre; the gymnasium; the Roman baths; various pieces of mosaic and a Greek/Roman agora. After seeing the cultural side of things,

we drove to F am a g u s t a ’ s famous beach where we saw closer scenes of derelict hotels which were bombed during the war of 1974. The one thing that struck me was the beautiful clean sandy beach and I can now see why Ammo-chostos has long been famous for its miles of sandy beaches. The name Ammochostos means ‘hidden in sand’.

Before leaving the North, our tour guide (Father Konstantinos) decided that we needed a much deserved rest so stopped at a café/bakery shop in the cen-tre of town where we could see some of the Turkish delights that were on offer. Well, I had been told to try the famous ice-cream and I was not disappointed in the least! I’ve never seen anything like it before – it was so stretchy but yet SO tasty!! I particularly enjoyed the trip to the north as my knowledge of Cyprus has been enriched and I feel that I can appre-

ciate much more the history and culture of a country which is part of my identity and the person I am today. Attending school in Cyprus, we were taught all about the 1974 invasion and how Turks are the enemy but my way of thinking on this issue - unlike some other Greeks and Cypriots - is that we need to move for-ward. I’m not saying forget about our history but the situation will never change unless our mentality and views begin to become more open. This, of course, can be applied to many of today’s political issues. This trip has given me a taster to Northern Cyprus and I will definitely be returning in order to explore further a Cyprus I never knew. A dream of mine since I was young is to be able to see a united Cyprus where Turkish and Greek Cypriots live together as a community once again. That is the reason whenever anyone asks me what nationality I

Now there's a trip that won’t be forgotten in a hurry! Even though it was tiring, it cer-tainly was a memorable experience. Meeting people from very different backgrounds and cultures to us was brilliant, and even though we were all so different we still man-aged to bring our Greek connections together and that’s when I realised we were not really that different after all. Young people from Cyprus, Greece, and Italy still have the same problems as we do in Glasgow - fall in love, fall out of love, gossip, and basi-cally everything that I thought was not possible to be happening anywhere else was really happening to all. Overcoming the language barrier I thought was going to be our biggest battle, but I was really amazed at how everybody pulled all stops and tried anything to communicate with everybody else. Now this is something, because normally young people are often too shy or too busy to make new friends and try new things, but I was very proud to be one of the leaders of our group as everybody tried and succeeded in getting to know the others from Cyprus, Greece, and Italy and even made some good friends in the process. Anne McKay

Famagusta - The Forbidden Zone—31 year’s on

From left: Niki Stephanie Elena Anne

Our group with the Italians & Greeks. The old city of Famagusta is in the back-ground.

Elena with the 3 Italian girls, Antonella,

Daniella, Maria Olympia

Michail both within 10 minutes of our camp were also on our itinerary. There were 13 of us, and a group of about 40 in all—Greeks, Cypriots and Italians with a common bond of Greekness in our history. Here are some of the reports from our own quite eclectic group of South African, Serbian, Swed-ish, Cypriot and Athenian Scottish Greeks! We would like to thank especially The Harry Nicholas Trust for ad-ditional funding, and Aris & Marjory Arestis, former Greek-Scots, for their hospitality in Cyprus.

I can appreciate much

more the history and

culture of a country

which is part of my

identity and the person

I am today.

Outward Bound J u n e 2 0 0 5

The youth of St. Luke’s Church, in association with Outward Bound,

have been very active around Scot-land this summer. The older kids

spent the weekend of 18th and 19th June exploring the Union Canal be-

tween Edinburgh and Falkirk. The more junior members spent four

days from the 24th June at the Out-ward Bound Centre at Loch Eil. Here,

we present again Anna Symeonides’

report on both events for those who missed our special Issue 7 in the

summer.

The Union Canal was opened in 1822

as a 50km water-link between Edin-burgh and Falkirk. After meeting our

instructors, we all piled into the Outward Bound van and made the short journey to

the Union Canal, trailing our canoes be-hind us. We packed our

belongings into large barrels, tied them inside

the canoes and made a shaky launch into the

canal. With two people per canoe, we set out

on our first few metres of the canal. Some of us

demonstrated natural nautical ability, while

some of us struggled with the basic paddle

stroke and the subtle

requirements of steer-ing. I was certainly in

the latter of these two categories! However,

we made good pro-gress and were enjoy-

ing the unusually warm and humid

weather as we reached the Union Canal Centre of Linlith-

gow. This is a point from which tourists can

take boat tours of the area or pause for a good old cup of tea. We tied up our ca-

noes and stopped here briefly for rehydra-tion and shade from the concentrated

rays of the sun, as some of us were turn-

ing an unhealthy shade of pink! Onwards on our journey and we came across the

Almond Aqueduct, which stands an im-

pressive 75ft over the River Almond.

This was certainly a Kodak moment as we floated so high above the ground,

taking in the stunning scenery lying below. A few hours paddling later and

we reached our campsite. The team split up to complete the tasks of putting

up the tents and dinner preparation. I’m sure it’s only coincidence that the males

headed to the tent-poles and the fe-males to the kitchen…hehe.

As the sun went down we played a mur-der mystery game, which was designed

to encourage and develop our commu-nication skills. Then we headed for our

sleeping bags to get some rest, which proved quite challenging, despite the

energy expended by our tired limbs. This was due to the loud, incessant

chatter of the nocturnal cows in the

neighbouring field. After cursing the noisy bovines we eventually snored our

way through the night and woke up early and enthusiastic for another day’s

paddling. We rolled up the tents, re-packed the barrels and we were off in

the canoes again, on our second and last day on the canal.

Sunday was a duller day, but the humidity and occasional rain meant

there was a jungle-like atmosphere to the canal. The highlight of this day, and

probably the entire trip, was paddling through the only canal tunnel in Scot-

land. This tunnel is just on the outskirts of Falkirk, is 631m long and 3.6m high.

It was carved and constructed through

solid rock to appease a local

landowner at the time who was

not best pleased at the prospect

of seeing a canal from the win-

dows of his home, Callendar

House. We en-tered the

gloomy tunnel and took in the

amazing sight of the rocky walls,

the stalactites hanging from

the ceiling and

the shadows of our own boats

in front of us. Exiting the

tunnel, there was a constant gush of water from above which some of us

successfully managed to avoid, and some others ‘accidentally’ had the mis-

fortune to paddle through. So soaked and a little worse for wear, we paddled

a little further down the canal to our end-point, where we dragged the ca-

noes out of the water and piled into the van to drive up to the impressive Falkirk

Wheel and back down south to Glas-gow.

Loch Eill’s Outward Bound centre is an awe-

some building with extensive, beautiful (but midge-infested) grounds It was previously a

shooting lodge owned by Cameron clan chief, before its focus as a centre for outdoor sport-

ing activities and team-building exercises. The children spent the first night familiarizing

themselves with the building and settling in to their accommodation.

Early the next morning, they were up and raring to go. Fueled up with a full breakfast,

and lunch under their arms, they set out into the grounds of the centre, where they were

involved in numerous team-reliant activities, such as using just 3 crates to cross a ‘lava-

stream,’ and games requiring them to commu-nicate without speaking. The kids were suc-

cessful in all their tasks and this was a good introduction to the challenges ahead of them.

In the afternoon, they faced a huge task: to

build a raft using just 4 barrels, 6 poles and some rope. They were split into two teams to

design a structure for the raft and presented their ideas to the other team. They joined

together to decide upon the best design and went down to the shore of Loch Eil to build

the structure. After much discussion and al-terations, the only thing left to do was to put

the raft to the test. So out they went, paddling around the loch and I’m pleased to announce

the raft remained intact until it was time to take it apart and head back to the centre for

dinner.

There was no opportunity for the children to rest in the evening. Their instructor took them

straight outside again for another task: a blind trail. The kids were required to hold on to and

follow each other in one long line from the centre, through the nearby trees and around a

pre-prepared assault course. ‘Easy!’ you say? Now consider the fact that they had to do this

blindfolded. The children rose to the challenge

and after a few incidents of letting go and losing the route, they triumphed and headed

back to the centre and to a good night’s sleep. It was now Sunday morning and so time to

pack up and prepare for the return to city-life. Before the drive back to Glasgow, they

stopped for a spot of rock-climbing and abseil-ing at the foot of Ben Nevis. Everyone made a

brave attempt at rock-climbing and was intro-duced to the responsibilities of supporting and

b-laying the ropes for another climber. The abseiling proved much more challenging and

everyone did well to inch their way down the slope or cheer on from the bottom. As the

children descended from Ben Nevis, so their Outward Bound journey came to an end.

From left: John, Anna, Georgia, Mihalis &

Kon. These programmes are subsidised by The

Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

It’s all greek 2 me Winter 2005

Glasgow Hel lenic presents

To contact us by emailTo contact us by emailTo contact us by emailTo contact us by email glasgowhellenic@gmail.comglasgowhellenic@gmail.comglasgowhellenic@gmail.comglasgowhellenic@gmail.com

www.glasgowhellenic.com

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The start of the new academic

session 2005/2006, brought with

it much enthusiasm and hopes

for a better future for the com-

munity’s “nursery”, the Greek

School of Glasgow. During the

awards ceremony on Sunday

30th October 2005, the Director

Nondas Pitticas, outlined the

reasons for this euphoria.

“The School presented six

candidates for the GCSE in

Modern Greek, all of whom

achieved, against some pessi-

mistic expectations, an aston-

ishing array of A* in their final

and overall grade. They were

honoured for their achieve-

ment by having their names

engraved on a cup sponsored

by Mrs Gardner, which is now

on permanent display in the

Church Hall, and they have

been awarded the School

medal of achievement and

distinction.

Our 6 high achievers, were

June Baird, Christos Georgallis,

Sophia Hytiris, Akil Memishaj,

Sophia Papageorgiou and An-

tonis Vasileiou. They all deserve

our warmest congratulations

and our best wishes for their

future.

After a succession of years

when the roll was slowly but

steadily declining, 14 new pu-

pils enrolled for this session, to

add their names to the existing

29. The School is now as lively

as it used to be in former years,

and, to her delight we are sure,

Ms Katie is surrounded by

youngsters eager to please

their beloved teacher. New

friendships have been created

and community spirit is once

again self-evident every Satur-

day morning. Parents have

taken a more active interest

and with a rota system of duty,

assist the teachers in whichever

way they can, from answering

the doorbell to the latecomers

to accompanying the younger

children out of class when na-

ture calls.”

The Greek School of GlasgowThe Greek School of GlasgowThe Greek School of GlasgowThe Greek School of Glasgow The Greek School oper-ates within the premises of St. Luke’s Cathedral and includes pupils from 6 to 16 years old. In addi-tion to Greek language, pupils are taught religious history and about the his-tory and geography of Greece & Cyprus. Pupils are presented for the GCSE examinations in Modern Greek and the GCE in Modern Greek or Scottish Standard Grade in Classical Greek.

The children of Glasgow’s Greek

School celebrating Oxi Day (28th

October) in St. Luke’s Church Hall

Nondas Pitticas also added that the new adult Greek classes have been exception-

ally popular. Numbers have exceeded all expectations, with about a dozen enrolling for the 25-week long course, delivered by Nondas

twice a week.

The main adult class runs every Thursday

night 7.00-8.30, while the Saturday class of

11.00-12.30 is reserved for mothers with

young children at the School.

For information, visit www.stluke.org.uk

and follow the Greek School link.

Sad news Sad news Sad news Sad news Another of the founding mem-

bers of our community, Niki Kyri-

akides (pictured below christen-

ing one of our dance group 16

years ago) passed away in Cy-

prus in October this year. Her

husband, Pantelis, who many will

remember as one of our church

chanters, also passed away in

Cyprus a few years ago. Niki and

Pantelis came to Scotland about

45 years ago and worked for the

Stakis organisation. Many will re-

member their years in the Geor-

gic and at the Charing Cross Ho-

tel. They had 4 children—

Joanna, Mary, Angelos and

Christopher—who all grew up

here. The last few years Niki and

Pantelis had moved back to Cy-

prus to look after Niki’s parents.

They visited Glasgow regularly

and always

slotted right

back into

the church

and the

Christian Fel-

lowship of

which they were dedicated

members. They will be remem-

bered for their great kindness to

their friends and whoever was in

need.

Also in October, we lost one

of the first generation Cypriots to

grow up in Glasgow, Savvas

Loppas. This is a great to loss to

another of the founding families

who made up the original Greek

community in Glasgow and our thoughts go out to Savvas’ fam-

ily, his mother, Chrystalla, and his brothers and sisters in London

and Glasgow, Andreas, Maria, Anthoulla, Costas, Stella and

Christpoher.

SCOTTISH HELLENIC SOCIETY of GLASGOW The aim of the Society is to

bring together the cultures of SCOTLAND and GREECE. For info on membership and the 2005-2006 programme go to www.scottishhellenic.org

14 December

‘A continent as big as China’. The Greek world in the life and work of George Seferis

Prof Roddy Beaton (Kings College London)

11 January Rembetika—the music of the dispossessed: a personal view

Dr Jim Macdonald (Glasgow University)

15 February Athens and the problem of

‘the modern’ Georgia Gianakopoulou (Glasgow University)

15 March Byzantine travellers Dr Ruth Macrides

(Birmingham University) 12 April

In search of the Spartans Prof. Chris Mee

(Liverpool University)

Glasgow Hellenic Greek Dancers For info call 07968155556 or email glasgowhellenic@gmail.com

Greek Community Christmas Dance

Sunday 4th December 6.30/7pm, carriages 1am, collar & tie, The Glynhill Hotel, Paisley

Tickets: £35 (no concessions)

Includes Festive 3 course meal, Greek meze, live Greek music

Tickets available from: members of the governing council, Father Kon-stantinos (0141-339 7368) & Konaki Taverna (0141-342-4010)

The community needs your participation!

Do you value this news-letter as a community resource? Does it help you keep in touch with what’s happening in the Greek community in Glasgow? This newsletter badly needs your news and contributions if it is to continue. You may notice we have been silent for a long time. We are struggling to keep the newsletter going regu-larly. Any offer of help—either news or advertis-ing—would be greatly ap-preciated. To contact us:

land mail Glasgow Hellenic Danc-ers, St. Luke’s Greek Orthodox

Cathedral, 27 Dundonald Road,

Dowanhill, Glasgow, G12 9LL email glasgowhellenic@gmail.com

Advertising rates: £20/issue; £60/4 issues

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