Customs & Practices
Location
Thessaloniki
Duration
2–weeks
Total Hours
32 hours
(3h/day)
Number of Participants
8 – 12
The customs that exist in all the known civilizations are part of what we call Intangible Cultural Heritage, which UNESCO constantly records and reserves very carefully. The Intangible Cultural Heritage is transferred from generation to generation, its constantly reinvented by the communities, interacts with their environment and history and provides them with an identity which defines them.
In the Greek agricultural and pastoral life of the preindustrial society, the uncertainty and fear of men concerning the future, their existence and happiness created a big number of ‘theatrical’ customs, representations, practices and rituals. Customs and practices regarding nature, marriage, death and of course popular faith which except of the rules of formal religion, follows beliefs deeply rooted in the spirit of folk, often inherited from antiquity.
Despite the variety of customs, the workshop will introduce you to a series of the mentioned, aiming to the conclusion that their essential and basic elements are almost the same in all cultures: fire, water, decorative elements and masks, food, language, songs, music, dance…
Our goal is to observe and "walk" on the "circle of life" and on the "circle of time" , which for the traditional men is not an abstract concept unlike in the modern societies, but the same agricultural life that defined their existence.
During the summer, there are a lot of opportunities to follow and "taste" the experience of time and experience traditional customs but also fairs in old agricultural societies of Macedonia.
It's a charming journey as it shows the panhuman need and it lets us experience the deeper spirit of people, who keep honoring those traditions.
By the end of this course the participants will be able to:
- Learn about widespread customs and practices of Greek people.
- Comprehend how traditional men experience “the circle of life and time".
- Feel the spirit of traditions via music, fairs and folklife museum collections.
The cost for the course includes:
-
Welcome meeting
(How to wonder around the city e.t.c.) - Syllabus
-
Usefull Goodies
(Notebooks, Books, Bag, e.t.c.) - Administrative support
- Fieldtrips around Central Macedonia
The cost for the course does not include:
-
Accomodation
Here are few suggestions - Laptop - Tablet (Not Obligatory)
- Museum Tickets
Select the Workshop that you prefer
If you decide to apply for the workshop, you will be asked to pay 35% of the total cost of the workshop in advance. For each workshop, there is a minimum number of participants that has to be filled in order for the workshop to take place.
If the minimum number of participants isn't filled that particular workshop will be canceled and you will get a full refund.
You will be informed if the workshop is going to take place after the applications deadline, which is approximately 2 months before the starting date of the workshop
If the minimum number of participants is filled prior to the deadline, you will be informed that the workshop is going to take place.
Dates
Participation
The Fieldtrips
During this 4–week course you will visit the following locations.
Vergina – Pella
The archaeological treasures of the glorious Macedonian kingdom of Philip II and Alexander the Great are waiting for you. Together we will discover some of the lost glory of the ancient Macedonian capital of Aigai.
The excursion takes you to three fundamental periods of Greek history: the ancient Greek, the Byzantine and the modern one. Ancient spirit, tradition and devoutness are revealed against the backdrop of natural beauty of the area and the view of the Macedonian plain, as far as the eye can see.
Which places we visit during this fieldtrip:
-
The Museum of the Royal Tombs of Aigai
(Vergina Museum) - The Museum and Archaeological site of Pella
Olympus – Dion
Visit of the ancient Dion, which took its name in honor of the greatest of the Olympian gods: Zeus.
At the foot of the legendary mountain and also place of residence of the twelve gods lie the remnants of a great ancient settlement, with findings of the period of the glorious Macedonian kingdom, as well as of the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian periods. Continuing to the picturesque Litohoro, the village with the unique feature of being built between the sea and the highest and most famous mountain of Greece: Olympus.
Which places we visit during this fieldtrip:
- The Museum and archaeological site of Dion
- The Enipeas gorge and the cave of Saint Dionysius of Olympus Plaka Litohoro
Meteora
There are few landscapes that excite the travelers as much as the sight of the enchanting Meteora.
The gigantic rocks with the breathtaking volume and height, as they sharply arise on the edge of a big flatland, interrupt the smooth landscape like they were unreal, they form part of an impressive geological phenomenon that you can’t miss the chance to observe closely. Moreover, the human intervention in this eerie scenery is astonishing: Monasteries built at the highest point of the rocks, seem to hover between earth and sky, between human and divine element. In 1989, Meteora was added in the list of the World Heritage of UNESCO.
Which places we visit during this fieldtrip:
- Two out of six Holy Monasteries of Meteora (Kalampaka)
SUBMIT
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