www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Parish Life & Evangelization Greek Fest!

Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Des Peres, MO (a St. Louis suburb) is having their Memorial Day weekend Greek Fest this weekend:

http://www.stlouisgreekfest.com/

http://www.assumptiongoc.com/

Avoid the ouzo, try the other stuff. The food of course will be wonderful.

I'm going to try to post pictures for you all!

Someone will have to show me how.

There is one remaining day in the Pittsburgh Folk Festival - Sunday, May 28.

Lots of good Greek and Slavic food, as well as music and dancing from the following nationalities:
Ukraine (my wife loved their costumes and dancing)
Carpatho-Rusyns (from Slovakia)
Slovakia
Lithuania

Ouzo is disgusting!!! YUK! :p

Licorice flavored fire water, I was burning up for about 20 minutes of taking 2 drinks of my "shot glass."

The music was very middle eastern. I guess it's due to the Turkish "influence" during the Ottoman times. Even during Vespers, the music sounded like it could have been chanted from a minnaret. I didn't expect those modes in Greek music.

The gyros were very good. The tzatziki sauce was made with sour cream instead of yogurt though.

The Church was beautiful. If someone can tell me how to put the photos I took on my digital camera on this Forum, I'll do that later today after Mass. (I have to read here in an hour.)

Byzantine chanting can sound very middle Eastern, and some of it is done nicely and some if it is done not so nicely.

One of my church's chanters, God bless him, sounds SO nasal that it is painful to listen to him.

On the other hand, a young American born man who sometimes visits us sounds like heaven when he chants-

Granted, I know that this is not easy or enjoyable music for the Western ear. That is why most Greek Orthodox churches have adapted (to the purists here I know that this will be anathema) the choir, the organ, and more Westernized versions of the traditional chants.

As for the chanting style, don't forget where Constantinople falls geographically!

As for secular Greek music, not all Greek popular music sounds Middle Eastern. Some of it sounds more so than others. It depends on what geographic area's traditional music and/or what popular era is being played. The golden age of Greek music was the 1960's when songs like 'Never on Sunday' and 'Zorba the Greek' became popular, and the use of the bouzouki became popular.

In any case, Greece is definitely a crossroads between Europe and the Middle East-- and I guess that is what makes it so enigmatic and interesting.

Alice

P.S. It annoys me to no end that the tzatziki sauce for gyros in this country substitutes sour cream for thick strained yoghurt. Only the better Greek restaurants in New York city, as well as those in Astoria (aka:Greek town), stick to the original and more healthful formula of strained yoghurt, (a brand called 'FAGE' directly from Greece, and already strained, is now available at better food supermarkets in the U.S.) garlic, olive oil, and shredded cucumber--which btw, is very easy to make at home as a condiment for grilled lamb or chicken skewers.

Alice stop it or be prepared to send a food parcel.

P

Why avoid ouzo? Just be careful because you might get drunk very easily, way before you realise it. Secondly there is no such thing as a musical instrument inside a Greek Orthodox Church. And to conclude about the music, yes some themes may sound middle eastern. But don't forget the 400 years of slavery by the Turks. After all Hellas has gathered lot of music elements through the milleniums.

Once again, does anyone know how to put the pictures I have on my digital camera on the Forum?

The chant was exotic, but I love all kinds of music... except rap and country! :p

Told you so! Now you know why I would stick with the Metaxa 7 Star Brandy and the other things like the wines. I guess you had to learn by experiece in this case.

In IC XC,
Father Anthony+

Yes, but you haven't suffered rap until you have heard it 'rapped' in another language and in another country!

I know that I was warned, but I decided that since we wrote about it, I would try it anyway. My wife thought it was nasty and my brother the chef wouldn't even try it. The Mystos beer was good though, kinda like Heineken

I wanted to try some other dishes, but the Church hall (it's very much more of a gymnasium) was packed to the brim. Which is why I have no pictures of the dancers.

I've had avgolemeno soup there before during Lent. Little did I know that it is actually forbidden for strict fasters during the Great Fast!

Oh, but I have... Italian, Spanish, and I think I heard some Irish Gaelic!

My identical cousin thinks that rap in German would sound cool.

Ok, I think I have figured out how to post some pictures. Thanks to Father Anthony for helping me out:

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/docphoto7/album?.dir=/376ere2&.view=t

Enjoy!

Ooh that's the best part of Greek Chant . With just the right voices it sounds heavenly, but I guess since that is what I grew up with, I am biased. It's amazing that they can chant like that through the entire liturgy. Something about that Middle Eastern soud appeals to me so much, it must have something to do with my Cypriot Ancestry.

LOL My grandmother makes her own yoghurt and strains it in the kitchen sink, but we just go down to Titan and get the "Fage" when we make it. I have to say though the best Tzatziki I had was made out of goat milk yoghurt.