Customs vary depending on the area the immigrants/refugees came from. According to the races they came in touch with and the geomorphology of the land they dwelled in, they established their customs. Many of those are directly connected to religion, while others are about nature.
CARNIVAL
For the Minor Asians, the carnival meant reversal of roles and social order. Men dressed up as women and women as men, the old as young and vice versa. People used their imagination to masquerade themselves, in order to cause laughter.
The masqueraded were named "Koudounati" (kou-dou-na'-ti, meaning 'with bells'), a name that had nothing to do with their costumes. The name originates from the old times, back when the masquaraded people necessarily had to wear bells with their costume.
Their costumes were handmade, crafted with any piece of clothing found at home. They usually painted their face, hands and feet with charcoal, while instead of masks vegetables of various shapes and sizes were used.
The Carnival custom was also brought to Greece by refugees of Western Thrace, with some peculiar differences. For the Western Thracians, the name "Koudounati" was literal. Men dressed up with women's clothing and sheep's hide. Above all those layers, they hanged large bells, while they also painted their face with charcoal and carried wooden rods.
The masqueraded men walked around the streets, moving their body rythmically and jumping so the bells would ring. This weird procession was done to ward evil and bad luck away from the houses.
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| Procession around the village |
Seperated in groups, they visited the houses one by one. Half of them knocked on the doors. The occupants came out to greet them and mock them for their silly appearance. The "Koudounati" responded to the teasing by pretending to beat people with their rods. The housewives offered them flour, which the "Koudounati" launched up in the air, a symbolism for the crops to grow high. The other half men of the masquaraded group sneaked off to the houses' chicken coops to steal eggs. Aware of their sneaky act, each family made the younger members stand guard to the coops.
JAMALA
The word "Jamala" (Ja-ma'-la) originates from the arabic word "jamal", that means camel. According to this Thracian custom, the Jamala was a handmade wooden animal that resembled a camel (ergo the name), about 3m tall. It took place right after the sowing, in autumn. It was done to bring luck to the crops, but also as a celebration of the previous harvest.
After the Thracians built a wooden skeleton that looked like a camel, they added a head and tail, wrapping it up in sheep's hide and rags. For the finishing, it was decorated with carpets and colorful beads. Four men hid underneath, carrying it on their shoulders so it looked like the camel was walking on its own.
The other people escorting the Jamala wore weird costumes and wreaths made of grape leaves. They paraded with the fake camel and they gave wishes to the residents, while offering pomegranates and walnuts to passerbys, symbols of fertility.
The custom of Jamala is relived even today in some Thracian villages.
AROMANIAN WEDDING
For the older generatios of North Epirus (Aromanians) the wedding was one of the most important ceremonies, since beyond the joyous union of two young people, it presented the chance for a feast. The wedding lasted a week and its preparation was full of symbolic demonstrations. Those were intended to ward off evil and ensure good luck and fertility for the newlyweds.
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| "Prozimia" |
The wedding always took place on a Sunday. In the morning, the groom's friends gathered up at his house to shave him. One by one they took hold of the blade and shaved him, giving him wishes for the wedding.
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| The shaving of the groom |
After that, the dressed up the groom. Meanwhile at the bride's house, her friends and relatives dressed her up with the traditional wedding costume, singing songs to her.
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| The traditional wedding costume of the Aromanians |
The sewing and decorating of the "Flaburo" (fla'-bu-ro) followed at the grooms house. It was the flag and symbol of the wedding. It was made by reeds tied in a cross shape. On the reed skeleton, a white cloth was sewn, embroidered with the chiristianic cross. Flowers, ribbons and apples were added as decoration afterwards, symbols of the fertility and new life of the newlyweds.
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| The Flaburo |
After the Flaburo was ready, the wedding party made for the church. The families met each other on the road and mixed together. The flaburo was passed over to the groomsman, who walked in the front.
When the wedding ceremony was over at the church, the bride was taken for the first time to her husband's home, where her mother-in-law awaited for her arrival. Before entering, her mother-in-law laid a white carpet for her to step on, so her new life could be pure like the color white.
Finally, the next day all the friends and relatives visited the groom's house to dance and feast.
The immigrants of North Epirus maintain even to this day the custom of the Flaburo and the prozimia, which make their weddings special.
MOMOGERI
This custom originates from Georgia. It was a street event using symbolism, which took place in Pontos and countries of the former Soviet Union on Christmas Eve. In this festival, the whole village participated.
The "Momogeri" (Mo-mo'-ge-ri) were seven figures impersonated by the men of the village. These figures were: the "akros" (bear), symbolising power, the "graia" (old lady) symbolising the past, the "bride" symbolising the future, the "horse" as a symbol of development, the "doctor", symbolising good health, the "soldier" which symbolised defence, the "goat" as a symbol of food and finally "Father Christmas" as the symbol of the forthcoming year.
These figures went around the village with the escort of musicians and villagers and put up various plays. For example, the bear pretended to die and the rest of the figures went to mourn it. Then the doctor appeared, giving to the bear medicine and reviving her.
Meanwhile, the figures approached someone from the crowd while dancing and would not let them go until he was given some money. If he wasn't given any, he smeared the person's face with "pasti kan" (pas-ti' kan, meaning dirty yogurt). Often one of the seven figures was paid to smear someone's face with "pasti-kan" upon request. In that case, there was nothing the person could do to avoid being smeared.
The custom lasted for many hours because they had to go door to door throughout the whole village. It was completed with a feast using the money the figures had previously collected. For the inhabitants this custom symbolised good fortune and accompanied the best wishes for the New Year.
