National multilingualism&

cultural diversity

in Greece

main Greek dialects

•

Cretan

•Cyprio

t

•Pontic

•Tsakoni

an

The Cretan dialect is spoken by the majority

of the Cretan Greeks in the island of Crete.Cretan dialect

Cretan people are very proud,

loud, friendly and truly hospitable!

Good food, traditional music and dances play

an important role in their life.Cretan lyre

The Pontic dialect was originally spoken in

the Pontus area on the southern shores

of Black Sea and today is mainly spoken

in northern Greece.

Pontic dialect

The Pontic dialect is directly related to

the ancient Greek language!

The most famous Pontic dance is the Pyrrhic dance

(dance of fire), an ancient Greek war dance.

A Cretan or a Pontic

dance?

A Cretan or a Pontic

dance?

The Cypriot dialect is spoken

by the Greek-Cypriots.

Cypriot &

Tsakonian dialect

Greek-Cypriots love dancing, especially at weddings.

Men always dance separately from the women and

usually in pairs opposite each other.

The Tsakonian dialect comes from an ancient Greek

dialect and is spoken in some areas of southern

Greece.

It is critically endangered, there are only a few hundred

elderly fluent speakers left!

The Tsakonians dance in a circle holding tight each other’s hands.

A Cypriot or a Tsakonian

dance?

A Cypriot or a Tsakonian

dance?

main minority languages

• Turkish

•Arvanitic

The Arvanitic language is mainly

spoken by a large number of the

population in areas around Athens.

Arvanitic la

nguage

Characteristic Arvanitic sound is “ch”,

which doesn’t exist in the Greek language.

It comes from the southern Albanian

language, but has been strongly

influenced by the Greek dialects.

Which of these three words we use

in the Greek language is arvanitic?

• nearos (younge man)

• chupa (girl)

• yineka (woman)

Which of these three words we use

in the Greek language is arvanitic?

• nearos (younge man)

• chupa (girl)

• yineka (woman)

The Turkish language is spoken

in northeastern Greece in Thrace.

Turkish language

Since Greece has been for about four centuries

part of the Ottoman Empire, the Greek language

has incorporated many Turkish words.

Characteristic Turkish sounds are “b – d – g”,

which didn't exist in the ancient Greek language,

But they do exist in Modern Greek.

Which of these three dishes we eat

in Greece is actually Turkish?

• imam baildi (stuffed eggplants)

• fasolada (bean soup)

• melomakarono (dessert with

honey and flour)

Which of these three dishes we eat

in Greece is actually Turkish?

• imam baildi (stuffed eggplants)

• fasolada (bean soup)

• melomakarono (dessert with

honey and flour)

All these people,

from different regions of Greece,

with their dialects and languages,

their songs and dances,

their history and way of life,

their customs and traditions,

have enriched the Greek culture.

Let’s take as example the

“wedding customs”

• There are countless wedding customs in Greece.

• In each wedding one may see something new: e.g.

the shoe of the bride

Before the wedding ceremony, the bride writes down

on the sole of her shoe names of unmarried girls.

If the name of a girl is erased by the end of the day,

this girl will be married soon.

stepping on the footDuring the ceremony, when the priest says: “And the woman

should be afraid of the man”, the bride gently steps on the foot of

the groom in order to tell him that she won’t be afraid of him.

rice throwing

When the wedding ceremony is over and

the married couple exits the church, the

attendants throw plenty of rice to the

couple to take root.

Jordan almonds candies

At the end of the wedding ceremony, each guest gets a little bag

with sugarcoated almonds. If an unmarried woman puts the

almonds under her pillow, she'll dream of her future husband.

All these immigrants from eastern Europe, Asia and

Africa, who are trying to adjust themselves to the

Greek reality, create especially in Athens a colorful

mosaic of ethnicities.

In the last 25 years there was a huge immigration wave

towards Greece.

A multicultural Greece

Lately people from countries in war or very poor countries are crossing the

Mediterranean Sea trying to find a better future.

And they are all gradually adding their weight toa renewed culture of Greece!