Guide: all countries » Greece » Ithaka Island » Traditions and festivals

Colors of Ithaka Island - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

While communicating with Greeks, remember that some of the common gestures have a different meaning in Greece. For example, if you want to show neglect to a person, just pretend that you are brushing off the dust of the lapel of the jacket. Greeks touch or pat the lower lip with the index finger not in order to send a kiss to you, it means that they want to say something. Ithaka inhabitants nod with the right hand on the heart to say «thank you». If a Greek person signals to somebody to join him, he extends his arms with the palms facing downwards.
Family holidays with kids in Ithaka Island. How to entertain your child, things to show to children.
Ithaka is an ideal island, where you can introduce your child to the work of great Homer. Despite the fact that there is no archaeological evidence of Odysseys reign, who took part in the … Open
Locals are very emotional and they behave freely. It is not strange here to interrupt each other and raise voice. During a conversation, Greek people touch the person they talk to without any embarrassment. It is customed to shake hands only at the first meeting. Then, people greet each other with a kiss on the cheeks. If a Greek doesn’t want to be called by name, you should call him by the second name. It is customed on Ithaka to greet everyone entering a public place such as a bank or a tavern.
Taverns are very important for the Greek people. The thing is that they love to spend evenings with family and friends in taverns, chatting, eating and drinking local alcohol under folk music. You will hardly find a free table in the tavern at 9 o’clock. Locals like to cook and there is also a couple of culinary clubs on Ithaka, but a meeting with friends in a tavern with a bottle of local retsina or ouzo is the national tradition and a perfect end of a working day. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
Cuisine of Ithaka Island for gourmet with top restaurants and cafe
There are a lot of catering establishments on Ithaka. Local cafes are called taverns. Greeks love to spend evenings in taverns, drinking local alcohol and chatting with family and friends. … Open
Despite the fact that locals drink alcohol, you will hardly meet drunk people on the streets. This is because invariable behaviour is a disgrace for Greeks and people who come to the country. They believe that drunk people are ridiculous and miserable. So if you don’t want to be condemned by locals, try to control yourself. Most of the Greeks are Orthodox Christians. They are conservative people, especially those who live in remote villages. So, try to look appropriate if you visit small distant villages.
The most important thing for Greeks is to get pleasure from life. They will never work hard and get money at all costs. Locals can easily spend a large sum of money on an unnecessary useless thing or an evening in a tavern. Moreover, they don’t try to save money. They believe that there is no need for money if they don’t make you happy.
Excursion over cultural sights of Ithaka Island - 'must visit' points of interest
Ithaka is well-known as a place where Odysseys lived, described by Homer in the poem. The island coincides with all the descriptions given in «Odyssey». It was inhabited long before the … Open
Local inhabitants are great patriots, but they like to criticize the government. If you want to be respected by Greeks, just say something pleasant about Ithaka or Greece in general. Don’t do the same if you want to become friends with a Greek person. Try to address locals in Greek, even if you don’t speak it well. Don’t plan anything in the period between 2 and 5 o’clock. Locals have siesta which is a very important ritual for them. They usually sleep at home or lie on a beach during this time. People on Ithaka know how to spend time with pleasure, they celebrate holidays in a big way. There are huge festivals on Christmas, Easter, Epiphany and Panigiri. Be sure to visit February Carnival, Theather Festival in Vathy and Marida festival.
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National traditions of Greece

The wonderful climate, the history full of events and the antique heritage influenced the mentality of the Greeks. These people prefer to live today. They love and know how to enjoy their life. The Greeks have a special attitude to money. Everyone wants to become rich, to earn a large amount of money, but not all are ready to work hard to achieve their goal. This is why lotteries are so popular in the country. Local people traditionally buy scratch-offs. The Greeks know how to spend money in a posh way. They buy luxury clothes, expensive cars, and entertainment stuff. It’s not customary to save money and postpone fun for later. … Open

Traditions and festivals in cities around Ithaka Island

Kefallonia
It is particularly interesting to explore Kefalonia during the days of major religious holidays when unique celebrations and rituals are held in all cities of the island. Interesting traditions can be witnessed in the last week before Easter. On Holy Thursday, on the ... Open »
Lefkada
Festival of folklore is a recognized and well-liked event, in recent years it was attended by hundreds of teams from around the world. Thousands of artists, dancers, musicians, writers and artists arrive to participate in the holiday. Each team prepares a program of ... Open »
Zakynthos Island
During the conversation it is accepted to gesticulate a lot and the Greeks always greet familiar people with a kiss on both cheeks, regardless of the gender. The handshake is used only at the first meeting. Local people usually do not restrain their emotions too much ... Open »
Zakynthos
Such traits as independence and love for freedom are typical among local people. In order to make Zakynthos locals like you, simply learn several phrases in Greek and agree when they say that Greece is the best country in the world. This part of the country somewhat ... Open »
Igoumenitsa
That said, sometimes it is possible to predict actions of locals. For example, if a tourist asks for help, locals will always give a hand. No matter what kind of help is needed, locals will always help as that is how they have been taught since childhood. Friendliness ... Open »
Corfu island
Though the Greeks themselves love wine and ouzo, the culture of drinking is something solid here. That is why the attitude to those, who are not low-key, when the drink, is very negative. On Corfu, as in other parts of Greece, there is a concept called ... Open »
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