“A drop of honey is a collection from the souls of flowers. It is a complex photographic impression translated into taste of a specific moment in time and place, each element of the equation bearing consequence upon the other.”
This year's FoP annual event and fund-raising dinner took place on 11 August at the Swiss Home Hotel near Naoussa. Distinctions were awarded to the publications Paros Life and Ta Pariana for their contributions to the cultural life of the island.
As the fortunes of the tourism industry waxed, so those of the agricultural sector waned. Aesop’s fable of the goose that laid the golden eggs in a modern context.
Each year on Good Friday in the village of Marpissa, a spectacular event takes place, celebrating Easter with the ‘Parastaseis’, a series of dramatic tableaux portraying scenes from the Passion of the Christ and involving around 200 villagers in the production.
One might be tempted to think that it’s all doom and gloom in Greece these days, but you don’t know much about this country if you’ve never experienced Greek carnival. And for a group of people who really know how to party, you need look no further than Naxos...
How wonderful it was to have left the ‘Old Smoke’ (London Town) for a while and to be sitting once again on the terrace of my father’s house in Krios, Paros.
Municipal (dimotikes) and regional (periphereiakes) elections (ekloges) are taking place on Sunday, 7 November from 7am to 7pm (with a second round on Sunday, 14 November, if the winning party does not secure more than 50% of the vote).
Local elections will be held throughout Greece on Sunday, 7 November (with a second round on Sunday, 14 November, if the winning party does not get more than 50% of the vote).
Over a century ago, biologist T. H. Huxley, famously known as “Darwin’s bulldog”, stated that the oceans “were an inexhaustible source of food and industrial products for humans to use with confidence.”
One morning in May, Paraskevi Taloglou sat inside her studio in Paroikia, simultaneously painting on a slate stone and chatting up visitors from Paros Life.
Summer is here! Days are gradually getting longer, the sun dominates the days, the holiday season is getting into full swing, there is celebration in the air and it’s impossible to resist the exciting anticipation of all that is to come.
Spring, emerging from the sea, trumpets her arrival with sirens, and the desert dust that the Sirocco brought is blown far away by the sea-borne winds. Sikinos, Serifos, Naxos anchored next to us.
Father Spyridon Fokianos has a dream — to restore the church of Aghios Constantinos, which occupies the site of the former Venetian kastro overlooking the harbour of Paroikia.
Kyrie eleison, kyrie eleison. The cantors repeated the seven-syllable phrase endlessly to a medieval tune, while the priests chanted prayers and swung a chalice of incense in our direction.
Long before our “Greek Life”, since our sons were teenagers and opted to go skiing on their own, we used to take off and visit a couple of European cities over the Christmas holidays.
With the fierce heat and high winds of the summer behind us, organized walks are now starting up again through some of the most beautiful scenic routes in our islands.
The finals of the European Freestyle Windsurfing ProTour (EFPT) will take place at Aghios Georgios Beach in Naxos from 8-11 October when 30 of the world’s best freestyle wind-surfers will be there to present an amazing show in the final countdown.
Indiana University and DIKEMES (the International Center for Hellenic & Mediterranean Studies) sponsor a credit-bearing, three-and-a-half week service learning programme on Paros every summer.
Greeks have a tendency to go with the flow, avoiding any action that requires confrontation and a change of acquired habits. But drastic times calls for drastic measures.
The common ground and history connecting women living in the islands of Greece was high-lighted at the conference organized by the Women’s Association of Naoussa: “Women in the Greek Islands (part II)”
For over fifty years the village of Prodromos has celebrated Easter in a very special way with the children of the village participating in the Holy Friday "Parastaseis", a series of tableaux portray-ing scenes from the Passion - the story of the last days and events in the life of Christ.
Every year from the beginning of Triodio – the three-week period preceding the first Sunday in Lent until Clean Monday – (Kathara Deftera) Naxos renews its association
with Dionysos, the ancient deity of merrymaking.
If you heard a helicopter on Friday 9 January 2009, don't worry, it wasn't an accident or emergency being whisked off to Athens, it was the Greek National Minister for Health, Dimitris Avramopoulos arriving to present the people of Naxos with their new hospital.
You often hear people say, “I want a traditional Christmas”. Does the word “traditional” mean anything more than the Christmas you remember from your childhood? This summer, a Greek-American friend told me he hoped to come to Greece for a “Greek Christmas”. But is there a traditional Greek Christmas that he can remember? Has there ever been a “Greek Christmas” at all?
It is hard for anyone who has visited the paradise of the Cycladic Islands during the summer season, when everything works 24 hours around the clock, to imagine the isolation of these islands during the winter months and what it means to be cut off from the mainland and all the choices one has there if in need. Until 2003, someone in need of psychological assistance, for example, was unlikely to easily find support available locally.
October is “Breast Cancer Awareness” month, during which an international health campaign takes place annually to increase awareness of the disease and to raise funds for research into its cause, prevention and cure.
The supermarathon Athens – Sparta, 246 kms long, has been held every September since 1983. The runners do not stop to rest. The whole world participates, but there was only one Greek woman who ran: Niki Chasapi - A Parianí.
Four years have passed already since the unforgettable “homecoming” of the Olympic Games to Athens in 2004. This month, China is hosting the Games of the XXIX Olympiad from August 8 to August 24 and earlier this year 32 members of the Music Dance Group of Paros travelled to China to participate in the pre-Olympic events.
It is still early morning and the meltemi is already blowing quite strongly. Sails still tied down, TO KYMA – our dapper little 19-ft sailing boat – is pushed into the wind and the steep short seas off the southwest coast of Naxos into the bay of Agiasos by the little diesel engine that purrs away down below.
Since 2003, there has existed on Paros a small but efficient Rescue Team consisting of volunteers prepared to face almost any emergency situation on the island and in the wider area of the West Cyclades.
During 2008, the Folkdance Group of Naoussa, (XON), is celebrating its 20th year of success in performing the traditional dances of the Aegean, and those of Paros in particular.
The existence of the Velentzeio Foundation recently became widely known as a result of the air ambulance project, but the foundation has actually been active for almost half a century, supporting the health services and several other socially beneficial projects for the people of Paros.
It is well known that the Christian religion ‘borrowed’ some of its symbolism and ceremony from Pagan beliefs and this is the case with the tradition that we all know today as Carnival or ‘Apokries’, as we say in Greece.
Christmas is a time for families. Many members of the Parian international community left the island to spend the holidays with their loved ones; others brought their families here! And there were plenty of events on the holiday calendar to enjoy.
Students on last year's EU-funded Parian products seminar learned about wine cultivation and the production methods used at the Agricultural Union (the "Enosi") of Paros. And with Christmas celebrations just around the corner, a brief guide to choosing the best wines from the Enosi to complement your dinner parties over the festive season is included.
Times are changing. Renewable power has become a reality all over the world, and especially in Greece, since the pioneering law 3468/2006 which provides subsidies to renewable energy producers, mainly from photovoltaic and wind sources.
Following the resignation of Mayor Yiannis Rangoussis in August, the Town Council voted to elect the new Mayor of Paros from the two councillors, teacher Christos Vlachoyannis and dentist Stratis Pavlakis, who put their names forward as candidates. Mr Pavlakis received 6 and Mr Vlachoyannis 8 votes out of the 14 cast.
The recent resignation of Mayor Yiannis Rangoussis to take up a new position in PASOK has been swiftly followed by the appointment of the new Mayor - Christos Vlachogiannis, former President of the Municipal Council.
On the 16th June, the Municipality of Paros and the Federation of Parian Societies co-organised a presentation with the general theme of “Residential development and the protection of the environment and appearance of Paros” at the Nireas Cultural Centre in Naoussa.
A remarkable building project is under way in Isterni where Athenian publisher (of the Kedros publishing house), Vangelis Papathanasopoulos, is using the very latest in eco-technology to build his home on the island.
Peter Abbs, Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Sussex, England, was a guest at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in late March when he gave a lecture on the subject of “eco-poetics”.
The Municipality of Paros was represented at the exhibition area of the Cyclades Islands at the ITB Tourism Exhibition in Berlin from 7-11th March 2007 with the slogan “Greece – explore your senses”.
IPAC – the International Paros Art Circle – held a series of round table discussions at the Apothiki Gallery last spring on the theme of “Art Appreciation”. The talks were a great success and, as a result, a second series is planned for 2007.
With the support of the EU Programme ISTOS, the Municipality of Paros has developed a wireless communications system that, as a first step, will serve the areas of Paroikia and Naoussa.
In the meetings that foreign residents of the island had earlier this year with Mayor Yiannis Rangoussis, one of the major areas of concern expressed by participants was the subject of driving and traffic safety on Paros. In addition to answering some of the specific points raised, the Mayor suggested that we talk to Michail Bozikis, Paros’s Chief of Police .
In the local elections held on October 15th, Mayor Yiannis Rangoussis and his party “Enotita gia to Mellon” (Unity for the Future) achieved a clear victory with 67.66% of the vote for Paros, while Iannis Levendakis was elected as President of the Antiparos Community with 50.06% of the vote. Dimitris Bailos was re-elected Prefect of the Cyclades and Grigoria Protolati was again appointed Eparchos.
Beate Beyer explains the voting process for local elections to be held on the 15th. The two candidates for Mayor, Yiannis Rangoussis and Louis Kondos, present their candidate lists for the municipal and local village councils.
Local elections on Sunday, 15th October 2006 will be held to elect the new Mayor and Council for the next 4-year period (2007-2010) for the Municipality of Paros and the Community of Antiparos. Candidates for Paros are Yiannis Rangoussis and Louis Kondos, and for Antiparos, Barbara Maneta and Iannis Levendakis.
Our great Greek singer from Paros, Yannis Parios, will, for the first time on his native island, be giving two concerts entitled “All Blue” at 9pm on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th August at the Municipal Athletic Ground, Paroikia.
After an inspiring week full of intense discussions and sharing of ideas on the theme “The Commons” (what we hold in common) for the participants, the Symposium came to an end with an evening performance on a warm and pleasant early summer’s night at the Paros Municipal Library on Monday, 22nd May.
Over 1,000 citizens were present at the conference hall of the Pandrossos Hotel on March 26th to hear the Mayor’s “logodosia”, that is his assessment of the development plans and projects accomplished by the municipal authority during their three-and-a-quarter years in office.
The traditional annual carnival (Apokries) was celebrated all over the island during the period leading up to the start of Lent on Clean Monday, March 6th.
Press releases last month include news about a programme for the unemployed on the island, Paros’s participation in the Gourmet Media World Festival and the move of municipal services KEP and DEYAP to a more convenient location.
Dr Polyzoides, President of the Health Centre, announces a generous donation by the Municipality for the purchase of a cardiac ultrasound and a mammography machine for the Paros Health Centre.
After much and careful preparation, the International Conference on Archilochos, “Archilochos and His Age”, which took place on Paros 7-9 October, was a big and enduring success.
As most readers already know, 2005 was designated the “Year of Archilochos” by the Paros Municipality and this month the island is hosting an important conference – the “Second International Conference on the Archaeology of Paros and the Cyclades” from 7-9 October at the Archilochos Hall in Paroikia.
On Monday, 15th August, Paros celebrates the great festival of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary ("Koimoisis tis Theotokou" or "falling asleep of the Virgin Mary") at the Church of the Ekatontapyliani in Paroikia.
Grigoria Protolati is completing her third year as Eparchos of Paros and Antiparos. She is head of the Eparcheio, the local authority elected by the people to represent the subprefecture of Paros and Antiparos at the district council of the Nomarchy (Prefecture) of the Cyclades.
Angelica Eder interviews Maria Nafpliotou about the history of blood donation on Paros. This month blood donation will take place between the 3rd and 5th of June in Paroikia, Marpissa and Antiparos.
Mayor Yiannis Rangoussis held a press conference at the Town Hall on March 15th in order to inform local journalists about current actions regarding the air-ambulance.
In June 2000 the Alkyoni, the first Wildlife Hospital in Greece that was specially designed and constructed for this purpose, opened its gates. For director Mario Fournaris, who had been running the operation in his own house and back yard since 1995, a vision had come true.
In a beautiful setting between Ambelas and Santa Maria with a stunning view across the channel to Naxos, the Tao's Centre opened its doors to the public last December. Offering a range of activities designed to reduce stress and give participants the chance to unwind and relax, Tao's calls itself a "life management centre" - a place where one can learn to balance one's physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs to create harmony and serenity in daily life.
Many changes are under way at our local Health Centre (Kentro Ygeias) in Paroikia since John (Apostolos) Polyzoides was appointed the new Chief Executive of Medical Services for Paros and Antiparos.
An historic meeting took place between the Mayor of Paros and the Mayor (Sindaco) of Pistoia, in Tuscany, Italy on October 7th. Accompanied by John Pack of the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts and local architect Petros Metaxas, Mayor Yiannis Rangoussis travelled to Pistoia to meet with Mayor Renzo Berti to exchange and explore ideas for cultural tourism.
A brief introduction to Archilochos by Jeffrey Carson on the occasion of the preliminary symposium to prepare for 2005 - the "Year of Archilochos" and a conference on this subject next autumn.
For four hectic years, Athens has been taken apart, cleaned up, rebuilt, planted and replanted with the result that the city is now a true shining example of a 'successful make-over'. With thousands of volunteers standing on every corner - Athens was ready for the world
Lit by the rays of the sun, the sacred flame began its historic 2004 journey in Olympia and, after travelling around the world and through each of the 54 prefectures in Greece it will arrive at the Athens Olympic Stadium on August 13th to signal the start of the 2004 Games.
The Municipality of Paros have launched a joint project with the European Translation Centre (EKEMEL) in Athens to create a "House of Literature" in the former Xenia Hotel in Lefkes.
Easter is by far the most important celebration on the Greek Orthodox calendar and it is an especially exciting time to be present in Greece and to have the chance to share in the traditions that have been handed down for generations in this country.
A year has passed already since Yiannis Rangoussis took office. He talks about his experience so far as well as the years leading up to his appointment as Mayor of Paros.
Paros currently has a total of five local Greek papers. This month, Elsa Sarri has taken some recent editions and summarized them for us. We want your feedback on this format and whether it meets your needs and interests.
The ERT3 "Studio Paros" will initially broadcast programmes and documentaries on Paros's daily life and cultural events and on sites of historic interest on the island. It will then gradually increase its scope to include other Aegean islands and the Peleponnese.
The name of a recent NET TV documentary "Parallel Worlds" seems to capture the essence of the inspirational work being done by marine biologist and oceanographer Peter Nicolaides and his partner, environmentalist Kerstin Lingk.
Saturday, the 19th of July, 2003 was an evening to remember here on Paros. It was not just the opening of Gop Moulls’ sculpture exhibit at the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts, but also a chance to see rock and folk star of the 1960’s, Donovan Leitch (usually known simply as ‘Donovan’), perform.
As we slowly begin to become aware of the damage we are doing on a daily basis to our environment and struggle to change our habits to lessen the toll on nature, a handful of conscientious educators on Paros are striving to ensure that the next generation will never take our island’s precious resources for granted.
The first official meeting of the new legalized institution of IPAC, the International Paros Art Circle, was held on Thursday, 22nd May at the Pandrossos Hotel in Paroikia. Many of the 21 founding member artists were present, together with Paros’ Mayor, Giannis Rangoussis.
Arriving on Paros on May 4th (weather permitting) is a very special expedition from the island of Hvar in Croatia. Modern Stari Grad (ancient Faros) on Hvar is the oldest town in Croatia and was founded and colonised by Greeks from Paros in 385/4 BC.
At a time when our world is shaken by the horror of war in Iraq, we take a look at the efforts of another “coalition of the willing” - the Earth Day Network - which includes more than 5,000 organizations in 184 countries.
Following some of the most devastating storms in 100 years, with torrential rain on Monday 17th February causing catastrophic flooding, a state of emergency was declared in eight of the Cycladic islands.
Our new Mayor and Municipal Council took office on 1st January 2003. We discuss with Giannis Rangoussis some of the suggestions and ideas put forward by the foreign community as to how we can better understand the issues that affect our daily lives on Paros.
For the third year running, the International Women’s Organization of Paros organized the now well-known Halloween Party on 31st October. As well as raising money for an important local cause, this is a chance for us to dress up and have some fun.
The elections are finally over and Giannis Rangoussis is voted in as our new Mayor to take office on 1st January 2003. A breakdown of the votes and a short message from our new Mayor.
Information about the Municipal Elections which will take place on 13th October and a message from each of the three candidates (one has withdrawn) to the foreign community.
Although foreign EU citizens have the right to vote in the municipal elections to be held in October, very few have registered to do so. What can we do at Paros Life and what can the elected Mayor do to help you be better informed so that you can have a say in how things are run on Paros?
Trudy Petridi investigates this critical question and finds out about how the citizens of Naoussa are taking specific action to protect their environment.
Do you often find yourself wishing that you could communicate more effectively in the Greek language? Paros Life offers its readers the chance to win a Greek Language Course from DIKEMES (The International Center for Hellenic & Mediterranean Studies) worth 650 Euro.
When the snow melted and the rains came this winter, one result was a beautiful cascade of water from the hills, but it's sad to see the water we will need so badly in the summer running into the sea.
Following two or three days of minor snow flurries, Parians awoke one morning last month to find the island fantastically transformed into a winter wonderland!
Silvia Lubitz-Skaramagkas tells the story of how the Hospital of the Holy Ghost in Hagen-Haspe, Germany, has donated many valuable items to the Paros Health Centre - all because of the idea of Silvia's friend Christiane.
The 26th of this month will mark the first anniversary of the tragic sinking of the Express Samina in Paros Harbour. A Mass will be held at the Ekatontapiliani Church, followed by the unveiling of a memorial to the dead by the Mayor and a simple ceremony at the Town Hall to honour local fishermen.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away across the Atlantic Ocean, in the U.S. city of Seattle, two young women are planning a very special pilgrimage.
The Enosi Agrotikon Synetairismon, or Agricultural Cooperative of Paros, has been producing good wine and good olive oil for decades. This summer, the Enosis Winery has opened a new Visitors' Center.
"To marvel is the beginning of knowledge and when we cease to marvel we are in danger of ceasing to know." This ancient Greek quotation will be familiar to anyone who has ever received an email from John Pack, Director of the Aegean Center for the Fine Arts in Paroikia.
As we are all very much aware, there was very little rainfall during the winter months, a fact which rather obviously leads to the conclusion that there will be even more severe water shortages this summer than last.
For most people the name of the new Athens airport is such a mouthful that they prefer to call it simply 'Spata Airport' referring to the area in which it is located in the eastern outskirts of Athens.
Prompted by the Express Samina tragedy on 26th September 2000, members of our local community have taken on the project of improving safety at sea by forming a volunteer sea rescue service.
Support our local Health Centre and join the Association. Details on how and why you should subscribe to ensure the best possible quality of medical services are available to us all on Paros.
Organised by the Paros International Women's Group, our Halloween Party on 31st October was a tremendous success! Around one hundred people attended and we raised over 400,000 drachmas for our Paros Health Centre.
Navagio - a word that has become all too familiar to us over the past few weeks as the repercussions of the Samina Express disaster at the end of September continue to affect the island.
This issue of “The Foreigner” goes to press in the aftermath of the terrible tragedy of the sinking of the Samina Express which hit the “Portes” rocks on the way into Paros Harbour on the night of 26th September.
... nor any drop to drink! So runs the tale of Coleridge’s Ancient Mariner, and so might we empathise when confronted with water surrounding us in all directions and yet a shortage of it in our taps!
The Friends of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Marbles are pleased to announce a fund-raising marathon swim in support of the return of the Parthenon Marbles
This is a question to which nearly everyone seems to have a different answer and is a big part of the excitement generated by all archaeological finds.
On Thursday 13th January, the local social welfare organisation of volunteers met for the first time to discuss ways of contributing our services to the community.
Improving Paroikia harbour has been a distant dream for many years, but now, on the threshold of the 21st Century, it seems that funding has at last been found and work is underway.
Now the season has finally ended, there are some of our community who are preparing to return to their homeland - either for the Millennium or maybe longer. Sounds like a perfect excuse to PARTY!!!
On the weekend of 18/19th September, at the home of Jean and John Polyzoides in Krios, there will be a very special event to launch the Association of the Friends of the British Committee for the Restitution of the Parthenon Sculptures.
You never truly understand how much a building means to you until it's been taken down. It's not an existing proverb, but for many people this knowledge has grown deeper recently - sprung from the fact that the Fisilani Restaurant in Logaras just was not there this spring.
The spring task of returning the birds to the air began at the Aegean Wildlife Hospital in April with releases of many species taking place throughout the post winter and hunting season months.
In our increasingly industrialized world, the efforts of the Agricultural Union are particularly appreciated by those of us who have chosen to make Paros our home, since they not only provide us with traditional produce, but simultaneously strive to maintain the economic viability of the local agricultural environment
The day before Kathari Deftera (Clean Monday) is traditionally Carnival Time and great fun was had as always in Marpissa - from the youngest to the oldest inhabitant.
Known as “Halcyon Days” (Alkyonides Imeras) since ancient times and written about by Aristotle and others, these sudden summer weather conditions in mid-winter are beautifully explained by the Greek myth of Alkyoni.
Continuing the exotic bird theme, as there are still 6 days of Christmas left in January, we present a traditional English Christmas song, together with a warning of what can happen if one takes life too literally.
Welcome to our first Christmas edition! On behalf of all of us here at “The Foreigner”, we’d like to thank our readers and advertisers for their support during 1998 and to wish you all Kala Christouyenna and oti epithimeis for the New Year.
During the two rounds of elections held on October 11th and 18th, the Parian people and registered foreign EU residents chose the new Mayor (Dimarchos) of Paros who will govern the whole island from 1st January 1999.
By now we’re sure you all know that Sunday 11th October 1998 is election day on Paros. If you have registered and are eligible to vote, remember that this is an important chance for the Parian permanent inhabitants from EU countries to have their say in local politics.
The Professional Windsurfers Association and the Theodoridis brothers of the Paros Surf Club at New Golden Beach bring the World Windsurfing Tour to Paros for the sixth consecutive year.
Those of you who joined us at the Lefkes Village Hotel on 27th June will already know what a wonderful time was had by all at the 60s Glittering Starlight Party.
When Dirk Drijbooms and Hilde Van Lindt decided to get married after ‘20 years of true friendship’ , they chose New York, Paros and Belgium for a truly global celebration.
Did you know that we have a wild bird and animal sanctuary right here in Paroikia in our own backyard? The Aegean Wildlife Hospital is a non-profit organisation founded in 1995.
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Samples of some beautiful wild flowers of this Greek Island.
Cooking recipes from Alice Meyer-Wallace's Cookbook.
Mary Godfrey's humourous illustrations of life in Paros Island.
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