Legendary Greek poet Constantine P. Cavafy was born and died on this day
Born in the Egyptian city of Alexandria on April 29 1863, but with a family heritage from Constantinople and before that, Sinopi in Pontos, Konstantinos Petrou Kavafis, commonly known as Constantine P. Cavafy, was a journalist and one of the greatest Greek poets. His early life was characterised by moving to and living in different…
Rebetiko: The Soulful Voice of the Greek Underworld
Rebetiko, the soulful music of the Greek underworld, arose in the early 20th century. Born in Asia Minor, particularly Smyrna and Constantinople, it arrived in mainland Greece with refugees fleeing the 1922 occupation. These displaced people brought not just suitcases and memories, but a rich musical culture. By the 1930s, Rebetiko flourished in small tavernas,…
The Real Story of the Ancient Olympic Games
From 776 BCE to 393 CE the Ancient Olympic games were held every four years, or Olympiad, which became a unit of time in historical chronologies.
April 27, 1924: Greece proposes to send one of its archaeological treasures
April 27, 1924: Greece proposes to send one of its archaeological treasures, a statue of Hermes and the Infant Dionysus attributed to the master Praxiteles, to the U.S. for an exhibition tour. The offer is a mark of gratitude for American aid to resettle Greek refugees. Miami Herald. The offer is withdrawn a month later…
ON THIS DAY: Young Konstantinos Koukidis sacrificed himself to prevent Nazis from dishonouring Greek flag
It’s Sunday, April 27, 1941. A military procession, consisting of two motorcycles, a Kubelwagen and a truck, ascends from Thissio towards the Acropolis. At the Acropolis the flag is waving high on the pole. The Greek flag with the big white cross in the middle on a blue background. The soldiers who guarded the flag…
Lord Byron and the Romanticism of Greece
The Greek Government has declared that 2024 is dedicated to Lord Byron, the famous Romantic poet, who died in 1824 during the Greek War of Independence. On the 200th anniversary of Lord Byron’s death the Greek Festival of Sydney in collaboration with the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney presented a lecture at NSW Parliament…
The ENTIRE Story of Greek Mythology Explained
Greek Mythology and the Greek Gods have had a profound impact on the world. The tales of Zeus, Pandora’s Box, Prometheus, Icarus, Medusa, Orpheus, King Midas, Sisyphus, Narcissus, Perseus, The 12 Labours of Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts, Theseus, The Trojan War, The Odyssey, and many more have spread to every corner of the globe.…
A 2,500-year-old statue of Greek god found in depths of Black Sea
In 2017, Russian builders discovered the head of a 2,500-year-old terracotta statue of a Greek god during an underwater construction operation off the Crimean Peninsula. Sergei Olkhovskiy, head of the underwater archaeology unit of the Russian Academy of Sciences, has commented that the discovery of the terracotta is a unique artifact of the Northern Black…
Adelaide’s Festival Hellenika – A Night of Zeibekika
Celebrating 33 years, the ‘Festival Hellenika’ in Adelaide is a multi-disciplinary arts festival dedicated to showcasing Greek arts and culture. Standing as the cornerstone of South Australia’s cultural landscape, the gala is held annually from February through September. Established in 1991 with the support of the Consulate General of Greece in South Australia, the festival…
