sturm

This dance is called "nadigravane", its when a man and a women try to outplay each other, something like a duel

plutoboyz

Efendi, I can't hear the Mehter. Could you bring them?

Btw nice video guys.

Solidaire

Indeed, furtuna means storm in Greek. I liked the Turkish version. It's amazing how music flows over borders, transforms and adapts to fit each nation's particularity, while keeping its soul and emotion intact.

The second song from Smyrni is also very nice. We have that kind of music to this side of the Agean also.



Great dances!! And mighty difficult too. The second one is very similar to Greek traditional "war" dances. Very nice.


Now this is something I am not familiar with.
It's kind of theatrical. It reminds me a little bit of Russian dances and of ballet also. Very cute!!

sturm

Solidaire, thank you very much!

I have a question. In Bulgaria, every region has a traditional outfit its different, for every region. I know the traditional outfit of the greeks, which is similar with the outfit from the first video i gave, greeks man wore something a bit like a short skirt, and a pants under, just like those in the first video i gave. So my question is, is there different traditional outfit for every region in Greece, and why?
For instance in Bulgaria people from the mountain villiges used more leather in there cloths, people from the cities even had leather boots, because they could buy such boots in the big cities where you can buy something made from western Europe, is this a case with Greece?

I know that for instance greeks from islands, are very very different then greeks who live in villiges or cities in Northern Greece, near Albania or Bulgaria or Turkey.
Or Greeks in South Greece are strongly influenced by the culture of the Mediterranean sea.

Solidaire

This is a difficult question to answer and me not the most suitable person to answer it, since I was raised in Athens, I cannot dance and I appreciated traditional music in my twenties (I grew up listening to rock music). But I will try my best.

Although Greece is a small country, there are thousands of different dances and a wide variety of traditional outfits, local cuisine, traditions, culture and mentality in general. There are many reasons for this diversity:

- The geography of the country itself. There are innumerable mountains, isolating areas and communities from each other and providing unique surroundings for different cultures to flourish. Add hundreds of island to the mix and ... you get the picture. There is a very developed sense of locality and every area has its own subculture. Fragmentation of terrain, fragmentation of culture. This was always the case in Greece, ever since antiquity (do you remember the city-states?).

- Diversity of climate and terrain type. Northern Greece has a very different climate from southern Greece and the islands. Winters can be very harsh, reaching minus zero temperatures, while summers can become very hot. The islands, on the other hand have a very mild and pleasant climate, all year round. Western Greece is very rainy and green, while eastern Greece and the Aegean are rather dry.
The mountainous regions of Epirus, Macedonia and central Greece transfer their stern and rigorous character to their inhabitants' culture and mentality, while the mild breeze of the Mediterranean and the open horizons of the coastal areas make people more easy-going and light-hearted. Music, dances, mentality is heavier and gloomier on the mainland and traditional outfits look very similar to that of your country. Islanders, on the other hand dress lighter and use more colours. Their culture is more joyful, their music and dances more bright and brisk.
Mountains confine people; the sea is an open window to the world.

- Various historical circumstances affected regional subcultures accordingly.
The Cretans faced many conquerors and were always rebellious and warlike; many of their dances and clothing reflect this.
Some islands were conquered by Venetians and have had many Catholics and an Italian flavour to their culture.
Greeks of Pontus were somewhat isolated and kept their ancient dances and culture relatively unchanged for millenia. In fact, I think that Pontian dance is the closest thing to ancient Greek Pirihios war dance.
Greeks who lived in Asia minor and Constantinople developed their own unique music and dances which they brought with them when they were expatriated; a new universe of culture was introduced to Greece, the Rembetiko, Zeimbekiko dance and other cultural treasures.
Northern Greeks interacted culturally with their Balkan neighbours, Albanians, Serbs, Bulgarians.
Greece has always been a crossroads of civilizations and cultures, which enriched and expanded local traditions and music.

I know you wanted to know about traditional outfit mostly, but I had to try to explain the diversity of culture in general. I hope I didn't tire you much.

sturm

Thank you Solidaire, outfit usually is based on the culture, so your explanation was very good indeed.
Im sure that Bulgarians living in Northern parts near the border with greece, those bulgarians who had connection with greeks, have usually interacted with there outfit and traditions.
There are even many marriages between bulgarians and greeks, who used to live close.

I also can't dance horo so good as the people in the video, i myself am born in Sofia the capital, so my situation is like yours, we are city boys.
Yet to dance such traditional dances here is something that everybody have to do, because what would i do if i go to a wedding? I have to dance it over there. And what would i do on my wedding? Here in Bulgaria the husband has to play one dance alone, and everybody look at him

The outfits here are hard to recognize because they have hundreds of specific things, like for instance females that arent married, have specific outfit.



Another question i would like to ask, during the 19 century, here in Bulgaria, usually the man didn't offered marriage to the women as it happens today, but the man usually takes a band of people (usually his reletives, cousins, brothers), they go to the house of the women, and just take her, steal her
Sometimes there was even armed fights between two bulgarian families.
Does such thing happen in Greece in 19 century, before Greece was independent from the Ottomans?

Solidaire

Here are some songs and dances from the islands, hope you like them.

This is a traditional song from Dodecanese (Rhodes).


These are characteristic Aegean songs, unfortunately I couldn't find videos with people dancing them.

This is another typical island song, with the dancing version following.


Another one, more modern:


And, finally this one; not a great song, but there is some good dancing in the video.

sturm

Great songs, thank you Solidaire, i can clearly see how different the songs from the Rhodes, is from Aegean region songs.
The difference can be clearly heard

Greek songs are popular in Bulgaria specially after the the song of Helena Papparizu and the bulgarian singer Slavi Trifonov in the song "Why"

Opa Opa was also very popular song, Epimeno also.. people aways listen those when on party in home, drinking with friends

Everybody love Epimeno - What a nice song this is

Solidaire

This one called "Tzivaeri", is also an Aegean song, but it is not a merry, festive song, but a song about immigration of beloved ones and the pain of those left behind.
It brings tears to many a Greek eyes.


The lyrics, loosely translated, go something like this:

Ah! The foreign lands are taking joy from him
My Tzivaeri*
My flower with the beautiful smell
Slowly and humbly
Ah! It was me who sent him away
My Tzivaeri
By my own will
Slowly I step on the ground
Ah! Damn you foreign lands
My Tzivaeri
You and your welfare
Slowly and humbly
Ah! That you took my little child
My Tzivaeri
And you made him yours
Slowly I step on the ground


* Tzivaeri is not a Greek word, I think it's Turkish, meaning "my jewel".
I think "cevahirim" is the original Turkish word. Maybe Efendi can help me with that.

Efendi

Well The situation is the same for Turkey Sturm. There are many diversity of culture in Turkey too. Because of the climate differences. Even the closer distinctions have differences in the way of dances and music.

It is interesting that the dances of mountaneous lands are fast.
It is black sea part of Anatolia. It is called Horon dance.


the dance of less mountaneous land are slow.
These belongs to Egean part. The dance is called Zeybek. which i like much. They can also be played solo or in group. In anatolia there are millions of its variation.
http://www.vidivodo.com/161414/zeybek-kerimoglu

in Ege The male players are called Efe. Efe also means brave gentlemen in turkish. I am an efe .