Learn all about an Ancient Greek tradition quite similar to Thanksgiving, discover some of the best Deli bars in Athens and get festive with Christmas bazaars all around the city!

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Thanksgiving day is celebrated primarily in the US and Canada. It is celebration dedicated to giving thanks for a bountiful harvest, something that the ancient Greeks also did thousands of years ago.

Thesmophoria, in Greek religion was an ancient festival held in honor of Demeter Thesmophoros which was celebrated by women in many parts of the Greek world. The meaning of the name Demeter Thesmophoros still remains unresolved, although it perhaps translates to “bringer of treasure or wealth,” an obsolete sense of thesmos. 

Ever since ancient times, festivals for giving thanks have been celebrated in many regions around the world.

When Hades, the god of the underworld, abducted Persephone, her mother Demeter wouldn’t feed the world, and winter came upon the land. When Persephone was returned Demeter gave the gift of agriculture to humanity.

The Greeks believed that it was because of Demeter that the earth provided the harvest it did. Honoring her with offerings and ceremonies would guarantee a new and fresh harvest every year. The holiday dedicated to Demeter was called Thesmophoria.

 

To learn more about Thesmophoria, please visit: Encyclopaedia Britannica

After a holiday in Serifos and not being able to drink the tap water, Daphne and her husband Fran were shocked to see how many plastic water bottles had piled up during their stay. When they returned to Athens, they were determined to do something about plastic waste.

After discovering Precious Plastic, an initiative started by Dave Hakkens who shows how easy it is to set up your own plastic recycling space, Daphne and Fran decided to set up one of their own in Athens called Plastikourgeio.

Daphne says, "Our mission is to show how plastic CAN be recycled but to also stress the point that although the recycling process can be very creative, it requires a lot effort so our over arching goal as a society should be to reduce the use and production of plastic. Recycling is our last best option."

To read this article in full, please visit: Plastic Free Greece

 

Please click HERE for more information on Plastic Free Greece.

From 20 to 22 November, Zappeion becomes the ultimate meeting point for businesses, startups, universities, private and public institutions.

Three days devoted to innovation and technological developments and opportunities to learn everything you need to know regarding education, networking and dynamic synergies.

Representatives from emerging and acclaimed businesses, investors, researchers, academics and government agencies will be present through interactive discussions, workshops, parallel presentations, and interviews.

Exhibitors from the most emerging industries, from agri-food and health, to fitech and e-commerce, come to showcase next-big-things and bring with them all the experience and know-how.

Top companies that generate value, create jobs and have a significant footprint inside and outside of Greece, come to meet promising startups that bloom within the ecosystem.

At the same time, with the presence of institutions from the central administration and the government, the participation of universities and investors from different institutions is composed of an innovative mosaic of innovation and entrepreneurship, helped by the Athens Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Incubator of Young Enterprises in Greece, in cooperation with the Attica Region, the Regional Development Fund of Attica and Industry Disruptors - Game Changers under the aegis of SA. of the President of the Republic Mr Prokopios Pailopoulou.

The detailed program of the Athens Innovation Festival on speeches, panels, exhibitors, operators, workshops and workshops will be announced soon.

Click HERE to learn more about this event or the Athens Innovation Festival's Facebook page.

Long isolated from the rest of Greece, the Mani peninsula is home to a clannish community that claims warrior heritage. BBC describes the Mani peninsula as having “jagged, rocky cliffs jut from the Peloponnese at the southernmost tip of mainland Greece, forcing the landscape to heave and billow like ocean waves. From the steep hilltops, stone houses resembling small castles stand with their backs to the colossal Taygetos mountains and look out over the stoic Ionian Sea.”

It is also the land where a clannish community lives, called the Maniots, who are believed to descend from the Spartans, the legendary warriors of Ancient Greece.

“Nearly three millennia ago, when Ancient Greece was made up of ‘polis’, or individual city-states, much of the Peloponnese belonged to Ancient Sparta and its allies. Unlike the people of rival city-state Athens, who were artists and philosophers, the Spartans were fighters; boys were said to begin military training at age seven, challenging one another in physical competition before becoming full-time soldiers at the age of 20.”

To read this article in full, please visit: BBC

Since it started in the late 1980’s and escalated when the financial crisis hit, graffiti in Athens has popped up everywhere as a way to express widespread unrest. As the Independent reports, “the capital of Greece might be known for the Acropolis, but as you drive into Athens what really hits you is the graffiti.”

There’s hardly a place that hasn’t been tagged by spray paint. Vans, walls, street signs, dumpsters, and even the ancient rocks have paint on them.

Street artist and tour guide Nikolas Tongas says, “Athens is always inspiring people to create... the financial crisis was a huge inspiration for artists who wanted to show from their own perspective an artistic representation of the current economic situation.”

To read this article in full, please visit: Independent

The museum of Contemporary Art will be fully operational within 2018 and fascinating Van Gogh exhibition takes place in the city. Click to find out everything you need to know about Athens' Latest News & Updates!

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Olive oil, fine cheese, cured meats and other delicacies — Where to find the best deli’s in Athens from Greece Is!

Brimming with delicacies from every corner of Greece, this deli is the perfect place to find rare meze – like salt-cured tuna from Alonnisos and pies from Kozani. It’s ideal for both lunch and dinner; your meal will be made with ingredients straight off the shelves around you.

Address: 26 Mitropoleos, Syntagma

Telephone: 210 331 5547

At this mecca of Greek cheese, you’ll find incredible products to take home and enjoy as well as plenty to eat right on the spot. Kostarelos, which is family-run, produces a variety of cheeses but it’s perhaps most noted for its feta, both soft and hard, which is exceptional – try some tucked into a sourdough sandwich.

Address: 30-32 Patriarchou Ioakeim, Kolonaki

Telephone: 210 725 9000

To read this article in full, please visit: Greece Is

The 35th Authentic Marathon took place in Athens this past weekend on November 12, 2017 bringing together more than 51,000 runners. Around 18,500 runners came from all over the world and the rest came from Greece.

Most of the athletes competing come from the UK (1,054), Italy (1,000), the USA (834), France (815) and Germany (741). Other athletes travelled from countries such as Brazil, South Korea, New Zealand and Vietnam.

The course was a 42km course that followed the footsteps of the legendary soldier Pheidippides. The Athens Marathon has developed in recent years into one of the biggest annual sports events for Greece.

To read this article in full, please visit: Greek Reporter

Photo Credit: Facebook

Maddie is a terrier and goes on all sorts of adventures around the world. In this book, Maddie visits Athens and helps a girl find her teddy in the Acropolis. ‘Maddie Goes To Athens’ is a great book for early readers and young travellers learning fun facts about important cities around the world.

 

For more information on Maddie, visit www.maddiebooks.com or follow their Instagram @themaddiebookshop