The Acropolis of Athens has become accessible to the visually impaired through a route inaugurated on Thursday, November 24, that combines models of monuments, haptic feedback points, and signs in Greek and English Braille.

During the inauguration, Culture & Sports Minister Lina Mendoni noted that “equal access to cultural goods is a goal, an objective and a bet for the ministry and its services.”

The haptic course features 12 stops and 4 information points, with signs in Greek and English Braille and a tactile 3D model of the archaeological site of the Acropolis, also with Braille notation in Greek and English.

Accompanying the visit are guides in large print and in Braille in six languages, among several more types of aid, while guards on the site have been trained to assist visually impaired people with the available tools.

In addition, an app for Android and IOS cellphones is also available through the Ephorate of the City of Athens.

The special route for the blind was implemented in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Athens and the Lighthouse for the Blind of Greece organization, with the support and sponsorship of the Onassis Foundation.

To read this article in full, please visit: greekreporter.com

Once again this year, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) will be festooned with thousands of festive lights, transforming it into a magical Christmas World, through an exclusive grant from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF)!

It all starts with a big celebration on Thursday, December 1 at 19:00. The Ice Rink returns to the SNFCC Canal—this time made of synthetic ice, which offers skaters the experience they love with zero energy consumption—light installations transform the Stavros Niarchos Park into a dreamscape, illuminated fir trees suffuse the Agora with their glow, and the festive light and music reach every corner. The Greek National Opera’s Children’s Chorus will sing festive melodies in the Agora.

Then, American conductor, composer, and director of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City Francisco J. Núñez, along with Chórεs by Marina Satti and vocalists and musicians, invite all visitors to sing along to favorite Greek and international songs—Christmas carols and non-Christmas songs too—creating one big festive choir. This special sing-along concert will be held in collaboration with Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, as part of the SNF-LC Agora Initiative, an effort to reimagine public space which includes the creation of “Twin Agoras” between the SNFCC and the Lincoln Center.

Admission for the public is free.

Festivities continue throughout December, with lots of music, popular Christmas tales at the SNFCC Lighthouse, workshops for kids, games for the whole family, dancing with LED hula hoops, an improvised percussion orchestra, Christmas wishes written on crepes with chocolate (!!!), a treasure hunt on the Great Lawn and, of course, photos with Santa Claus, and much more.

The end of December will also mark the opening of a permanent new feature at the SNFCC, a 9-meter Climbing Wall for climbing enthusiasts and beginners alike.

The holiday events will culminate on New Year’s Eve, when the SNFCC will welcome the new year with a spectacular fireworks show, a huge party at the Agora, and the traditional SNF RUN: 2023 FIRST RUN, organized by SNF in collaboration with the nonprofit Regeneration & Progress under the supervision of the 1st Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Athens University Medical School (Sports Excellence).

To explore SNFCC's full program of Christmas Events, please visit: snfcc.org

Main Image: Nikos Karanikolas & Pelagia Karanikola

Athens will usher in the Christmas season on Thursday, December 1, with a brilliant tree lighting ceremony on central Syntagma Square at 7:15pm launching this year’s 38-day program of holiday events.

Concerts, performances, parties, shows, workshops, and happenings will kick off on December 1 and run through January 7 in 129 neighborhoods and 35 squares across the city. Ten Christmas villages, including Omonia Christmas Market and the Kypseli Municipal Market, complete with Santa and elves, stilt walkers, jugglers and puppets will welcome young and old and set the mood for the holiday season.

“The year’s Christmas festivities take place in the city’s 129 neighborhoods. We will decorate the streets and squares with bright lights and ornaments, sending a message of joy and optimism to all Athenians,” said Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis.

Athens’ main 21-meter-tall Christmas tree comes from Karpenisi, the mayor’s hometown, and will be lit with 40,000 lights and hundreds of ornaments during the special tree lighting ceremony on December 1 with the virtual participation of mayors from across the globe sending a message of peace, unity, and solidarity.

Greek pop singer Tamta will be performing live in concert together with the Athens Big Band. Petros Kourtis and The Tin Soldiers Marching Band will be opening the evening. Other popular performers such as Rena Morfi and Nikos Portokaloglou, Stavento, Ivi Adamou, Enorasis, Evridiki and Myronas Stratis, and Dimitris Starovas will be taking the stage at Syntagma Square from December 20 onwards.

To read this article in full, please visits: news.gtp.gr

 

The Christmas Factory opened its doors on November 26th and, once again, welcoming all, young and old, to a fairytale-like experience packed with joy, celebration, games, laughter, tickling smells, and, for the first time this year, theatrical performances!

 

This year, Santa has decided to reveal all his secrets! This will be achieved through 7 + 1 special workshops - from a spooky maze to creative confectionery activities, face painting, and fun choreographies - a dance floor, an ice rink, an elf band, and much more.

 

And, since there’s no Christmas without food, you can enjoy plenty of dinner options, from skewers and burgers to pizza and pasta! Not to mention the Christmasy hot beverages and drinks!

 

Christmas also means giving gifts to loved ones, so the market has everything you could possibly be looking for, including ornaments, toys, and inspirational gifts.
 

This year, the program of festivities includes the theatrical performance "Elafontaine, Aesop in Another Way," directed by Giorgos Suleimans, with text by Sofia Kapsouros and original music by Themis Karamouratides. An excellent occasion for children to get to know the myths of Aesop through the eyes of the French poet and mythmaker Jean de La Fontaine.

 

For more information in greek, please visit: athens-technopolis.gr

From December 17th to January 1st, the holiday spirit comes to Omonia Square, and the magic of Christmas spreads joy and love to all the visitors of the Athens center.

 

The Omonoia Christmas Market will be the capital's new commercial and entertainment institution. It is organized by the Municipality of Athens as part of "Christmas in Athens," a program of various festive events, with the contribution of major sponsors and partners. It aims to add a festive sparkle to the historic square and welcomes young and old to the most spectacular Christmas event.

 

The Christmas market will host special stalls showcasing a wide variety of handmade, mouth-watering treats, beautiful ornaments, and unique Christmas gift ideas for the whole family. The festival includes numerous musical events and performances, as well as fun activities for the whole family. The best way to embrace the Christmas atmosphere!

 

During the holiday period, shops throughout the country will remain open on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., the Hellenic Retail Business Association (SELPE) said in a statement.

On Saturdays, they will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Sundays, December 11 and 18, they will open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m., in order to help the public make their holiday purchases.

It should be noted that the member companies of SELPE have taken all the necessary measures to comply with the health rules, the association stressed.

Originally published on: ekathimerini.com

The Hotel Grande Bretagne in Athens celebrated the beginning of the holiday season with its traditional Christmas Tree lighting event in its lobby in a festive atmosphere. The ceremony included Christmas carols performed by the children’s choir of the educational institution “Themistoklis”. Volunteers of the non-profit organization PNOE were also present at the event informing guests about their important initiatives. 

 

Everyone enjoyed themselves with the overwhelming Christmas spirit, exchanged happy wishes, and had the chance to watch the Hotel’s new Christmas video. Every year, the glittering 7.5 meters tall Christmas tree has been the highlight, decorated with impressive garlands, special ornaments, and more than 10,000 lights creating a glowing festive background in the lobby.  

 

Being part of a socially responsible company, Hotels Grande Bretagne and King George continue their special fundraising campaign. From December 1st and for six months, €1.50 will be added on top of each bill issued at the GB Roof Garden and Tudor Hall restaurants with the customers’ consent and will be donated to support PNOE non-profit organization in its pioneering work, aimed at providing medical equipment to Intensive Care Units for children and neonates. 

The former Athens home of one of the world’s greatest opera performers, Maria Callas, will be refurbished and once completed house the Academy of Lyric Art Maria Callas, announced Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis recently.

The Municipality of Athens is set at the beginning of next year to announce a tender for the restoration and renovation of the historic neoclassical home of the world-renowned Greek prima donna located on central Patission St.The great soprano lived in the house on Patission St from 1937 to 1945.

The project, scheduled to be completed in two years’ time, includes the restoration of the building’s facade, roof and interiors and will be fully accessible to people with disabilities.

The Academy of Lyric Art Maria Callas is a non-profit organization that will offer university-level music education in lyric opera.

Additionally, the municipality aims through the refurbished building, the new museum dedicated to the great Greek soprano – the Maria Callas Museum – to open in the summer of 2023 coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of the universal artist’s birth, and the Olympia Municipal Music Theatre Maria Callas, to establish Athens as a cultural hub and attract travelers seeking unique culture and arts experiences.

Last week, on the occasion of the prima donna’s birthday, the Greek Culture Ministry announced that Maria Callas’ centennial birthday next year will be included on UNESCO’s list of anniversaries for 2023.

Callas was born in 1923 in Manhattan to Greek parents who had emigrated to New York City. She later moved with her family to Athens and from there took the world by storm emerging as one of the greatest opera singers and best-selling performers of all time. She died in 1977.

To read this article in full, please visit: news.gtp.gr

A photography exhibition of 70 historical costumes from the 19th century, from daily life and life in battle, worn by contemporary Greeks will be shown at the Acropolis Museum as of December 20, ANA reports.

'Raiment of the Soul' is an initiative by the Marianna V. Vardinoyannis Foundation. The Acropolis Museum presents the exhibition in collaboration with the National Historical Museum of Athens and is under the auspices of Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou. It will run until March 26, 2023.

Most of the costumes used belong to the National Historical Museum of Athens and were loaned by the late Ioannis Mazarakis-Ainian, general secretary of the museum, to photographer Vangelis Kyris and embroidery specialist Anatoli Georgiev.

Originally published on: tornosnews.gr