Greece’s President, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, visited the Eastern Aegean island of Chios on Sunday to commemorate the Chios massacre.
The Chios massacre was one of the worst atrocities committed by the Ottoman Turks in the 19th century against the revolted Greek Christian population of the then-Empire.
”Today, here in Anavatos of Chios, we honor the memory of the thousands of undefeated martyrs of the terrible massacre committed by the Turks in 1822,” Sakellaropoulou wrote on Twitter.
“We praise the spirit of those who made the island to be reborn at the urging of their compatriot, Adamantios Korais, who said ‘You recovered and made the paternal land brighter’.”
Painted depiction of the Chios massacre by Eugène Delacroix.
What is the Chios massacre:
In March 1822, several hundred armed Greeks from the neighboring island of Samos landed on Chios. They attacked the Ottomans, who retreated to the citadel. Many islanders then decided to join the Greek War of Independence.
The Ottomans sent reinforcements to Chios on March 22. On March 31, orders were given to burn down the town, and over the next four months, another estimated 40,000 Turkish troops arrived on the island.
The troops were also ordered to kill all infants under three years old, all males 12 years and older, and all females 40 and older – except those willing to convert to Islam.
Tens of thousands of survivors dispersed throughout Europe and became part of what is known as the Chian Diaspora.
A man has been arrested in connection with the murder of a British woman in Greece, Greek police have confirmed.
Caroline Crouch was strangled in front of her 11-month-old daughter after home invaders burst in while the family was sleeping at their home in Athens at around 4.30am on Tuesday, May 11.
Her husband Charalambos Anagnostopoulos, known as Babis, was tied up during the attack but is reported to have seen the face of his 20-year-old wife’s killer.
A 30-year-old Georgian man has now been arrested while trying to travel to Bulgaria via Evros in northern Greece with a fake passport, Kathimerini reported on Sunday.
Caroline Crouch was strangled in front of her 11-month-old daughter.
The unnamed man has also been linked by cops to another break-in at a house near where Caroline was murdered.
A police source was quoted as saying that DNA analysis suggested he was involved in tying up an elderly couple during a burglary on March 7.
The home where the other incident took place is just 20 minutes drive from the house in Glyka Nera that Caroline shared with husband Babis and daughter Lydia.
The suspect has been arrested and taken to a local police station, authorities confirmed.
Caroline’s husband paid tribute to her on Friday.
A police officer told The Sun: “We’re making headway with the inquiry and in the police laboratories based on DNA found at the scene… The list of suspects has been narrowed down to 30 people.”
On Friday, Babis paid tribute to his “beautiful” wife in front of the islanders who adopted the British student as their own.
“I was very lucky that I knew Caroline and that she loved me. I was very lucky for all the moments we shared,” he said in a tearful eulogy.
Note: Below is a formal statement by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia. This is not a statement by The Greek Herald.
The 9th Meeting of Bishops and Archiepiscopal Vicars of Australia was held under the Presidency of His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia in Sydney on 13 and 14 May 2021.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios conveyed the Paschal greetings and blessings of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the holy Hierarchs and Vicars that were in attendance and updated them about current issues and initiatives of the local Church. All the items on the agenda were then considered and we announce to the clergy and Christ-loving plenitude of Australia, the following:
a) Global social crises, such as that of the recent Covid-19 pandemic, often lead to the appearance and outbreak of zealots and para-ecclesiastical voices that cause enormous spiritual damage to God’s people, disorienting them from the theological, ecclesiastical and scientific truth. In fact, it is sad that a portion of our flock does not obey the voice of the Church, the Patriarch’s, the Synod and its Bishops, but is easily swayed and blindly follows words of “enlightened” monks, elders, abbesses, visionaries, prophecy speakers etc. We urge the people of God not to be influenced by talk of impending dangers and should not attribute the global trial of the pandemic exclusively and only to the so-called new world order. The pandemic is a real fact and in no situation can it be allowed to become a tool for gaining benefit from communication, for increasing popularity stakes, for self-promotion and especially for confirmation of “spirituality” and “holiness”. This is why it was unanimously decided to send an Encyclical by His Eminence to the pious flock of Australia, which will authoritatively, theologically and scientifically inform the plenitude of our local Church about the pandemic and vaccination.
b) Along with the protest letters and petitions, which condemn the careless, irresponsible and ultimately malicious journalistic reports of the ABC news agency against our Archbishop Makarios, the Archdiocese and the Greek community in Australia, is added the protest of the Bishops of the Archdiocese of Australia that unequivocally condemns deceitful journalism and distortion not only for Hellenism and the Church, but for every organisation and for every person who resides in Australia. In an official statement, the body of Bishops asks ABC Management to retract the reports and to publicly apologise for the lies, slander and distortions they published about the Church, the Archbishop and the Greek community. Otherwise, it clarifies that the Archdiocese of Australia will turn to the Australian judicial system as well as other public and private organisations to restore the truth. At the same time, the gratitude by the local Church is publicly expressed to all the Organisations and bodies that strongly reacted by writing to the ABC, and whose members exceed 800,000.
e) The National Metropolitan Choir of Australia, which was established by His Eminence our Archbishop, is moving forward and will present its first official event on 26 November this year, at Sydney Town Hall to honour the completion of 30 years since the election of our Patriarch to the Patriarchal Throne. Unfortunately, due to the restrictive measures, the Metropolitan Choir will not be able to hold the event in Constantinople, and specifically in the Holy Church of St Irene, as had originally been planned for the anniversary of our Patriarch.
f) Following the voluntary resignation of Mr Konstantinos Kontis from the Consolidated Trust of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, His Eminence has appointed Mr Theo Bakalakisas a member. Mr Bakalakis is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and an elect member of the Greek community in Australia who works in Cairns.
g) The convening of the Clergy-Laity Congress is again postponed due to the restrictive measures imposed because of the pandemic in indoor venues. Determining factors in setting a new date for the meeting are the operation of the schools (the Clergy-Laity Congress will be held at St Spyridon College in Sydney) as well as the opening of the airports to non-Australian citizens, so that representatives of the Mother Church in Constantinople can attend this important event of our Holy Archdiocese.
h) His Eminence and the members of the Synaxis (Meeting)wish all the flock of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia to always have the joy of the Resurrection and the grace of the life-giving Tomb.
According to Greek mythology the goddess Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of fertility and harvest, and almighty Zeus. Persephone was hauntingly beautiful and so pure and lovely that, as Stephen Fry has written, the gods took to calling her Kore, which means simply the “maiden”.
But to everyone’s dismay Hades abducted Persephone and carried her off to the dark and gloomy realm of the underworld. Demeter was distraught at her loss although the young goddess would re-emerge for part of the revolving year to be beside her mother and the other immortals.
Persephone and Hades of the Underworld
As the modern American poet Louise Glück wrote in Averno “there are places like this everywhere, places you enter as a young girl from which you never return”.
Demeter and Persephone are often thought of together as the “Two Goddesses” because they were inseparable and symbolised the power of a mother’s love for her only child after she was carried off by Hades.
The Ancient Greeks revered their gods in statuary and sculpture and art and Persephone was no exception because of her rare beauty and intensity. The Two Goddesses famously adorned the East Pediment of the Parthenon atop the Acropolis in their “marbl’d immortality” until they were forcibly removed by Lord Elgin and his men, beginning in 1802.
As the bride of the underworld Persephone was often cast in stone and her image used as a grave marker. One such statue dating from the second century BC was recently the subject of legal proceedings involving the British Museum in London.
A sublime three quarter length marble funerary statue depicting a girl wearing a hood and flowing gown, with two snake-like bracelets was illegally excavated in the ancient Greek colony of Cyrenaica (Cyrene) on the Mediterranean coast of present-day Libya – and now a World Heritage site – in the chaos that followed the overthrow of the dictator Gaddafi. It was seized by British authorities at Heathrow airport in 2013 and eventually was placed in the British Museum for safe custody and closer examination pending the outcome of legal proceedings to determine the statue’s true provenance.
The case came before the Westminster Magistrate’s Court in 2015 and evidence was given by a number of experts, including Dr Peter Higgs, curator of Greek sculpture at the Department of Greece and Rome in the British Museum, who opined that the statue was either the goddess Demeter or her daughter Persephone and looked as though it had been excavated in recent years.
Dr Higgs added:
“It is stunning. It is a beautiful, three-quarter-length statue, very well preserved with just a few fingers missing. It is technically brilliant in the way it has been carved, with very sharp details, and the face is very well preserved considering many Greek statues have lost noses.”
The overall consensus appears to be that it is indeed Persephone, depicted as emerging from the underworld.
The Court took the unusual step of hearing part of the case in the British Museum in order to view the statue and hear evidence from experts about its provenance and when it had been excavated. In the end Judge Zani was satisfied that the statue was unlawfully excavated by persons unknown and ruled that the sculpture was owned by the state of Libya and should be forfeited until arrangements were made to return the statue to its rightful owners.
Libya finally took possession of their lost goddess in early May 2021 after formally announcing its repatriation. Dr Higgs was moved to comment:
“It is just lovely to be part of a story which has a happy ending. It will go back to Libya and stand in one of its museums as a star piece, it is a lovely feeling to be part of that.”
In contrast, after reports appeared that the “British Museum Returns Looted Ancient Greek Statue to Libya”, Hannah Boulton, Head of Press and Marketing at the British Museum, was quick to play down any possible linkage (God forbid) with the long-standing case of the Elgin Marbles, declaring:
“This is not a sculpture that is being returned from the British Museum collection; this is part of our work in helping to identify and return illicit trade coming into the UK for potential sale.”
The Director of the British Museum, Dr Hartwig Fischer, also chimed in to point out that an “important part of the museum’s work on cultural heritage involves our close partnership with law enforcement agencies concerned with illicit trafficking”.
That is well and good. The British Museum has properly facilitated the return of a rare cultural artefact which was not part of its permanent collection and so there is no precedent created (unlike the case of the rare Benin Bronze plaques that were sold off as ‘duplicates’ by the British Museum back in the 1950s, but that is another story).
The sad reality remains that the Greek Goddesses Demeter and Persephone, together with the other Parthenon Sculptures, continue to languish in the sterile underworld of the Duveen Gallery in the British Museum more than 200 years after they were carried off by Lord Elgin, totally decontextualised in the museum’s collection.
The day is surely approaching when the Two Goddesses will be returned to Greece – their country of origin – as part of the reunification of all of the known surviving Parthenon Marbles in the purpose-built Acropolis Museum in Athens.
If only a hearing could be held in the Duveen Gallery the stones would surely speak for themselves.
Like their spiritual descendant, Persephone of Cyrenaica, these sculptures deserve to be reunited in their original birthplace to be appreciated in their true context as integral parts of the Parthenon monument.
Only then will there be a happy ending with the Marbles reunited and the Trustees of the British Museum lauded for their valuable contribution to the world’s cultural heritage.
When that day arrives, the abduction of Persephone will have finally been avenged.
Which books to choose for your children and how to present them and read them to your children is another matter. You cannot just hand a child a book and expect they will enjoy it, even though there are always exceptions.
A book, especially one that may be challenging or foreign to a child should be unravelled in order to be enjoyed.
As promised last week, I will give you some examples of good children’s books for learning Greek and for keeping up Greek cultural traditions or simply to show children more about Greece.
Firstly, there are no perfect books. Some will be good for Greek and others for English. Some will have wonderful illustrations, but weaker text and others will have great text but lack imagination in the Illustrations.
Children need to be inspired by both the text and the illustrations. Sometimes it is good to leave out parts if the text if it is too complicated for the age of the child. Simplify it. Go back to it later when the child understands more and read it again.
Repetition is the key. Young children love to repeat the same story again and again. They may even learn it off by heart or may be able to retell it in their own words.
A few local authors of bilingual books are Yannis Nikolakopoulos of Grammatakia publishers who has two books out, The Greek Salad and The Alpha in Athens, Anthea Matthews with the book, A Holiday in Greece, with exceptional illustrations, Catch That Cat by Melina Mallos (separate English abd Greek versions) and My Grandma is A Musician, by the writer of this opinion piece.
Keep an eye out for a new bilingual children’s storybook about to come out by Greek Australian, local author Yota Krili called Fairytales from Near and Far with the English translation by Anna Couani. All books available on www.bilingualbookshop.com.au
*Eleni Elefterias-Kostakidis is a teacher of Modern Greek, a University lecturer and the author of the bilingual children’s book ‘My Grandma is a Musician – Η γιαγιά μου είναι μουσικός’
Australia’s Ambassador to Greece Arthur Spyrou met with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and other Five Eyes Ambassadors on Friday to discuss the Greek diaspora and the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The lunch function was an opportunity for each country to discuss bilateral relations with Greece, as well as exchange views on the growth of the Greek diaspora.
All ambassadors from the participating countries look to share great relations, with New Zealand’s Ambassador Anthony Simpson saying on Twitter the evening was filled with “charming company, and fascinating conversation”.
Similarly, US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt said the lunch was the perfect setting to “review many of the 5 eyes issues where our shared interests converge with those in Greece”.
The ‘Five Eyes’ (FVEY) is an intelligence alliance comprising Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Under the alliance, all the listed countries are bound by the multilateral UKUSA Agreement for joint cooperation in signals intelligence, military intelligence, and human intelligence.
The surveillance capabilities of the Five Eyes were used in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, as well as during the cold war.
This flavorful Greek version of scrambled eggs is made with plenty of delicious fresh tomato, and often some crumbled feta cheese. In the Peloponnese, where it is particularly common, it’s known as as “kagianas“. Ready in 20 minutes and perfect for a quick, light meal!
Preparation & Instructions:
*Cut your tomatoes in half and discard the seeds. Grate them or chop them finely. If using canned tomatoes, discard most of the juices from the can, and chop finely.
*Heat the olive oil in a large pan over high heat.
*Pour your tomatoes into the pan, and season with salt and pepper.
*Cook, stirring occasionally, until the juice from the tomatoes has evaporated, and they start to stick to the pan. This should take about 8-10 minutes (don’t overcook them, so as not to lose the fresh flavor of the tomato).
*Beat the eggs lightly and add them to the pan.
*Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the eggs are cooked through. Add the feta cheese towards the end.
*Top with some fresh herbs (optional) and serve with some nice crusty bread.
To mark the 80th Anniversary of the World War II battle, the Battle of Crete Memorial Committee (WA) (BCMC) will release its preferred design for a new memorial later this month.
The memorial, to be located within the Saw Avenue precinct at Perth’s King’s Park, will commemorate the courage, sacrifice and commitment of those who served and endured the battle. In particular, Australian service personnel with direct links to Western Australia and the people of Crete, who on so many occasions risked their lives to assist them.
In March 1941, the Australian 6th Division and the New Zealand 2nd Division were deployed from Egypt to mainland Greece to counter the threat of an invasion by Nazi Germany. When the invasion came, the Allied forces were hopelessly outnumbered and outgunned by a modern war machine with total control of the skies. Amongst the Australian forces was the 2nd/11th (City of Perth) Battalion, made up predominantly of Western Australians. By late April 1941, the Allied forces were forced to evacuate Greece, leaving all of their vehicles and most of their heavy weapons and communications equipment behind.
German paratroops, part of the German airborne invasion of Crete, parachuting onto the village of Souda. Source: Australian War Memorial.
Some of the Australian forces were withdrawn to Egypt, whilst others were landed on the Greek island of Crete. Under the command of the New Zealand Major General Bernard Freyberg VC, the Allied forces reorganised themselves as best they could and prepared for an imminent German attack. That attack came on 20 May 1941 with the Germans employing massed paratroop drops, supported by constant air attacks, in four locations.
All locations saw heavy fighting, but at the end of the first day, the Australians, had the upper hand in their sector around the airfield at Rethymno. However, the tide soon turned and on 28 May 1941, General Freyberg issued an order for Allied forces to evacuate Crete. Unfortunately, the order did not reach the Australians at Rethymno and by 29 May 1941, they were all but trapped. Having run out of ammunition and food, Major Ray Sandover, the Commanding Officer of the 2nd/11th Battalion, gave his men the option of either surrendering, or escaping into the hills and then to attempt to make their way back to Egypt by whatever means.
With the cessation of the evacuation by the Royal Navy on 30 May 1941, thousands of Allied troops were captured. However, there were hundreds seeking to evade the enemy in the mountains. Many of these were sheltered and fed by poor Cretan families, this they did knowing that they would be executed if discovered doing so by the enemy. Eventually small groups of Allied personnel made their way to the south of the island. Of these, a number were sheltered by the Monks of Preveli Monastery, these included Major Sandover and over 50 members of his Battalion, who later managed to escape to Egypt.
Troops on the shore of Souda Bay awaiting evacuation, May 1941. Source: Australian War Memorial.
Recollections of the story behind the memorial may have dimmed over time, but its significance for the people of Western Australia and Crete remains strong.
Mr Bill Evangel, the President of the Greek Australian RSL and chair of the BCMC said, “This story of heroism, on and off the battlefield, is a reminder to us all, that of the generosity of strangers should never be forgotten”.
The proposed memorial has received support from the Commonwealth and the WA State Governments as well as the RSL(WA). In principle support for the project has also been received from the King’s Park Board. Prominent WA artists Smith Sculptors have been chosen to develop the design. The BCMC has also partnered with the National Trust (WA) and has commenced fundraising to make this memorial a reality.
To launch the memorial concept, the BCMC will be hosting an unveiling of the design on Thursday 27th May in Perth.
Apostolos Costarellos and his wife, Arianna, recently got married in the Byzantine Church of Porta Panagia, just outside Trikala. But their wedding wasn’t like any other seen in the last 200 years.
Instead of a simple wedding, the proud Greek couple hosted it in historical fashion, with all attendees dressed in attire from Greece’s War of Independence.
Not only dressing the part, however, the couple carried out all traditions and customs that took place in Greece during the early 19th century. The Greek Revolution theme was done to honour 200 years since the Greek War of Independence, where Greece successfully rose above the Ottomans to claim back their land.
The groom started from his village, Gorgogyri, armed and dressed in traditional costume and riding a horse. Following a long three hour walk through the forest to the church, he arrived with his brother, friends and best men Alkis Argyriou and Stefanos Polygenis.
There he welcomed his beautiful bride Arianna, originally from Russia, who arrived in a traditional 19th century carriage. It’s noted that this is the first time such a carriage appeared in Trikala.
Holding an intimate wedding with few guests, due to coronavirus restrictions, the elegant church complemented the couple’s intrinsically detailed attire and love for each other.
The wedding was filmed by ‘Up Stories’ and can be watched below:
Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia (20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), was the world’s most powerful leader. He bulldozed his way through empires across the Middle East and found cities in several countries, including Turkey, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iran, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Syria, and India. Below are five cities founded by the great leader.
1. Punjab, India
Alexander the Great launched his campaign into the Indian subcontinent of present-day Afghanistan and Pakistan in 327 BC. Alexander contested King Porus for reign over Punjab, known then by the ancient Greeks as Pentapotamia in the Battle of the Hydaspes a year later. The Battle of Hydaspes saw Alexander allow King Porus to co-govern as a “satrap”. Three years later, after the death of Alexander the Great, Chandragupta Maurya of Magadha founded the Maurya Empre in India. Punjab today lies on India’s northern border with Pakistan, a few hundred kilometres from the capital of New Delhi. Punjab is on the western bank of the Beas/Hyphasis River. It’s important to note that Punjab is home to one of the earliest known civilisations, the Indus Valley civilisation, in South Asia.
The Battle of Hydapes, 1673 painting by French painter Charles Le Brun.
2. Alexandria, Egypt
Alexandria, Egypt’s third-largest city and Africa’s seventh-largest, is probably his most popular discovery. Alexander found his namesake in 331 BC during his conquest of the Achaemenid Empire. Alexandria became the seat of the Ptolemaic Kingdom, an ancient Hellenistic state, and one of the most important and greatest centres of Hellenic civilisation. Alexander had other cities in sight, though, and commenced his Persian conquest a few months later. Alexander died upstream in Babylon in 323 BC before general Ptolemy stole his body and laid it to rest in Alexandria. Alexander’s tomb became a temple for the Egpytians before the sands of time buried ancient Alexandria 35 feet under.
The foundation walls of a monumental building dating to the era of Alexander the Great in Alexandria [Courtesy of National Geographic].
3. Qalatga Darband, Iraq
Qalatga Darband is one of the more recent cities to be linked to Alexander the Great. Qalatga Darband is an ancient city located in Iraqi Kurdistan founded by Alexander in about 331 BC on his warparth to Darius III, King of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia. The Qalatga Darband, “castle of the mountain pass” in Kurdish, is a large-walled city of the Hellenistic/Parthian period 330 kilometres from Baghdad that has been the focus of archaeologists from the British Museum for years now. The discovery of two Hellenistic statues, supposedly of Aphrodite and Alexander the Great, helps link Qalatga Darband as Alexander’s “lost city”.
4. Several in Afghanistan
Alexander the Great invaded Afghanistan in 330 BC as part of his conquest of the Persian Empire. He would reign King of Persia for the next seven years until his elusive death in June 323 BC. During this period he found many cities in modern-day Afghanistan, includign Kandahar, Herat, Ai-Kahnoum, Bagram, Ghazni, and possibly Farah. He discovered many by ‘accident’ and many for strategic purposes. Many are important citiies today, including Herat, which is the third-largest city in Afghanistan today.
5. Thrace Alexandroupolis, Medians
Alexandropolis in the Thracian region of Maedians was the first town founded by Alexander the Great in 340 BC, after defeating a local Thracian tribe at just 16 years old. The area is disputed to have been a military colony rather than a city. The location of Thrace Alexandropoulis is unknown today but is speculated to be apart of modern-day Bulgaria. It is not to be confused with Thrace in southeastern Europe.
