The Christmas Factory at Technopolis of the Municipality of Athens opens its gates on Saturday, November 26th!

Santa Claus has decided to reveal all his secrets that lead to joy this year! And this is done with 7 + 1 special workshops - from a ghostly maze to creative confectionery activities, Face Painting and choreography by the elves; a dancefloor for young and old, a more giant ice rink, the band of elves, and much more.

You can't have Christmas without food! That's why The Christmas Factory has everything: souvlaki, burger, pasta, pizza, hot dog, chocolate, treats, hot wine, food, and drinks for all appetites and moods! And because Christmas also means gifts for loved ones, the bountiful market has all the decorations, toys, and inspirational gifts you can imagine. And at the centre of this fairy-tale, magical happy "village" is the even taller and even more tufted Christmas tree.

This year, The Christmas Factory includes in its extensive program the theatrical performance "Elafontain, the Aesop in another way" directed and conceived by Giorgos Suleiman, text by Sofia Kapsouros, and original music by Themis Karamouratidis. 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. A performance - an ode to cooperation.

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!

 

 

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

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Translated by: Codico Lab

Greece is quickly evolving into a remote work destination with authorities taking actions to facilitate the move, according to the conclusions of the 1st Work from Greece Summit organized by Marketing Greece.

Government officials, company executives, and digital nomads attended the event and exchanged ideas on ways to develop the country into a remote work destination as well as on the added value it will provide the Greek tourism sector.

Opening the event, Marketing Greece CEO Ioanna Dretta referred to the workfromgreece.gr site which aims to answer all questions regarding remote work options in Greece and offer guidance.

In efforts to simplify procedures, Digital Governance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis announced that individuals will be able to soon establish self-owned businesses (sole proprietorship) through Gov.gr whose services are currently being translated into English.

On his part, Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias said Greece was an ideal destination for remote work thanks to its climate and hospitality. “Executives of large international tourism companies have told me that Greece’s fine climate boosts employee moods and as a result their performance also.”

As part of government efforts to simplify procedures and attract more remote workers, Deputy Foreign Minister Militiadis Varvitsiotis noted that Greece was one of the first countries to regulate remote work adding that in view of global competition, “it may be the time to make our approach more flexible”. Varvitsiotis also referred ministry initiatives, including the creation a special visa for digital nomads.

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

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

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

Interested in your Greek roots and family history? Greek Ancestry is the first digital platform created to primarily meet the specific needs of people of Greek descent.

Founded in January 2020 by historian Gregory Kontos, an expert in Greek migration history, Greek Ancestry offers high-quality research tools as well as archive material in English.

“People of Greek descent in third or fourth generation in USA, Canada, Australia, often do not speak Greek,” Kontos told state broadcaster ERT.

The platform offers tips for the correct search of the Greek roots as well as lovely stories in the category “Yiayia & Me.”

According to Greek Ancestry founders:

Interest in genealogy and family history is growing internationally. Despite the immense interest, prior to 2020 access to online records and resources from Greece was non-existent. Greek Ancestry is the first digital platform created to meet the specific research needs of people of Greek descent and those interested in Greek archival records. Through our searchable databases, users are able to access an immense number and a remarkable variety of records from all over Greece and the Greek Diaspora. At the same time, our educational initiatives provide the background necessary for high-quality research.

Greek Ancestry’s databases are the product of the systematic work of an entire team of indexers in Greece and abroad. However last but not least, the invaluable help and support of good friends, like Carol Kostakos Petranek, a pioneer of Greek genealogy, is undoubtedly a key element behind Greek Ancestry. It is our to continue our records preservation and digitization initiatives, expand our online records collections, and assist people with their research needs.

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