XpatAthens

XpatAthens

Tuesday, 13 December 2022 18:04

Xmas 2022 @ Fougaro ArtCenter

FOUGARO ARTCENTER, rounding the circle of 10 years of creative life, is the place to be this year for the festive season in Nafplion!

With the first decorations already up, the ARTCENTER is poised to welcome young and old with a program, not only full of art and Christmas activities, but games and workshops, fairy tales and DAY CAMP, our festive menu, and lots of music.

We are marking our 10th anniversary by celebrating the art and magic of light.



From Sunday December 11, FOUGARO ARTCENTER will be hosting the spectacular light installation, Light CAN, across its outdoor spaces.

The installation is the work of the Beforelight group, the creators of numerous art shows in Greece now working in Nafplion, at our commission, for the first time. Inspired by the ARTCENTER’s former life as a canning factory, the installation visually experiments around the idea of the can.

CAFÈBISTROT will, as always, be putting on its best, lifting spirits with a special menu for the entire festive season, one in which local ingredients and festive character dominate.

As is the case every year, music will play a key role. On Saturday, December 17, the outstanding Blues performers, Jolly Jumper & Big Moe, will stage what promises to be an unmissable LIVE concert! And after that local bands with a festive program will be giving live performances at the FOUGARO ARTCENTER too.
Like the Anglo-Saxons consider Friday the 13th a bad luck day, Greeks have branded Tuesday the 13th as a day you’d rather stay home and avoid everything that might cause an accident.

The main reason Tuesday the 13th is not a very popular day has to do with Christian Orthodoxy and is linked to the fall of Constantinople on that fateful date.



Byzantine empire falls on Tuesday the 13th

The fall of the capital of the Byzantine Empire on Tuesday, April 13, 1204, to the Fourth Crusade was a bleak day for Hellenism.

However, Tuesday, May 29, 1453, was even worse, as Constantinople fell again, this time to the Ottoman Empire, followed by almost four hundred years of Ottoman rule across Greece and the subsequent loss of all Greek territories in Asia Minor.

Where does the thirteen come from on Tuesday, May 29? Just add the numbers of the year 1+4+5+3 for the full sum of 13.

However, there are other reasons Greeks disliked the number thirteen long before Constantinople and Byzantium.

Thirteen is a number that follows the perfection of the number twelve. In addition, the gods of Olympus were twelve, there are twelve months in a year, twelve hours in a day, twelve hours of the night, twelve labors of Hercules, and twelve signs of the zodiac.

Philip II of Macedonia offended the twelve gods and died right after he erected his statue next to the twelve gods.

As for Christian Greeks, the number twelve represents the number of apostles who spread the word of Christ. Also, the 13th chapter of Revelation speaks of the coming of the Antichrist.

Finally, superstitious Greeks dislike Tuesday because, in Greek, Tuesday is Triti, meaning Third, the third day of the week. Since bad luck comes in threes, there’s not much to like about Triti, or Tuesday.

Originally published on: greekreporter.com

Monday, 12 December 2022 18:36

New Complaints Platform For Bullying

With one in three students bullied at school, one in two verbally and some isolated from the entire class, the Education Ministry has drafted a bill exhorting victims and their families to speak up.

The basic idea is the disclosure and recording of each incident and the provision of a framework for interventions by teachers, psychologists, and sociologists.

The main aim of the proposed measures is to address the problem within the school community, without a punitive approach to children who themselves become perpetrators after having been victims.

To this end, the core of the relevant bill, the basic provisions of which Kathimerini has seen, is the creation of a platform for reporting incidents of school violence.

On this platform, students will be able to report incidents, anonymously or not. Parents must give their names when doing so.

It will be necessary to log in with Panhellenic School Network codes (for students) or Taxis (for parents). This will enable more bullying victims to speak up and be supported. The platform will be developed by the Diophantus Institute of Computer Technology and Publishing in cooperation with the Central Expert Committee of the Education Ministry.

Recipients of the reports will be the school violence and bullying officers at each school. The role will be assumed by the head teachers of the school together with a teacher appointed by them.

For each incident, the two school leaders will be in direct contact with a four-member task force that will produce annual reports together with their recommendations and submit them to the regional director of education, who will in turn report regularly to the Ministry of Education with a view of formulating future data-based policy to combat school violence.

An expert committee will be established at a central level to oversee and monitor the program and draw conclusions. It will be responsible for the development of specific protocols for the prevention and management of school violence and bullying.

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

MC: Odysseas Deniz Ürem, Headliner: Mihalis Sevasteris

And: Christian Siapantas, Dominik Sits, Giorgos Christofides, Jim Botsas, Kinthia, Mikey Mileos, Stavroula Pabst, Theodora Kanellopoulou

Founded in 2019, the Athens English Comedy Club is the first, and only, purely English comedy club in Greece - bringing you local and international comedians, right in the heart of Athens - and it just turned FOUR!

In the last 4 years, the Athens English Comedy Club has hosted lineup shows, open mic shows, online competitions, and comedy workshops, with *109* local and international comedians from *24 countries*

UPCOMING SHOW: Sunday October 8th

It'll be a mix of everything. A potluck of comedy. Colourful, comedic, chaos! Experienced and new comedians trying out their best new jokes. Some of them will be good, some of them will be great, and some will never see the light of day again. It's up to you!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

About the MC:

Odysseas Deniz Ürem is a stand-up comedian based in Athens. He performs regularly in both English and Greek, and has gigged at Losantzele and Mic Drop comedy clubs in Athens, as well as theater venues all around Greece. Odysseas’ comedy revolves around subjects such as family, racism, death, sex, religion and among others it also consists of many surrealistic takes on everyday life.

Currently, Odysseas is one half of the (Greek) double-bill show “Two people telling jokes” (“Δύο που λένε αστεία”) with comedian Alexandros Paspardanis at Calderone bar, which has been consistently sold out since November 2022. Aside from being an absolute comedic treasure chest, Odysseas was also one of the very first comedians to perform with us back in 2019 (literally, in our first ever show), and he’s been killing it ever since.

About the headliner:

Mihalis Sevasteris is a comedian based in Athens and it is crucial that you know he is vegan. Some people describe him as a gambling robot with the sole purpose in life to get everyone to eat collard greens. 

Mihalis’ comedy covers anything from adventures of survival on public transport, to being constantly worried he’ll get his bag stolen at coffee shops, to trying to confirm whether Jason Statham is in fact his uncle.

He presented his first solo show “I’m vegan (“Είμαι vegan”), in Greek, at Losantzele comedy club during the 2022-2023 season, before touring in multiple cities around Greece including Patra, Heraklion, Larissa, Thessaloniki, and more. This season he’ll be presenting a “Best Of” selection of his work, at Losantzele again. 

His restless demeanor (#NOT) and his immovable poker face will win you over no matter how difficult your week has been. Maybe enough to make you consider being vegan, who knows! 

Date: Sunday, October 8th

Time: 21:00 (Doors open 20:40)

Tickets:
€14 general admission
€17 at the door

We also offer 3 free tickets per show to persons with disabilities or unemployed persons (email/phone reservation required).

Duration: 1h30 + interval

Recommended for ages 16+

Address: ELIART Theater - Konstantinoupoleos 127 (closest to Kerameikos and Metaxourgeio metro stations).

The theatre is wheelchair accessible.

Info: 6987994689 // athensenglishcomedyclub@gmail.com 

Join us as we celebrate the beginning of our 5th trip around the sun!

Sign up to our newsletter for direct-to-email updates and exclusive ticket offers!: http://eepurl.com/it6PzQ

 

Are you ready to rock and roll with Santa?

Then come celebrate this special holiday season together like real rock stars! Christmas is just around the corner, and that means it's time again for Santa Claus and his elves to welcome young and adults this year for the long-awaited Breakfast with Santa, so they can experience the ultimate Christmas atmosphere along with many other surprises!

For two unique Sundays, on December 11 & 18, the Hard Rock Cafe will be waiting for its little friends and their whole family for a special Christmas experience from 12.00 pm to 4.00 pm, for a unique festive Breakfast With Santa. If the little rock stars are on Santa's list this year they will have the opportunity to choose from a range of activities such as taking souvenir photos with Santa, but also exploring their creative potential with activities such as face painting, and decorating cookies. The entrance fee for each child will be €15 including the children's meal.

Also on the second Sunday (December 18), the writer Efi Argyropoulou will be there from 14.00 pm to 15.00 pm. Our little friends will get into the Christmas spirit for good, as they will have the opportunity to present and tell them her new fairy tale, "I want to sleep forever in each other's arms", which is published by Hibiscus Publications. At the same time, adults will be able to enjoy a variety of tastes from the delicious comfort food dishes offered by the Hard Rock Cafe menu.




Rockwave festival strikes again and welcomes on its festival stage one of the biggest superstars of all time! After his extraordinary show back in 2015 at TerraVibe, Robbie Williams fulfills his fans' wishes to come back.

On Saturday, July 1st 2023 the one and only Robbie returns to remind us that his 25 years of fame are just like him: sparkling, triumphant, one of a kind and just the beginning of what is yet to come!

Each of his shows is a music & live extravaganza. His astonishing performance at Rockwave Festival in 2015 left an eternal mark on the memories of all those who attended his 2015 performance at Terra Vibe. We all danced to Let me Entertain You and sang our hearts out to Angels and Robbie's favorite, Feel. Robbie Williams gave his Greek fans a unique and rare performance of their favorite, Me and My Monkey.

In July 2023, Robbie Williams is back to meet his Greek audience and offer a one-of-a-kind performance like he always does!

More lineup announcements are coming soon!
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 19:07

Christmas Theater - Vienna Mozart Orchestra

Experience a musical journey through Vienna, with the Orchestra performing in the authentic costumes of the time when the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart lived.

The Famous Vienna Mozart Orchestra returns to Athens after their sold-out performance at the Odeon Of Herodes Atticus.

Experience the magic of music with the original Vienna Mozart Orchestra!
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 13:22

Christmas At The National Gallery

The National Gallery—Museum of Alexandros Soutsos has prepared a rich festive program addressed to the residents of Athens and Attica, both young and old. Activities include themed tours, innovative educational programs, festive bazaars, and many more!

In the Gallery’s main building, a special surprise awaits visitors and listeners on Thursday, December 22. ERT will be participating in the EPMAS’ Christmas events through its radio stations, Second Programme 103.7, Third Programme 90.9, and Cosmos 93.6, as well as their producers, who will be broadcasting live from the National Gallery for six hours, spreading the festive message everywhere.

The Gallery will also be running a series of educational programs like "The Pilgrimage of the Shepherds" and "Nativity," offering themed tours to families with children aged 3 to 12 years old. These programs aim to introduce young and old to the true spirit of Christmas, as captured by some of the greatest artists. At the same time, through the "Meet Pablo" educational program, children are invited to get acquainted with the fascinating world of Pablo Picasso.

As we count down to Christmas, the themed tours will continue with a journey through time titled "Religious Painting." From Domenikos Theotokopoulos and his "Concert of Angels" (1608-1614) to Steven Antonakos and his "White Iconostasis" (2003), visitors will be able to see how great artists have captured and continue to capture the magic of Christmas in such a unique way, even though the materials and forms have changed over the centuries.

Throughout the holidays, the EPMAS Store will be hosting bazaars with old and new editions, giving visitors the opportunity to buy unique Christmas gifts!

Festive programs will also take place in other parts of Greece, including the Gallery’s Nafplion annex and the Coumantaros Art Gallery in Sparta.

Originally published in Greek on: protothema.gr
Translated by: Codico Lab

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 12:36

Where To Find The Tastiest Melomakarona In Athens

Christmas is in the air, and Christmas in Greece can only mean one thing: food, food, and more food! A country so rich in culinary traditions could not help but have its fair share of Christmas treats and delicacies. The most popular ones? Melomakarona, of course!
 
If you love melomakarona, but baking is not your thing, and you prefer to buy them, we've got you covered! Here is a list of our favorite dessert shops and bakeries in Athens, offering delicious melomakarona that even a true food connoisseur will fall in love with!

Afoi Asimakopouloi 

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Credit: @afoi_asimakopouloi

Asimakopoulos is a landmark pastry shop in Athens that has survived for over 100 years thanks to the quality of its ingredients and respect for authentic flavors. Since it first opened in 1915, it has been offering mouth-watering pastries, cookies, and cakes, as well as savory pies for those who don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Melomakarona promise to take us on a culinary journey to the flavors that defined our childhood. This holiday season, don’t miss their Melomakarono Isli—a stuffed melomakarono filled with walnuts and sprinkled with Aegina pistachios. It’s a modern twist on a beloved classic!
 
Location: Char. Trikoupi 82, Athina
Telephone: 210 3610092
  
Remoundos Bakery

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Credit: @remoundos_bakery
Probably the oldest bakery in the Kypseli area, Remoundos offers a variety of baked goods, including bread, buns, breadsticks, and pies. Its cheese pie and jam tart (pasta flora), in particular, are outstanding. But the melomakarona don’t disappoint either. Crunchy and juicy at the same time, with a strong orange aroma, they hold a special place in our hearts!
 
Location: Kipselis 37, Athina
Telephone: 210 8215808
  
Konstantinidis 

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Credit: @konstandinidis
 
Yellow flour, freshly ground cinnamon and nutmeg meet fresh orange juice and excellent quality oil, combined with thyme honey, and roasted walnuts. The recipe? Simple. The result? Exceptional! If you happen to be there, make sure to try the millefeuille. It’s one of Konstantinidis’ specialties, and they will prepare it right in front of you! A profiterole is also a great option. 
 
Location: Syngrou 98, Athina
Telephone: 210 7711744

Ta Gioulia

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Credit: @ta_gioulia

This historic pastry shop in Nea Ionia, carries a legacy of authentic flavors inspired by its founder's Asia Minor roots. Their honey-soaked delights are stuffed with whole walnuts and are made to perfection with a unique syruping method. Made with honey from Agrinio, the melomakarona strike the perfect balance of juiciness without being overly dense, making them a standout choice for the holiday season. 

Location: Alekou Panagouli 74, Nea Ionia
Telephone: 210 2798351

Gellisimo Biscoto 

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Credit: @gellisimobiscoto

We’ve saved the best for last! While Gellissimo may not be the place to find traditional melomakarona, it’s where you’ll discover an exciting twist on the holiday classic. Treat yourself to their Melomakarono Praline, served with your choice of vanilla, Nutella, or—for the more adventurous—Melomakarona ice cream. It’s a modern and delicious way to enjoy the festive season.

Location: Astiggos 11, Athina
Telephone: 210 3231329





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