#tatakis

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Exploring Greece’s Unseen Corners

For several years, a photographer has documented local Greek customs and attire, turning his lens toward his country’s vibrant traditional culture.

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Elias the Prophet Celebration

Photo series by George Tatakis

A beautiful celebration on Elias the Prophet name day celebration, in a Monastery at the highest peak of Sifnos island, a typical small island in the heart of the Aegean. Evening Mass is followed by dinner, drinking and loads of music and dancing till the next morning.

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‘Ethos’ and ‘Caryatis’ by George Tatakis reveal a rich tapestry of Greek tradition

Following on the heels of Ethos, his first look at rural Greek traditions and their relations to costume, photographer George Tatakis has trained his sights on ceremonial costumes worn by women in various communities. The project, titled Caryatis, has been a few years in the making, during which Tatakis has crisscrossed the archipelago. However, he is not ready to exhibit it yet as he feels it still needs fine tuning.

Ethos was your first project, which entailed travelling around Greece  making costume-related images. How did you map your route around the country?

I am from an area that currently doesn’t belong in Greece, because my ancestors came during the Lausanne Treaty in 1923, when they exchanged populations with Turkey. So we were Greeks that were living in the Black Sea region of today’s Turkey. Three generations before me, we are from Athens, so I don’t have a village in Greece with which I am very familiar.

Ethos occurred naturally because I really like the small remote villages of rural Greece. I like the architecture. I wanted something to photograph so as to visit these places, but when I started I didn’t have the budget to stay two months or longer. I figured that if I visited the place during one of the traditional events, usually two to four days, that would be more interesting for me: when the village is celebrating and they are all out, wearing their costumes.

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Saint Averky on Santorini island

Picture series by George Tatakis in pculiar.com

Saint Averky is the protector of wines, at least in Santorini island. Santorini has two churches after Saint Averky, a name not too common in Greece, one in Pyrgos and the other in Emporio villages. On his name day, the winemakers of Santorini open the new wine barrels as a custom. This is what I wanted to experience and by the way taste some of the brilliant wine that Santorini makes.

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Day and night in Avlona

Picture series by George Tatakis in pculiar.com

Avlona is a kind of surreal rural village, in a short distance from Olympos in Karpathos island. In this village, Olympians grow vegetables and some do grapes. In the old times, people would grow their products just about anywhere. Today only a few still carry on this tradition.

The permanent residents are three. Michalis, Anna and Irene. Michalis and Anna are husband and wife and own the only cafe around. Irene is their nearby neighbour.

However, there are many more houses around, as most of people from Olympos also own a house in Avlona. The climate there is much drier that that of Olympos and there is also some space to grow stuff.

After the two day festival in the ancient city of Vrykous, the party moves to Avlona. These are the days of Avlona as the locals call it. Everyone who owns a house in Avlona moves there for 2-3 days and opens the house. It is such a nice time and the place really livens up. I had visited Avlona many times before, but this one was by far the best. All houses have their lights on during the night and they invite you for a drink or a small bite.

Later at night everyone visits the main square and have dinner. The music starts and the Olympian festival begins. As in all the celebrations, singing starts with religious chanting, then moves on with slow songs for the table and then they start 'Mantinades' These are on the spot made songs that speak about the villagers affairs.

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Pilgrimage in Tinos

Picture series by George Tatakis in pculiar.com

Every year on August 15, during the Assumption of Mary, a very dramatic pilgrimage takes place in the island of Tinos. Believers from all over Greece come to pray and ask for blessing for their loved ones.

The special thing about this pilgrimage is that many of the believers will go to the church on their knees. They will start from their disembarkation from the ship and will never stand before they reach the church. This is something they have promised to the Virgin Mary in order for a wish they have to be fulfilled.  Many may have sick or relatives in need and they trust their last hopes to God.

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Easter in Kastellorizon island

Picture series by George Tatakis in pculiar.com

Kastellorizon is the Easternmost island of Greece, very near the shore of Turkey and the city of Kas. I have spent two weeks during the Greek Orthodox Easter on the island and got to see the customs and meet very interesting local people.

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New year Carnival in Klisoura

Picture series by George Tatakis in pculiar.com

I got to know the carnival in Klisoura after having some small talk with the hotel owner in Kastoria. I was staying in Kastoria because I had some time after the New Year's festivities in Argos Orestikon and the Bell bearers'  customs in Drama. Kastoria is a beautiful city in northern Greece, situated around a big lake.

The carnival continues in Kastoria and during the first day of the Year Argkoutsaria (Carnivals in the Vlach language) are celebrated in the historic Klisoura.

During the first day of the Year Argkoutsaria (Carnivals in the Vlach language) are celebrated in the historic Klisoura. Kleisoura is a traditionally Aromanian (Vlach) settlement and a former municipality in Kastoria regional unit, West Macedonia, Greece. On 5 April 1944, the German occupation forces executed 280 inhabitants as retaliation for the killing of three Nazi soldiers by ELAS guerrilla forces operating under Alexis Rosios just outside the village at the location Ntaouli

The clothing since 1904, the beginning of the Macedonian revolution, has changed to the Macedonian warrior’s one, which includes the cloak, fustanella, a stiff white kilt, worn by men in Greece, and tsarouchia, a type of shoe, which is typically known nowadays as part of the traditional uniform. Tsarouchia are typically made of a number of pieces of stiff leather hand-sewn together, in the moccasin fashion. They have a characteristic pointy nose, usually covered by a large woolen pompom.