It is the top of the summer, Athens is deserted, and the islands are full of people. After Easter, the 15th of August is the biggest celebration day in Greece. This day most Greeks go to their parental villages, the islands and to churches dedicated to Maria to celebrate her Assumption to heaven. When you realise that on the same date half of the Greek population has a name day — including amongst many others Despina, Pepi, Krista, Maria, Maro, Mario, Maritsa, Marigoula, Marsia, Mirella, Panayotis, Panos, Panikos and Toula — you can understand why this is a very big day of celebration.
Today Poland also celebrates the Assumption of Maria with a national day off. Lots of Catholics however are not too happy that on their big day this year a concert in Warsaw was scheduled for pop star Madonna, known to the Catholic church for more than one scandal (TB: and for boldly using for herself one of the well known names of the mother of Christ!). Madonna started her current European tour Sticky and Sweet on the 4th of July in London.
In Poland the 15th of August is the day of the Black Madonna of Czestochowa — not of the visiting ‘white’ Madonna ‘possessed by the devil’. In 1656 the Black Madonna of Czestochowa was called out to be the Queen and Protector of Poland, after her icon saved in a miraculous way the Jasna Góra monastery in Czestochowa when a Swedish army tried to invade Poland. Now around the 15th of August thousands of pilgrims flock to this monastery from all over the country.
The Greeks, however, might not mind if the notorious Madonna were to buy a great Greek ‘icon’: the granddaughter of Aristoteles Onassis has put the island of Skorpios on to the market for about $100 million dollars. It was on this private ‘Onassis island’ that the fairy tale wedding of the famous ship magnate and Jacqueline Kennedy took place nearly forty years ago in October 1968. Together with other family members, Onassis himself is buried on the island. As well as Madonna, Bill Gates is named as a possible buyer.
Lesvos has two Madonnas who attract lots of fans on the 15th of August: Madonna Glikofiloussa (Maria with the sweet hug) in Petra and Madonna Vrefokratousa (Maria carrying the Holy Child) in Agiasos. To entertain the pilgrims and other visitors who crowd to these churches on the great day, traditional musicians gather to make music — although most of them play the old songs that don’t have that thrill (and sex appeal) for which Madonna is famous.
Greeks love their traditional music. Most Greeks know hundreds of songs by heart. If for a year you watched the popular tv-programs like Stin ygeia mas (‘Cheers’ on NET) or To parti tis zoies sou (‘The party of your life’ on Alter) you would get to know them all. Most of the songs are pretty old, but they still make up the repertoire of singers like Haris Alexiou, George Dalares, Yannis Parios or Alkisti Protopsalti.
One of my favourite songs is ‘S’agapo giati eisai oraia’ (I love you because you are beautiful). The song came with the refugees from Asia Minor (in the 1920s), although it is said that Aristides Moschos composed it. Anyhow, it was sung in the 1960s by Marianna Gatsoupoulo, but it became even more popular when Geroge Dalares sang it. Haris Alexiou performed the song in 2006 during her first concert in Istanbul.
It is a song which lets you wallow in all your feelings. You will recognize the word s’a – ga – po (I love you) in many Greek songs, a word you can stretch and tease your vocal cords.
Last week I visited a taverna where two musicians played during dinner and I just had to ask the owner Perikles to sing us all a song. He used to sing with Alexiou. Nowadays he can still dance the stars from the sky, but his singing voice is seldom heard.
When he got ready next to the musicians and the first chords were played, I immediately knew that Perikles was going to sing one of my favourite songs. It is the song that our neighbour always sings when she is swimming in the sea and the sweet tunes are brought to me on the wind, as if a mermaid were performing in the waves. It is a timeless song as good as anything by Madonna.
You can find many different interpretations on YouTube, but I think one of the best is the one by Alkisti Protopsalti, accompanied by Goran Bregovic, from their Album Paradexthika.
sagapo,
sagapo giati eisai oraia,
sagapo giati eisai oraia,
sagapo giati eisai esy...
ki agapo,
agapo kai olo to kosmo,
agapo kai olo to kosmo,
giati zeis kai esy mazi...
to para,
to parathiro kleismeno,
to parathiro kleismeno,
to parathiro kleisto...
anoikse,
anoikse to ena filo,
anoikse to ena filo,
tin eikona sou na do...
sagapo,
sagapo giati eisai oraia,
sagapo giati eisai oraia,
sagapo giati eisai esy...
I love you
I love you because you are beautiful
I love you because you are beautiful
I love you because it´s you
And I love
I love the whole world
I love the whole world
Because you are part of it
The win
The window is closed
The window is closed
The window has been closed
Open
Open it for a friend
Open it for a friend
So that we can see you
I love you
I love you because you are beautiful
I love you because you are beautiful
I love you because it´s you
(With thanks to Tony Barrell)
@ Smitaki 2009
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