Greek Like Me

Why is September 1 a big deal for Orthodox Christians? We explore the purpose and history of the Ecclesiastical New Year, St. Symeón the Stylite, and the Green Patriarch. Patriarchal Encyclical For the Indiction Published 8/27/20 Ecumenical Patriarch Bartolomeo chants "Φως ιλαρόν" Joyous Light What is the Ecclesiastical New Year?

Mómos, Greek god of mockery, blame, scathing criticism and satire. How the Joan Rivers of Mt. Olympus became a vessel for social criticism and rebellion throughout time.

Happy Pride! The embodiment of gay pride in 4th century BCE was the Sacred Band of Thebes - an elite fighting unit made up of 150 pairs of male lovers. Their love-bond was considered a source of moral virtue and military strength as they battled tyrants in the name of Greek freedom.

Join us for an intriguing conversation with Thaao Penghlis about the quest for Priam’s treasure, the Lion Gate at Mycenae and the lost tomb of Alexander the Great. We’ll talk about his travels, and his podcast, Thaao Penghlis’s The Lost Treasures, where he follows the path of 19th century Homer fanboy Heinrich Schliemann in his hunt to prove the people and places of the Illiad were real. Thaao Pen...

Greek Firewalkers have been accused of paganism, even satanism.  But nothing will shake the dedication of these devout Orthodox Christians to the seven hundred year old tradition of the Anastenária. Glimpses of an Ancient Fire-Walking Ritual in Northern Greece Demetrios Ioannou Instragram Demetrios Ioannou website GREECE: THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE GATHER TO WATCH INTERNATIONAL FIREWALKING CEREMONY....

Over 80% of Greek Jews were annihilated during the Holocaust.  Renée Benmeleh joins us to share the stories of her fierce Yiayia who survived the Nazi machine against tremendous odds with tenacity, spirit, and a love of life Visit Renée’s Website: Sound Nourishment - Renée Benmeleh Explore testimonies of Holocaust survivors: USC Shoah Foundation

Why Orthodox call Easter Pascha, the spiritual symbolism of red Easter eggs - and how Greeks square off in an egg cracking competition that will leave one egg standing. Closing music: Holy Thursday Hymn Simeron kremate epi xilou featuring Iro Saia Greek Easter Egg Fight Ukrainian Easter Egg Decorating Kit Fresco of Mary Magdalene presenting red egg to Tiberius

Rescues, betrayal, and assassination: a civil war in the middle of the Greek Revolution resulted in Greeks killing Greeks, nearly derailing the fight for Independence. Bouboulina’s heroic feats couldn’t save her. The Brave Stepped Back: The Life and Times of Laskarina Bouboulina Documentary film by April Kalogeropoulos Householder The Bouboulina Museum Kolokotronis and Bouboulina become wax figure...

Bouboulina rebels: Patriarchy, secret plots and the Ottoman Empire. A preamble to the Greek Revolution An Introduction to a Heroine of the Greek Revolution and Her Context

What Americans mean by “white,” Greek allies, and how a Greek Orthodox Archbishop rallied his flock to step up for Civil Rights at a time when conforming was the only way to succeed in America. Black Children Arrested & Assaulted in Birmingham/The Children's Crusade The Bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church Hellenism and the Civil Rights Movement Archbishop Iakovos Reflects on Joining Dr....

Apokries means Carnival Season in Greece, and Patras Carnival is the biggest. Inspired by Dionysus, influenced by Venice and France, it has a nearly two hundred year history of Masquerade balls, parades, a near-diplomatic crisis, arson, and treasure hunts. Καλές Απόκριες! Patras Carnival 2019 Patras Carnival 2023 - TV spot Carnival in Naoussa / Apokries Naoussas APOKRIES IN ATHENS Patras Carnival...

Jews have been in Greece since classical times. After thousands of years, these Greek citizens were nearly wiped out during the Holocaust. Join us in honoring the Greek Jews. Never forget. My People Official Trailer The Secret of Ereikoussa/The Greek Island that Hid Jews from Nazis Holocaust Survivor Testimonies: Deportation from Greece

Once, the Twelve Days of Christmas didn’t mean turtledoves and gold rings to the Greeks, but hordes of vicious goblins causing mayhem. We’ll explore the history of the kalikántzaroi, and how to protect yourself during the most wonderful - and scariest - time of the year. Greek Christmas Trolls: Kallikántzaroi Λάχανα και Χάχανα - Καλικάντζαροι | Official Music Video Καλικάντζαροι Closing music: Kal...

He rescued children, averted a famine, and was the patron saint of sailors, brides, and pirates. Nearly 1,700 years later St. Nicholas continues to inspire the best in us. Could Ancient Bones Suggest Santa was Real? U of Oxford The Bones of the Real-Life Santa Claus The Real St. Nick is a Far Cry From the Santa we Know Inside NYC's National Shrine: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church

In the early days of Greco-Italian War, as their region was being invaded, and their villages attacked by the Italian army, the women of the Pindus stepped up to fight back and keep the Greek army going. Women of Epirus Γυναίκες Ηπειρώτισσες (Women of Epirus) Monument Women of Epirus and Their Social Status from Ancient to Modern Times Women of the Pindos/Paul Vrellis Museum

Why the understanding of what it is to be Greek has changed over time. And why I’m here for it! Greek Identity White Paper

Greece has always been a land of gods and monsters. But who knew there are more species of vampires in Greece than anywhere else in the world? We’ll dive into our tales of Greek man-eaters, murder and mayhem. Modern Greek Folklore & Ancient Greek Religion

Oxi Day - October 28, 1940 was the day Greece took a stand against a powerful fascist army and put a crimp in Hitler’s grand plan for world domination. In the months that followed, Greece inspired war-ravaged Europe, and diverted and delayed the Italian and German armies long enough to impact the course of World War 2. Ζήτω η Ελλάς! Long Live Greece! How Greece saved Europe in world war 2 28 Octob...

We’re going to follow the Parthenon Marbles, damaged and orphaned, to their new place of residence, in England. And discover how a government claiming it was based on justice, abetted one of the biggest heists of all time. Give them back!! Parthenon Battle? National Geographic How the Parthenon Marbles Ended Up in the British Museum

The Parthenon and its spectacular marbles survived for two thousand years. Then Ottoman Occupation enabled an opportunistic British diplomat to run amok among Greece’s greatest monuments, and pillage the symbol of Greek civilization and democracy. The Unexplained: Sacred Greek Temple is an Optical Illusion Phidias, Parthenon Sculptures

For 2,500 years the most spectacular marble statues ever seen graced the Parthenon, atop the Acropolis in Athens. For all of that time artists, architects, mathematicians, and scholars studied and admired the Temple of Athena and her sculptures. We’ll talk history, the man who envisioned the Acropolis complex, and why the Parthenon Marbles are pride and “essence of Greekness.” Phidias, Parthenon S...

How a Turkish shadow puppet evolved into a symbol of Greek suffering and resistance. Funny and subversive, Karagiózis connected Greeks in cities, villages and islands by keeping their music, culture and the seeds of resistance alive; sustaining Greeks through the Ottoman Occupation, the War for Independence, civil war, Nazi brutality and military oppression. Karagiozis makes bullying Ευγένιος Σπαθ...

What led up to the ethnic cleansing of Anatolia and the destruction of Türkiye’s most beautiful and ethnically diverse city, erasing Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians and Jews from the region for the first time in 2,500 years. Guest Helen Vardakis shares her family’s escape in 1922 from Kemal’s blueprint for genocide. Asia Minor of Our Heart.02 Photos Until August 1922 Smyrna: The Destruction of a Cosm...

Guest Georgia Dourdoulakis explains why icons are so important to the Orthodox Church; how they are NOT “graven images;” why we say they are written, not drawn; and what theology in colors means. Learning to Read Icons Reading Icons 1 Iconography/What is an Icon?

Overnight Greece went from democracy to military dictatorship, and Melina went from privileged society girl and actor to political juggernaut. How love of country launched her from star of the Broadway stage into battle for soul of Greece. Interview with Jules Dassin/Studs Terkel Greek actor/politician Melina Mercouri on being a national hero Melina Mercouri - The Last Greek Goddess A Greek Cafe D...