Home life in Hellas, Greece and the Greeks - eBooks4Greeks.gr

172 HOME LIFE IN HELLASmatter of hospitality, for example, a countryGreek makes you free of his house and offers youhis best, but he would not do so if there werea cafe and restaurant handy, and he would livein a town if he could.Home life has no resourcesfor the Greeks as it has for us. It affords themlittle occupation and no amusement. They liketo eat and drink in crowds, where there is noise_and movement. Hence the popularity of thePanegyris or village festival, to which the countryfolklook forward so eagerly as a relief from thedaily round. Their instincts are too gregarioustoallow them to appreciate the domestic intimacywhich we prize.But though home, as we understandit, is a sealed book to them, family holdsa greater place in their lives than itdoes with us.They make more of family events, and these arethe only occasions on which they entertain. Andthey do not lose sight of their relatives as we areapt to do. They keep in touch with all, even thedistant cousin in America, and there are fewfamilies in these days of emigration who havenot atAtlantic.least one member on the other side of theFamily affection and national pride arethe leading Greek characteristics.It used to be said of Greek dress that the menwore petticoats and the women trousers. That isno longer true as regards the women. The wideshalvars, which were tied below the knee and fellin voluminous folds to the ankles, belong to thedays when the eyelids were darkened with kohl