Search This Blog

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Thursday, December 27, 2012

TURKEY: Istanbul's Greeks celebrated Christmas with their traditional "calanda"

 

Istanbul's Greeks celebrated Christmas with their traditional "kalanda" activity where Zoğrafyon Greek High School student chanted Christmas carols on Istiklal Avenue.
Since 2009 Istanbul's Greek community has celebrate Christmas with a special walk on Istiklal Avenue, singing Christmas carols and giving presents to street passers-by. The crowd has been received by Greek Consule to Istanbul and his spouse.
"Calanda means Christmas carols in Greek," Özcan Şabudak, Zoğrafyon Greek high school vice principal, said. "Children used to collect tips by singing carols and donated to charity organizations. Now we are doing the walk to motivate Istanbul's closed Greek community to be more active. We encourage them to confront their fears and be more confident as minority citizens."
Yani Klimentaki, an Istanbul-born Greek, said he was happy to see his community celebrate Christmas in joy even though he complained that many of his friends had to leave Istanbul due to pressures. 
Klimentaki's remarks remind us one more time how challenging it could be to live as minority in Turkey. The Christmas celebration on Istanbul Avenue should mean something to other people as well. 
Maybe it is time that people in Turkey asked themselves why the few remaining Greek community still lived long with fears. (BK/HK)

No comments:

Post a Comment


Category

1915 Armenian Genocide 21st-century Christian martyrs‎ africa al assad Al Qaeda albania anti-Morsi protests Apostles Arab Christian Arab-Orthodox Archimandrite Tikhon Shevkunov army Asia Australia bank BBC Belarusian Orthodox Church Bethlehem bible Bible movies bible translations bulgaria Bulgarian Orthodox Church Byzantine byzantine music C.I.A. Cairo China Christian Armenians christianity christians christmas Christmas Traditions Christmas tree church Conspiracy Constantinople coptic church copts cyprus daily news Documentary Easter economy Ecumenical Patriarch Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople egypt egypt pope elder Elder Ephraim of Vatopaidi elder joseph of vatopaidi elder Paisios Elder Porphyrios english subtitles Epiphany europe food Fr Seraphim Rose france FREE books FREE Greetings Cards fyrmacedonia Georgian Orthodox Church germany greece greek greek food greek music Greek Orthodox Church Greek Orthodox Easter greek orthodoxy health and medicine Holy Fathers Holy Scripture Holy Tradition icon Internet Interview iran islam islamist israel Italy jerusalem Jesus Christ jews jihad killed libya mafia Middle East Miraculous Icon monastery money mother of god mount athos Mount Sinai Movie Trailers music muslim muslims news orthodox church Orthodox Church in America pakistan Palestine patristic tradition photo photos picture politics pope Prophecy protests quotes recipes religion romania romanian orthodox church Russia Russian Orthodox Church saint Saints science Shroud of Turin Son of God spy St Nicholas of Myra syria The Mount Athos Food Evolution theotokos travel turkey tv UK Ukraine Ukrainian Orthodox Church usa Vatican vatopaidi video war Watch FREE full movie world
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...