It was this time of the year again! 15th of January, Greek Dinner Around the World Day! The world’s largest dinner party celebrating Greek people, culture and influences that have shaped our world.
The event involves promising to host a dinner party at home or a local Greek restaurant, inviting others to the celebration of the beauty and wisdom of Greece. Partners to this initiative share experiences and photos of their event, and tweet using the hashtags #GreekDinner, #GreekDinnerAroundTheWorld, and #Jan15.
It was serendipity that on exactly this day I came across the digital platform You Go Culture by the university of Athens introducing Greek heritage to the world. They say:
“You Go Culture” introduces Greek culture in an extrovert manner on two distinguished levels: to showcase the country’s priceless cultural heritage and to familiarize the international public with aspects of the Greek society of today.
and
Get inspired, encounter past and present, discover world famous destinations around Mediterranean Sea or gain authentic Mediterranean experiences and reward yourself with a virtual or real mosaic of original Greek spirit.
Check it out! Take a virtual tour!
My own celebratory event involved a delicious meal in a Greek restaurant, excellent company (I can reveal that all my guests came with beautiful, newly done hair!), with my 2 most recent books on the table: Ekphrasis: Between Image and Word (Fruit Dove Press, 2017), a collaboration with Maria Pierides and 24 of her paintings with haiku responses by yours truly, and Of This World (Red Moon Press, 2017), my collection of haibun (prose with poetry) with several poems on Greek themes / settings.
A warm, fun, memorable event!
You can obtain a copy of my books by visiting Amazon, Red Moon Press, or by contacting me via the contact form in this website.
And if, having read last year’s blog post, you are wondering whether this year I was a bit wiser, whether this year I followed the Aristotelian
Παν μέτρον άριστον, i.e., Everything in moderation
when it came to consuming the gargantuan amounts of Greek delicacies served at the restaurant,
the answer will disappoint you. No matter, there’s always next year!
Many thanks to Keri Douglas for her tireless efforts in promoting this event, and to all who became part of this global network of celebrating Greece.
If you happen to be in Wales, you may wish to visit the marvellous exhibition ‘Art at the Hall’, Temperance Hall, Llangathen, South Wales, from the 14 to 23 of April; or Maria’s excellent forthcoming solo show at King Street Gallery, Carmarthen, 27 October to 16 November 2017.
Interesting introduction by Dale Wisely, founder and editor of RHP, who refused to include haiku in the journal for twelve whole years! Well, at long last, Dale!
Stella Pierides 