Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(and commenting on) the comings and goings of people around them. They prefer spon-
taneity to making plans and are notoriously unpunctual (turning up on time is referred to
as 'being English').
The word
xenos
means both stranger and guest, and Greeks see
filoxenia
(hospitality,
welcome, shelter) almost as a duty and matter of personal pride and honour.
Social & Family Life
Greek life has always taken place in the public sphere, whether it's men talking politics
at the local kafeneio or the elderly gathering in neighbourhood squares while their grand-
children play into the evening. While entertainment spending has been seriously cur-
tailed, the gregarious Greeks nonethless enjoy a vibrant social and cultural life and in-
famously lively nightlife.
It can be said that rather than living to work, Greeks work to live, with an emphasis on
fun and shared company rather than slaving all hours in an office. People of all ages take
their afternoon volta (outing) along seafront promenades or town centres, dressed up and
refreshed from a siesta (albeit a dying institution). On weekends they flock to the beach
and seaside tavernas, and summer holidays are the highlight of the year - traditionally,
the capital virtually shuts down mid-August as people take off for the islands, beach
towns or their ancestral villages. A peculiarly Greek social talking point is how many
swims you've had that summer.
Greek society remains dominated by the family, and while many men may appear
soaked with machismo, the matriarchal domestic model is still very much commonplace,
with women subtly pulling the strings in the background. These strong family ties and
kinship are helping Greeks survive testing times. Greece's weak welfare system means
Greeks rely on families and social groups for support. Most Greek businesses are small,
family-run operations. Parents strive to provide homes for their children when they get
married.
Greeks rarely move out of home before they marry, unless they go to university or
work in another city. While this was changing among professionals and people marrying
later, low wages and rising unemployment have forced many young people to stay - or
return - home.
Greeks retain strong regional identities and ties to their ancestral villages. One of the
first questions Greeks will ask a stranger is what part of Greece they come from. Even
the country's most remote villages are bustling during holidays. Greece's large diaspora
