THE GREEKS AND THE PERSIANS
The Canadian Hellenic Cultural Society – PHAROS presented its fourth lecture of the 2007/2008 season on Monday February 25th at the upper hall of the Hellenic Community Centre in Vancouver. The topic ”An Unknown Legacy of Synthesis: The Greeks and the Persians” was presented by Dr. Kaveh Farrokh of Langara College.
Dr. Farrokh was born in Athens, Greece, the son of an Iranian diplomat. He is of Ossetian (an ethnic group in the Republic of Georgia) and Azeri (mainly in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran) descent. He was raised in Germany and educated in France. He continued his studies in Canada were he received his PhD at the University of British Columbia. He has published many papers as well as several books on Persian history, including “Shadows in the Desert – Ancient Persia at War”
With the migration of peoples there is a constant flow of culture, knowledge and arts. With time many of these cultures and arts merge. No culture evolves in isolation and Dr. Farrakh’s talk explored the influence that the cultures of the Greeks and the Persians had on each other.
Through wars, trade and migration the Greeks have a long history of contact with people of other regions. The Greeks settled in areas all around the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea bringing their customs and art with them, influencing the local culture. The presence of Greek colonists in southern Italy is well known but the Greeks also colonized parts of the Persian empire. Descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great’s armies can still be found in parts of Iran today. What is not as well known is the how the Persians (Iranians) influenced the Greeks and other peoples. The Persians also did their share of migration and therefore their arts and customs also spread. Even though they were pushed out of the Ukraine by the Huns centuries ago their art still influences that region today. Evidence of Persian influence on Greek culture can also still be found today.
NUDITY AT THE OLYMPICS
On Thursday February 28th the Department of Classical, Near Eastern and Religious Studies of the University of British Columbia sponsored a lecture by Professor Andrew F. Stewart of UC Berkley, an expert on Greek sculpture and ancient art. The lecture was entitled “The Wardrobe Malfunction that Shook the World: Nudity, the Olympics and Greek Self-Fashioning”.
Here in British Columbia, the home of the Winter Olympic Games of 2010, most of those of Greek descent are proud that the modern Olympics can be traced back to the games of ancient Greece. However much has changed since those original games. Many sporting events have been added to the summer games and of course the winter games are a modern addition. Female athletes were unheard of in the original games. Only males participated as athletes and the male form was shown off in all its glory. Modern day athletes can be thankful that nudity is now not a requisite.
The preparations for the 2010 games are in full swing with many venues already completed. While the cost of the games is high there will also be benefits to the ordinary citizens. The games will leave behind a legacy of new sporting facilities in Whistler, Vancouver and surrounding cities and municipalities. The athletes housing will also be put to good use after the games. The infrastructure is being upgraded and the new or improved roads and new rapid transit routes will benefit many commuters for years to come. Let the Games Begin!
GOLD PLATE – DUAL COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER
The Greek Orthodox Community of East Vancouver (SS. Nicholas & Dimitrios Church) and the Greek Orthodox Community of Surrey (SS. Constantine & Helen Church) again joined forces in the annual fundraiser, the “Gold Plate” dinner which was held at the Hellenic Community Centre in Vancouver on Wednesday, February 27th. This event is informally referred to as the “Stag”. The evening is mainly a ‘boys” night out as female participation is not actively encouraged.
Kostas Rokanas, president of the Greek Orthodox Community of East Vancouver was very pleased with the ticket sales and the turnout. Over six hundred tickets were sold. Of those about three hundred thirty were at the full price of two hundred dollars each. The rest of the tickets at one hundred fifty dollars each did not include the dinner but did give the buyers another chance at the many prizes that were drawn throughout the evening. Of course the prize that all were hoping for was the grand prize, a Hummer. The field was eventually narrowed down to five people still in the running for the vehicle. George Giannakopoulos walked away with the prize after buying out the other four finalists for eight thousand dollars each.
After the payment of all expenses the proceeds will be split equally between the two communities. The Surrey community will use the proceeds towards the building of a church and the East Vancouver community towards the planned community center.
CRETANS HOST MEMBERSHIP RECEPTION
The Cretan Association of BC hosted a reception on March 9th at the upper hall of the Hellenic Community centre in Vancouver. This was a feast of dance, wine and good food, celebrating the final day of Apokries and accepting membership dues for 2008. Tickets were fourty dollars per family, including parents and all children under eighteen years of age, fifteen dollars for students and twenty dollars for all other individuals over eighteen.
AN EVENING WITH JUSTIN TRUDEAU
The Panos family hosted an evening cocktail party at the home of Nick Panos on Thursday March 6th in honour of Justin Trudeau. The eldest son of the late former prime minister of Canada is running as a Liberal candidate for the riding of Papineau in Quebec. That riding is the spiritual and cultural home of the Hellenic and Italian Communities in Quebec.
The purpose of the evening was to show moral and financial support for the entry into politics of Justin Trudeau, who has close ties to the west coast.
METROPOLITAN SOTIRIOS VISITS VANCOUVER
His Eminence, Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios made his second visit to Vancouver this year, arriving at the Vancouver airport on Tuesday, March 18th. He was met upon his arrival by a group of people including Archon Dionysios Stasinopoulos, some of the clergy of the Greek Orthodox churches, and the president of the Hellenic Community of Vancouver. Also to greet His Eminence was Dr. Edward Hartley, the president of the St. Nicholas Orthodox Christian Community of Langley which recently applied to go under the jurisdiction of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada). That community’s constitution and by-laws have been duly changed accordingly and registered with the society registry in Victoria. It is now hoped that a priest will soon be assigned to this parish were the services will be primarily in English.
AN OASIS IN THE DESERT
Some lower mainland residents recently made a trip to Florence, Arizona to visit the Holy Monastery of St. Anthony. Vasilios (William) Goritsas of Abbotsford who helps to distribute Patrides in the Abbotsford, Mission and Chilliwack areas had talked for many years about making a pilgrimage to the monastic community under the spiritual direction of Elder Ephraim. In February he finally made the trip, along with his wife Panagoula and their friend Ioana Farkas.
Elder Ephraim who was responsible for the restoration and repopulation of four of the monasteries of Mount Athos in Greece established many men’s and women’s monasteries throughout Greece and North America. In 1995 he sent six monks from Mt. Athos to the Sonoran Desert, south of Phoenix Arizona to establish the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Anthony. The monks first constructed the main church, then the living quarters, dining hall and the guest facilities. An underground supply of water enabled them to establish a vegetable garden, vineyard, citrus and olive groves. The main church is dedicated to St. Anthony the Great, the father of monasticism and to Nectarios the Wonderworker. Other chapels have been built over the years. These are dedicated to Saints Seraphim of Sarov, Demetrios of Thessalonica, John the Baptist, George the Great Martyr, Nicholas the Wonderworker and Panteleimon the Healer. Currently under construction is one dedicated to St. Elias.
There are now 40 monks from various parts of the world at St. Anthony whose duties include construction, woodworking, publishing, gardening, grounds-keeping, food preparations and offering hospitality to the many visitors and pilgrims. They have turned what was once a patch of dessert with nothing but cactus for fifty miles in every direction into an oasis, a new garden of Eden.
