Cultural life
Cultural milieu

The important sites of Greek antiquity that first attracted aristocratic and upper-class Europeans to the Greek lands in the 18th century and which influenced architectural styles in the West continue to attract tourists from throughout the world. Excavated sites such as the supposed tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Verghina, the Pompeii-like remains at Akrotíri on the island of Thíra, and the Minoan palace at Zákros on Crete are a few examples of a remarkably rich heritage from antiquity that has still not been fully explored. Since the beginning of the 20th century, awareness has grown of the architectural and artistic influence of the Byzantine Empire on historic Greek churches, frescoes, mosaics, and icons. Recognized too is not only a minor renaissance of Greek art and culture during the many centuries under Venetian and western European rule (c. 1204–1669) but also the contributions of Greeks to the greater Renaissance of Italy. The Renaissance in Greece—and in Crete in particular—produced handsome buildings, frescoes, and icons as well as poetry and drama; examples of these include the Venetian Loggia in Iráklion, the paintings of Michael Damaskinos (Michail Damaskenos; fl. flourished late 16th century), the romantic-epic poem Erotocritos by Vitséntsos Vitséntzos Kornáros, and the pageant-wagon drama , Abraham and Isaac. In addition, Greek scholars, translators, and printers of the period introduced the classics to western Europe.

Less known to foreigners but highly valued by Greeks today is the culture that emerged in the 19th century, both popular and high, as Greeks struggled to establish their new nation-state and language. They took pride in their traditional lore and poems, especially their “brigand songs,” which celebrated defiance of their oppressors, while such writers as Yannis Psicháris, Andréas Ioannídis Kalvos, Dhionísios Solomós, and Alexandros Papadiamándis helped to forge a new Greek identity—one that now took pride in prevailing across centuries against foreign occupiers, in preserving the demotic language and popular customs, and in reasserting Greece’s place in the history of Western civilization. Greeks celebrate their winning of independence from the Ottoman Empire with a national holiday on March 25.

Daily life and social customs

In the hot summers, social life in Greece tends to be outdoors. In small towns and villages the tradition of the volta continues, when at sundown much of the population strolls up and down the main street or, on the islands, along the shore. In summer and winter much leisure time is passed in the numerous cafés and coffee shops, both of which have been traditionally a male preserve. It is also not uncommon to find in a single village one coffee shop where the adherents of a particular political party congregate. Television, the Internet, and forms of video entertainment have to some extent undermined these traditional leisure patterns.

Greek cuisine, particularly such sweets as baklava and kataifi, reflects the centuries of Turkish rule. The food in Thessaloníki—in northern Greece and part of the Ottoman Empire until 1912—in particular still reflects a strong Ottoman influence and is a testimony to the massive influx of refugees from Asia Minor in the 1920s. The traditional, healthy diet of Greek peasants in general was based on vegetables, fruit, olives, olive oil, cheese, bread, and seafood, meat being a luxury eaten only on special occasions. With the country’s growing affluence, meat has come to assume a more important place in the Greek diet, “fast foods” have taken hold in the cities, and the incidence of heart disease has risen accordingly.

Greek society is noted for its strong family structure and a low crime rate. The extended family, and the obligation placed on family members to provide mutual support, is of the utmost importance. The centrality of the family has been little affected by the rise of the middle class that has been a feature of the development of Greek society since the end of World War II. During the 1980s important changes were introduced in Greek family law. Civil marriage was instituted in parallel with religious marriage, the dowry system was abolished (though marriages are still sometimes seen to some degree as economic alliances in theory), divorce was made easier, and the hitherto dominant position of the father in the family was restricted. The great majority of the country’s businesses remain small, family-run enterprises. This is especially true of shipping, in which tightly knit clans of families dominate the industry. The family structure of industry acts as an impediment to modernization. The wheels of society continue to be lubricated by mesa (connections) and rouspheti (the reciprocal dispensation of favours).

The main holiday periods revolve around Easter and the Feast of Dormition (Assumption) of the Virgin in mid-August. Easter is the most important religious and family festival, with many people returning to their native villages for the traditional festivities, which include the vigil in church on Saturday evening, the lighting of the Holy Fire at midnight on Easter morning, and the roasting of whole lambs on spits for the Easter meal. August is the traditional vacation month.

The arts

Against the background of this extraordinary cultural heritage, Greece enjoys a thriving artistic life. Greece has made its greatest contributions in the field of literature (see Greek literature). Constantine Cavafy, an ethnic Greek who lived most of his life in Alexandria, Egypt, is frequently ranked among the great poets of the early 20th century. His work is suffused with an ironic nostalgia for Greece’s past glories. Two Greek poets have won the Nobel Prize for Literature: George Seferis in 1963 and Odysseus Elytis in 1979. The novelist best known outside Greece is the Cretan Níkos Kazantzákis, whose Zorba the Greek (1946) was made into a popular film (1964). Other 20th-century Greek writers include Kostís Palamás, Angelos Sikelianós, Kostas Varnalis, Pandelís Prevelákis, Strátis Myrivílis, Yannis Ritsos, Nikephoros Vrettakos, and Nikos Gatsos.

A number of Greek composers have acquired an international reputation, including Nikos Skalkottas, Manos Hadjidakis, and Mikis Theodorakis, and the country has also given the world of music such notables as Dimitri Mitropoulos Maria Callas, and Gina Bachauer. Well-known Greek painters and sculptors include Nicolas Ghika, Yannis Tsarouchis, Yannis Moralis, Spyros Vassiliou, and Photis Kontoglou.

Internationally known Greek contributors to theatre and film include Karolos Koun, Melina Mercouri, Costa-Gavras, and Theo Angelopoulos. The traditional shadow puppet theatre, Karaghiozis, is now largely extinct, having been displaced by television and other leisure pursuits. There is, however, a lively Athenian theatrical tradition in which political satire plays an important part.

Perhaps most significant of all is the enormous influence of ancient Greek art (see Western sculpture; Western architecture; Western painting, Greek pottery) and Greek mythology on later Western art and literature. Of countless examples that can be offered, a few should suffice to demonstrate the reach of what is known as Greek civilization. Such Greek statuary as the kore and the kouros—themselves reflecting an interaction with other cultures (particularly that of Egypt)—and later developments represented by such works as the Louvre’s Winged Victory of Samothrace provide a major chapter in the art history of Europe and North America. In architecture, the Greek temple remains a classic form. Ancient Greek tragedies (such as Euripides’ Medea) and comedies (such as Aristophanes’ Lysistrata) were presented in various styles into the 21st century. One of the classic Greek tragedies—the fated marriage of Oedipus to his own mother, Jocasta, detailed in Sophocles’ Oedipus cycle—formed a keystone of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory. Another resonant tale, Homer’s Odyssey (8th or 9th century BCE), was the basis of Irishman James Joyce’s 20th-century masterwork Ulysses. A moment’s reflection can call to mind an abundance of paradigms.

Cultural institutions

A myriad of venues in the capital supports this theatre life, which includes productions of Western classics as well as traditional works of political satire. The numerous arts festivals held at historical sites throughout Greece during the summer months feature both native and international artists. Huge audiences are attracted to performances of ancient Greek drama staged in the theatre of Epidaurus, which dates from the 4th century BCE and whose acoustics are extraordinary; the 2nd-century-CE Roman theatre of Herodes Atticus, at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens, also draws large crowds and is the location for concerts at the annual Athens Festival. Live performances of orchestral music in Athens, limited in comparison with those of other European capitals, were given a major boost with the opening in 1991 of a new concert hall, the Megaro Mousikis (“Palace of Music”).

The country’s archaeological heritage and emphasis on the Classical past has given the state’s Archaeological Service a particularly important role. Frequently working in cooperation with various foreign archaeological institutes, the service is responsible for excavating relics of the past and for running the country’s museums. Far and away, the most visited of these is the National Archaeological Museum in Athens. In 2009 the new Acropolis Museum was opened to the public, with a floor set aside for the long-sought return of the Elgin Marbles from the British Museum. Access to public libraries is relatively limited, and there is no adequate national library. Distinctive of Greek intellectual life are the numerous societies devoted to the study of local and regional archaeology, history, and folklore, reflecting the strong regional loyalties of many Greeks. The country’s most prestigious learned society is the Academy of Athens.

Sports and recreation

Greece’s national sport is football (soccer), and basketball has increased in popularity since the 1980s. The national basketball team won the European championship in 1987, and the national football team qualified for its first World Cup finals in 1994. Mountain sports—hiking, climbing, and skiing—and hunting are other popular activities, and field hockey, baseball, and cricket are played regionally. Gymnastics is an ancient sport in Greece, as is athletics (track and field). Competitive running and jumping events date to 776 BCE, when the first Olympic Games were held, and Athens was host to the first modern Olympics in 1896. Over a century later, the Summer Games were again mounted in Athens, in 2004, refocusing attention on Greece’s impact on the world of sport.

Media and publishing

During the 1980s traditional newspaper proprietors were to an extent displaced by new entrepreneurs, and most newspapers became tabloids. The circulation of morning papers declined while that of evening papers increased. Leading newspapers include Kathimerini (“Daily”), Eleftherotypia (“Free Press”), To Vima (“Tribune”), and Ta Nea (“News”). A pair of free newspapers published in Athens, Metro and City Press, also became very popular beginning in the early 21st century. For the most part, the press tends to be partisan in its political comments. The government monopoly of television and radio broadcasting was broken in the 1980s, which gave rise to private stations. Like the print media, broadcasting is uncensored, particularly in its handling of political issues. Greece is home to scores of FM and AM radio stations and a few dozen television stations. By the early 21st century nearly half of all Greeks had Internet access.