Excavations indicate that Crete has
been inhabited ever since the ancient years,
creating a glamorous civilization. The
constant change of conquerors has influenced
the local architecture, with features from the
Arab Rule, the Venetian Rule and the Turkish
Occupation combine with the local
architectural tradition. Venetian castles and
public buildings, mansions belonging to
nobles, Renaissance monasteries and
byzantine churches, turkish mosques, are
scattered around the island.
The houses in the moiuntainous
villages are amphitheatrically built on the
sides or tops of hills, thus forming natural
fortresses to safeguard the village from
pirates. The amphitheatrical lay-out of the
settlement follows the line of the hill and
develops around the church, the square and
the coffee-shop. In most cases, the house are
built in dense, compact clusters while in
others, the houses are seperately and sparcely
built.
The town house consists of a ground
floor (katoghi), a mezzanine (metzao), used as
an office, and the top floor (anoghi), where
the family lives.
The rural Cretan house is simple, built
in the shape of a cube, with few openings. It is
comfortable, with beautiful gardens and
courtyards. The main feature is "kamarospito"
(arched house), the arch of which (kamara)
divides the house into two areas.
The interior of the cretan house is
simple in furnishing and decoration. The only
furniture here: "pezoula" (the bed), "portego"
(the sitting-room), the table, the chairs and
the trunk, all adapted to the needs of daily
life.
In the villages of Crete, the parents'
consent - particularly that of the father - is
necessary for one to get married. The couple
thus asks their parents' consent and blessing.
The first step is the "pledge" or
engagement ceremony, which takes place at
the house of the bride-to-be and is blessed by
a priest. After that, the marriage contract is
drawn and signed. A few days before the
wedding, the quests sent their "kaniskia" or
presents, usually oil, wine, cheese or meat.
Before the ceremony, the trousseau is carried
from the house of the bride to the groom's
house. It consists of handwoven or
embroidered articles, sheets and household
furnishing. It is accompanied by relatives and
friends in a joyful parade, to the sounds of
lyre, singing and gun fires.
The ceremony includes a parade from
the groom's house to the bride's house.
There, a woman sings a mantinada to
persuade the family to open the door. The
bell calls the newly-weds to the church. After
the ceremony, the couple goes to the groom's
house where his mother feeds the bride with
honey and walnuts and makes a cross at the
front door, while the bride pours honey and
breaks a pommerode, to have a sweet, "rose"
marriage. Celebration starts with the couple
singing and dancing, drinking and eating
ends in the daylight.
Although the cretan male costume is
not as popular as it was in the past, in some
villages or formal occasions, there are many
older men wearing it. The costume is very
impressive and consists of the characteristic
black kerchief with the fringes on the head,
the light coloured woven shirt with the black
vest known as “meidanogileko” and the
traditional "vraka" (salvari) trousers, tied
around the waist with a very long (10 m.) silk
scarf. In the winter, the shoulders are
covered with a warm cape, while the feet are
protected from the cold with the white boots
called “stivania”. The costume varies from
area to area, not only as far as the head
kerchief is concerned - it can be a fez with a
navy blue tassel, known as “sfakiano” - but as
to the colour of the belt, too - it can be black
or red.
The formal costume is made of higher
quality fabrics than the daily one. Silk is used
and the shirt and the cape are decorated with
many embroideries.
The female traditional costume can
be seen today at feasts, cultural events and
laographic museums. The most usual type
consists of a kind of vraka (apomesoroucho),
the "sakofoustano" on top and the beautifully
embroidered and decorated apron called
"brostopodia". On the head, there is a
kerchief (tsemberi) or, in some places, a little
red fez called "papazi". Women also wear low
heel boots called “stivania” or high heel
black shoes.
The costume varies from area to area.
The mountainous mainland areas prefer the
variation of Anogia, while the plain and urban
areas prefer “soforia”. Soforia replaces
apomesoroucho with a red skirt, while the
shirt is covered with "meidani" or
"saltamarka". The costume of Anogia also
includes an embroidered double apron, tied
round the waist, decorating sakofoustano.
The formal costume has more
ornaments, gold coins and embroideries on
the apron and the kerchief, than the daily one.
In Crete, basket-weaving is part of the
local folk tradition. Agricultural work forced
the Cretans to develop the craft of basket-
weaving, in order to make their rural and
domestic chores easier. The secrets of basket-
weaving are taught from the old craftsmen to
the young ones. Utilising material from the
cretan flora, such as reed, osier and splinter,
basket-weavers create original and pretty
designs which can be admired throughout
Crete.
Rural and domestic chores forced the
Cretans to make clay jars and pots. The cretan
jags, made of hard material, are known for
their original beautiful design and their
resistance to high temperature. As years
progressed, pottery evolved and small items,
flower pots, jars and decorative ornaments
were created.
The most important pottery centers
are Margarites in Rethymno and Kentri in
Ierapetra. The best -known pottery centre,
however, is Thrapsano in Heraklio. Here, one
can find ceramics for every possible use.
Cutlery is part of the cretan folk
tradition. The island’s disorderly history
forced the locals to fight for their freedom
and be constantly armed. Today, the knife
tied around the waist is only part of the
traditional cretan costume.
The craft of cutlery is taught from one
generation to the next, with the elderly
teaching the youngsters how to make and
decorate knives. The majority of the cretan
knives have elegant designs, curved on the
handle which is made of silver or animal
horn. The sharpened steel blade, for safety
reasons, is put into a cup made of wood,
leather or silver. A knife with a “mantinada”
curved on its handle, is a beautiful souvenir
from Crete.
Cretan women are known for their
skill in weaving, as in other crafts. The old
traditional cretan houses were characterised
by the loom - vertical or upright - where
women spent a large part of their day. It was
the place where they made the daily clothing
of the family, blankets, towels, rugs, aprons
and tablecloths.
Although less women are occupied
with weaving, today one can still purchase the
famous cretan woven fabrics,unique samples
of fok art, in beautiful colours and original
designs. Many families are occupied entirely
with weaving, from breeding stocks to
weaving wool. The materials used are flax,
cotton and silk which are dyed red from the
weavers themselves, who gather for this
purpose and teach their craft to the younger
ones.
The old wood-curving produced
items of religious art: icons, icon-stands,
pulpits, candlesticks and other objects of
eastern influence, still decorating churches.
Today, only few wood-carvers are still
to be found, mainly constructing folk musical
instruments. However, in several
mountainous regions, talented amateurs
create small works of art (spoons, forks,
wooden stamps for impressive designs, lyres
and various other objects).
The cretan music tradition has had
many influencies and is very different from
others. The first samples are “Pirichii”, war
songs sung by giants Kourites, while, in the
first post-christian century, song writer
Messodemos lived and wrote cretan music.
The most famous cretan songs are
"mantinades", songs accompanied by lyre
and lute. The singer adjusts the lyrics to the
circumstance, and mantinades vary from love
songs to satirical, historical, or social content
songs. The rhymesters compete with each
other for the best, most succesful verse which
will be greeted with great enthousiasm from
the audience.
Another important category of cretan
songs includes the historic songs which
narrate facts from the island’s disorderly
history, praising the cretan heroism and
willingness to fight.
Among the regional songs are the
"rizitika", sung in western Crete. They are
thus called, because they originate from the
foot or "roots" (rizes) of Lefka Ori. There are
two types of rizitika: the "table" songs
(tragoudia tis tavlas), sung without music
instruments at feasts and dinner parties, and
the "songs of the road" (tragoudia tis stratas),
sung by travellers along the way. Unlike
mantinades, rizitika are not improvised,
expressing an emotional state, but they are
the result of a long tradition, ever since the
ancient years.
The most characteristic music
instrument of the cretan musical tradition is
"lyra" (the lyre), a three-string instrument
with a small bow, similar to a fiddle-bow.
Cretan lyre-players, self-taught in their
majority, improuse and sing the cretan
mantinades, adjusting the lyrics to the needs
of the occasion.
The cretan lyre plays along with the
cretan "lagouto" (lute), an eight - string
instrument, like a guitar. Other traditional
instruments are the "outi", "askobandoura" -
something like a bag-pipe - and "chabioli", a
wind instrument played by shepherds, alone
or attached to askobandoura. These
instruments are taught from one generation
to the next, and cretan musicians are taught
from the elderlies the technique to construct
the instruments and how to play music which
is found in every aspect of the daily life.
The traditional cretan dances
constitute an expression of the bravery and
dynamism of Cretan character and were
highly influenced by the island’s disorderly
history. The turns of “Siganos” are
reminiscent of Theseus’ convolutions in the
maze. The dancers have their arms
intertwined at shoulder level and take small
steps. As the lyre-player accelerates, the
dance becomes bouncing and "Pendozalis",
the most famous cretan dance, begins.
Dancers dance in an open circle, move away
from each other and perform
many improusations and spectacular jumps.
"Sirtos" or "Chaniotikos" is danced in
a different way from town to town, being a
variation to “Sirtos” of mainland Greece.
"Sousta" is a rhythmic, courting dance,
danced by men and women facing each other.
Men also dance "Kastrinos" or "Maleviziotis"
in open circle. This is danced at fairs and
local events.
For the main religious feast-days,
cretan house-wives kneaded, baked and
decorated special breads. The "Christopsoma"
or "Stavropsoma" (Christ-breads" or "Cross-
breads") were the Christmas breads,
"avgokouloures" or "Lambrokouloures"
(eggrolls or Easter rolls) were the Easter
breads, "eptazyma" (seven times leavened)
were the breads made for the feast of the
Dormation of Virgin Mary, on August 15th.
There were also the wedding breads,
christening breads etc, decorated with
various motifs of dough.
Local olives and cheese, mountain
greens and beans are never missing from the
Cretan table. Among the typical dishes are
"cochlii", meat "ofto", boiled goat, "staka"
(made of butter and flour), Sfakia pie (lamb
with myzithra cheese cooked in pastry dough
in the oven), "Kaltsounia" (small pies filled
with unsalted myzithra and fried in oil)
"omathies" and "tsiladia" (pork jelly).
The food is accompanied by genuine
cretan wine found in different local
variations. Another local drink is "tsikoudia"
or "raki", a strong alcoholic drink made of
mulbberries.
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