Macedonian Christmas

Aristotelous Square, Thessaloniki.
Macedonia – Greece.

Every December, Greece’s second city, Thessaloniki, erects a huge, illuminated metal structure in the shape of a three mast ship next to the Christmas tree in its main square. The ship, and not the tree, is the traditional Greek symbol of Christmas.
Even the vast majority of Greeks who continue to stick to the Christmas tree consider it a foreign import. The modern Christmas tree entered Greece in the luggage of the country’s first king, Otto of Bavaria, who ascended to the throne in 1833 but the tree did not become popular before the 1940s. The ship, by contrast, is viewed as a quintessential Greek symbol. Greeks have been seafarers for thousands of years and the country is today one of the world’s mightiest shipping nations.

In some of the Greek islands huge ships are built, symbolic of the new life Christmas heralds. Children are singing Christmas carols (the word carol comes from the ancient Greek word choraulein, meaning a circle dance performed to flute music) holding illuminated model boats in their laps. For children, they serve as a lantern in the dark or as a box for presents collected in return for singing carols. It is believed that the history of caroling goes deep into the past and connects with ancient Greece. In fact, they have even found carols written in those distant past days which are similar to the ones sung today. In ancient times the word for carols was Eiresioni, and children of that era held an effigy of a ship which depicted the arrival of the god Dionysus. Other times they held an olive or laurel branch decorated with red and white threads, on which they would tie the offerings of the homeowners. The Christmas tree, assumed to be foreign, may even have some Greek roots. Use of decorated greenery and branches around New Year is recorded as far back as in Greek antiquity, as it is in other pre-Christian cultures. Christmas was meant originally to replace the pagan celebration of the winter solstice. Tree branches and green bushes called “Christwood” always had a place in Christian households during the medieval Byzantine and Ottoman empires. Probably that’s why the tree and the boat coexist today in Thessaloniki’s Aristotelous Square.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Eastern Barbarian

Ancient Corinth – Greece.

Statue of captured Eastern barbarian at the Archeological Museum of Ancient Corinth.

Four marble statues, decorated the pillars with Corinthian capitals which supported the roof of the "Facade of the Captives", a two-storey stoa to the west of the Propylaia. Dated to the 2nd century A.D., this Facade was probably constructed to commemorate the victory of the Roman emperor Lucius Verus over the Parthians. Many of the construction materials, however, date back to the Augustan period, and this means that it reused materials from other Augustan monuments, or that the Facade itself is a re-composition to an Augustan building. The name "Facade of the Captives" comes from the larger than life statues of captured Eastern barbarians that supported the second storey. The remaining two statues (originally there were at least four) are housed in the museum.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Athens Photo Festival 2009

Esplanade Building, Faliron Olympic Complex – Athens, Greece.

The Athens Photo Festival is a continuation of the International Photography Month in Athens, an event with a 20 year history that was the major and oldest Greek institution with large scale events focusing on the art of photography. This year’s event will include participations by over 200 artists from Greece and abroad, with exhibitions in over 30 exhibition spaces throughout the city of Athens.

Κτίριο Πεζογέφυρας Εσπλανάδα, Ολυμπιακός Πόλος Φαλήρου.

Η διοργάνωση του Athens Photo Festival είναι η συνέχεια του Διεθνούς Μήνα Φωτογραφίας στην Αθήνα και συγκαταλέγεται ως ένα από τα σημαντικότερα και ταυτόχρονα είναι ένα από τα πέντε παλαιότερα φωτογραφικά φεστιβάλ στον κόσμο. Το πρόγραμμα της φετινής διοργάνωσης καλύπτει ένα ευρύ φάσμα δράσεων με κριτήριο την ποιότητα και την ποικιλομορφία που περιλαμβάνει ένα σύνολο 34 ατομικών και ομαδικών εκθέσεων και 17 video installation projects, με τη συμμετοχή 280 καλλιτεχνών από την Ελλάδα και τη διεθνή φωτογραφική σκηνή, Photo Folio Review, ημερίδες φωτογραφίας, εκπαιδευτικά προγράμματα, διαλέξεις, διαγωνισμούς και άλλες παράλληλες δράσεις.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Canadair CL-415

A Hellenic Air Force Canadair CL-415 over Athens, Greece.

The Bombardier 415 (Canadair CL-415) is a Canadian amphibious aircraft purpose-built as a water bomber. It is the only aircraft designed and built specifically for aerial firefighting and is based on the company's CL-215 flying boat.

More aircraft images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

AS332 Super Puma helicopter

18 October, 2009.

Super Puma helicopter of the Hellenic Air Force, on a Search and Rescue (SAR - ASR) mission over the Evian Gulf, Greece.

The Eurocopter (Aerospatiale) AS332 Super Puma is a four bladed, twin engine utility helicopter marketed for both civil and military use. The AS 332 C1 is the Search and Rescue version, equipped with search radar and six stretchers.

More aircraft images at: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Eternal Olive

Athens – Greece.

Olea Europaea or Olive tree (from Greek word elaion).

It was purely a matter of local pride that the Athenians claimed that the olive first grew in Athens. In an archaic Athenian foundation myth, Goddess Athena won the patronship of Athens from Poseidon with the gift of the olive. The olive was sacred to Athena and appeared on the Athenian coinage.
An olive tree in west Athens, named "Plato's Olive Tree", was rumored to be a remnant of the grove within which Plato's Academy was situated, which would date it to approximately 2,400 years ago.

In ancient Greece, athletes ritually rubbed olive oil all over their bodies. At the original Olympic Games, more than 2,500 years ago, an olive wreath was the sole tangible reward offered to champion athletes. In the case of the chariot races, the wreath went to the owner of the winning team of horses. Olive branches were chosen because of the tree's association with the Greek god, Zeus. A sacred olive tree was said to have grown near his spectacular temple in ancient Olympia.

Olive oil has been more than mere food to the peoples of the Mediterranean. It has been medicinal and magical, an endless source of fascination and wonder and the fountain of great wealth and power.

See also: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Δημήτρης Μητροπάνος

Αθήνα, 10 Σεπτεμβρίου 2009.

Ο Δημήτρης Μητροπάνος στο Ωδείο Ηρώδου Αττικού, χθες βράδυ.

Athens, Greece - September 10, 2009.

Popular Greek singer, Dimitris Mitropanos at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, last night.

More images: Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis - © 2009 Ιορδάνης Κεβρεκίδης

Karagiozis

Traditional Greek shadow theater exhibition at Heraklion, Crete.

Karagiozis ( Greek Καραγκιόζης ) is the main character of the tales narrated in the Greek shadow-puppet theater. Shadow theater, with a single puppeteer creating voices for a dialogue, narrating a story, and possibly even singing while manipulating puppets, appears to come ultimately from the Indonesian Wayang Kulit.
Karagiozis is the Hellenized version of the Turkish shadow play “Karagoz and Hacivat”. It’s seems to have come to mainland Greece, probably from Asia Minor (Anatolia) in the 19th century, during Ottoman rule.

Karagiozis is a poor hunchbacked Greek, his right hand is always depicted long, his clothes are ragged and patched, and his feet are always bare. He lives in a poor cottage with his wife Aglaia and his three boys, during the times of the Ottoman Empire. The scene is occupied by his cottage in the left, and the Sultan's Palace (Sarayi) on the far right. Because of his poverty, Karagiozis uses mischievous and crude ways to find money and feed his family. There are three types of Karagiozi plays, including comedies inspired by every day life, those influenced by fairy tales and traditional folklore and heroic themes inspired by the years of the oppressive Ottoman rule followed by the Greek War of independence in 1821.

Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Minotaur

August 2009. Ano Setta – Evia, Greece.
Setta Amphitheater. The theatrical play “The Minotaur” by Matina Papageorgiou, directed by Dimitris Papakonstantinou.

Photo: Actors, Giorgos Mpasiakos as Theseus and Matina Papageorgiou as Ariadne.

The scenario of this play is based on the Greek myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Dionysus falls in love with Ariadne. He offers her immortality and makes her his wife. Three days after their marriage and while Dionysus is absent in Naxos, Ariadne, without the fear of death, is hurrying to meet her brother; the monstrous Minotaur. There, in the front of the gate of the Labyrinth, Ariadne will meet with Theseus who has just arrived in Crete from Athens, in order to fight and kill the beast. There will be love at first sight… The writer, Matina Papageorgiou is setting up a complicated structure of relations and conflicts, around the central erotic triangle; and all together a colourful and enchanting fairy tale.

Αύγουστος 2009. Θέατρο Άνω Σέτας, Ευβοίας.
Θεατρικό έργο της Ματίνας Παπαγεωργίου «Μινώταυρος», σε σκηνοθεσία Δημήτρη Παπακωνσταντίνου.

Photo: Οι ηθοποιοί, Γιώργος Μπασιάκος ως Θησέας και Ματίνα Παπαγεωργίου ως Αριάδνη.


Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

UEFA Europa League

Toumba Stadium – UEFA Europa League qualifying round – August 06, 2009.
PAOK FC Thessaloniki (Greece) – Valerenga Fotball Oslo (Norway)

The UEFA Europa League evolved from the UEFA Cup. The UEFA EC decided that from 2009/10 the competition would become the UEFA Europa League. This reflected a change to the format previously agreed, with the group stage expanding to 48 clubs, who would play six matches on a home-and-away format similar to the UEFA Champions League.

Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

PAOK

Gate 4 – Toumba Stadium – Thessaloniki, Greece.

PAOK FC ( Greek: ΠΑΟΚ ) is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. According to a 2008 research, about 21% of all active Greek football fans support PAOK, with the club’s strength being mainly in Thessaloniki and the rest of Macedonia.

PAOK is the historical continuation of the Hermes SC (later Peraclub) from Constantinople (modern Istanbul) established by Greek residents of the city in 1875. In 1923 following the Asia Minor Catastrophe the Turks expelled countless Greeks from the coastal regions of Turkey. Those who fled settled in Thessaloniki and in 1926 established PAOK (which translated means the Panthessalonikian Athletic Club of Constantinople), retaining the symbol of the twin-headed eagle of the Byzantine Empire combined with mourning black to symbolize their tragic history and white, the color of optimism. This club’s history is stretching back to the 19th century in effect makes PAOK one of Greece’s oldest athletic clubs but also means that it shoulders a heavy historical burden.

PAOK is also known to have one of the most fanatical supporter bases in the world.
It is estimated that PAOK fans are totally about 8 million worldwide (2 million in Greece and 6 million in other countries such as Germany, Australia, USA, Russia and more). The best known PAOK supporters are in “Gate 4″ (Thira 4) as seen in this picture…

Kevrekidis Photography

© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Knossos

Knossos – Crete, Greece.
West Bastion of Knossos Palace. Relief wall painting of the sacred Bull.

The Minoan civilization was a Bronze Age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. It was the first European civilization and claims to be the “cradle of Western civilization”. The Minoan culture flourished from approximately 2700 to 1450 BC; afterwards, Mycenaean Greek culture became dominant. Knossos was the capital of Minoan Crete. It is located south of the modern port town of Heraklion (Iraklio). Knossos was inhabited for several thousand years, beginning with a Neolithic settlement sometime in the seventh millennium BC, and was abandoned after its destruction in 1375 BC which marked the end of Minoan civilization. The first palace was built around 1900 BC on the ruins of previous settlements. It was destroyed for the first time at 1700 BC, probably by a large earthquake or foreign invaders. It was immediately rebuilt to an even more elaborate complex and until its abandonment was damaged several times during earthquakes, invasions, and in 1450 BC by the colossal volcanic eruption of Thera (Santorini), and the invasion of Mycenaeans who used it as their capital as they ruled the island of Crete until 1375 BC. Arthur Evans, the British Archaeologist who excavated the site in 1900 AD restored large parts of the palace in a way that it is possible today to appreciate the glory and complexity of a structure that evolved over several millennia and grew to occupy about 20,000 square meters. Walking through its complex multi-storied buildings one can comprehend why the palace of Knossos was associated with the mythological Labyrinth. According to Greek mythology, the palace was designed by famed architect Daedalus (Dedalos) with such complexity that no one placed in it could ever find its exit. King Minos who commissioned the palace then kept the architect prisoner to ensure that he would not reveal the palace plan to anyone. Daedalus, who was a great inventor, built two sets of wings so he and his son Icarus (Ikaros) could fly off the island, and so they did. On their way out, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun because the wax that held the wings together would melt. In a tragic turn of events, during their escape Icarus, young and impulsive as he was, flew higher and higher until the sun rays dismantled his wings and the young boy fell to his death in the Aegean Sea. The Labyrinth was the dwelling of the Minotaur in Greek mythology, and many associate the palace of Knossos with the legend of Theseus killing the Minotaur. Representation of the Bull at the palace of Knossos is a widespread symbol in the art and decoration of this archaeological site. The bull-leaping (taurokathapsia) was a ritual sport or performance in which human athletes literally vaulted over bulls as part of a ceremonial rite. A version of the sacred “bull games” is still extant in Iberian (Spain - Portugal) culture, the Bullfighting.

More images at: Kevrekidis Photography

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Ephesus

Ephesus lies beside Selcuk and Kusadasi in Asia Minor (Anatolia), Turkey.
It was an ancient Greek city in the region known as Ionia during the Classical period.




An ancient Greek inscription and the Library of Celsus.

The Library of Celsus dominates to the south of the Tetragonos Agora in Ephesus. It was built in the 2nd century AD to serve as a burial monument dedicated to Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus, the Roman senator and proconsul of Asia. The construction was financed by his son, Tiberius (or Gaius) Julius Aquila. Its luxurious facade forms an impressive architectural complex. The style of the library, with its ornate, balanced, well-planned facade, reflects the Greek influence on Roman architecture. The building materials, brick, concrete, and mortared rubble, signify the new materials that came into use in the Roman Empire at this time. The interior of the niches was adorned with four statues representing female abstract concepts: Sofia (Wisdom), Arete (Virtue), Ennoia (Insight) and Episteme (Knowledge). They are personifications of the virtues of Celsus but also of the virtues the life of high Roman officials should have had. This type of facade with inset frames and niches for statues is similar to that found in ancient Greek theaters (the stage building behind the orchestra, or skene) and is thus characterized as "scenographic". The inside of the building, not fully restored, was a single rectangular room with a central apse framed by a large arch at the far wall. A statue of Celsus or of Athena (Greek goddess of wisdom) stood in the apse, and Celsus’ tomb lay directly below in a vaulted chamber. Along the other three sides were rectangular recesses that held cupboards and shelves for the 12,000 scrolls.



History of Ephesus:
Traces of habitation in the area of Ephesus date from the Neolithic period and Copper Age. According to myth, Ephesus was founded by Androklos, the son of the Athenian King Kadros (Codrus), and a mixed population from Athens, Samos and Aetolia. When they went there they found a pre-existent settlement built by Lelegians and Carians or Lydians. The Greek colonists drove the natives out of the upper city but did not harm those living around the sanctuary. They identified the goddess of the natives with Artemis and founded the first fortified position. Around 550 BC, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Temple of Artemis (Greek: Artemision) was built. Androklos was able to join the twelve cities of Ionia together into the Ionian League (Dodecapolis). Later, Greek historians such as Herodotus however reassigned the city's mythological foundation to Ephos, queen of the Amazons. The Ephesians participated in the Ionian Revolt against Persian rule in the Battle of Ephesus (498 BC), an event which instigated the Greco - Persian wars. In 479 BC, the Ionians, together with Athens and Sparta, were able to oust the Persians from Anatolia. In 478 BC, the Ionian cities entered with Athens and Sparta the Delian League against the Persians. During the Peloponnesian War, Ephesus was first allied to Athens but sided in a later phase, called the Decelean War, or the Ionian War with Sparta. As a result, the rule over the kingdoms of Anatolia was ceded again to Persia. In 336 BC, when Parmenion campaigned to Asia Minor, Ephesus was convulsed by a pro - Macedonian democratic revolt that overthrew the pro - Persian oligarchy. When Alexander the Great defeated the Persian forces at the Battle of Granicus in 334 BC, the Greek cities of Asia Minor were liberated. Alexander was greeted warmly in Ephesus when he entered it in triumph. After Alexander died Ephesus came under his general Perdiccas and other successors such as Antigonus, Demetrius, and Ptolemy XII (Hellenistic period). Later, Ephesus became subject of the Roman Republic. Ephesus played an important role in the events in the province during Mithradatic War I (90-86 BC). The invasion of the king of Pontus Mithradates VI to the province of Asia fired unprecedented enthusiasm accompanied by the hatred against the Romans. The Ephesians played the leading part in anti-Roman demonstrations. Ephesus came back under Roman rule in 84 BC and was asked to pay high war indemnities. In 48 BC, Julius Caesar landed there and tried to reorganise the province. In 41 BC Marcus Antonius entered the city as a New Dionysus during a Bacchic ritual. He gathered the Greeks in the city and demanded that they pay him taxes for 2 years. Antonius returned with Cleopatra in 33 BC. When Augustus became emperor in 27 BC, he made Ephesus the capital of the Roman province of Asia. Ephesus was an important center for early Christianity. Apostle Paul stayed there for some time. According to the occult Christian literature, the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist stayed in Ephesus for a long time. Ephesus remained the most important city of the Byzantine Empire in Asia after Constantinople in the 5th and 6th centuries. The emperor Constantine I rebuilt much of the city and erected a new public bath. In 406 John Chrysostom, archbishop of Constantinople, ordered the destruction of the Temple of Artemis. The Seljuk Turks conquered the region in 1071-1100 and it was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1390. Efes is the Turkish name for Ephesus.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Santorini volcano

Santorini Volcano


The island group of Santorini (Thera) is the most well-known and active volcanic centre of the Hellenic (Greek) Volcanic Arc in the south Aegean Sea. It is a complex stratovolcano with a large caldera created by several large explosive eruptions. The different products of 2 million years of volcanic activity have accumulated around a small non-volcanic basement that once formed a small island similar to the other islands. Most of the volcanic layers are visible in the multi-colored sequences of the impressive steep inner walls of the caldera, striking the visitor who reaches the island by boat.

The Minoan eruption of Thera, (Santorini or Thera eruption), was a major catastrophic volcanic eruption which is estimated to have occurred in the mid second millennium BCE. It was one of the largest volcanic events on Earth in recorded history. The eruption seems to have inspired certain Greek myths and may have caused turmoil in Egypt. It has also been suggested previously that the effects of this eruption led to a number of the Ten Plagues of Moses in the Holy Bible, chief among them being the so-called “rain of fire”. Additionally, it has been speculated that the destruction of the city at Akrotiri provided the basis for or otherwise inspired Plato's story of Atlantis.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART


© 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

European Union Elections

A European Union Elections voting center at Eretria, Greece.

Elections to the European Parliament were held in the 27 member states of the European Union (EU) between 4 and 7 June 2009. A total of 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) and 18 observers were elected to represent some 500 million Europeans, making these the biggest trans-national elections in history.
The majority of MEPs were elected on Sunday 7 June, but because of traditional polling days varying from country to country according to local custom, some countries held their elections in the three preceding days:

Thursday 4 June: United Kingdom and Netherlands.
Friday 5 June: Ireland and Czech Republic.
Saturday 6 June: Cyprus, France, Italy, Latvia, Malta, Slovakia, Czech Republic.Sunday 7 June: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden.

The EPP-ED group is credited with between 263 and 273 members of the European Parliament, against 155-165 MEPs for the PES, the European Parliament website indicated. In the outgoing 785-member European Parliament, EPP-ED had 284 MEPs to the PES's 215. The EPP remained by far the largest grouping in the 736-seat parliament. The Alliance of Liberal and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) obtained between 78 and 84 seats, down from 103 in the previous legislature. The Greens / European Free Alliance group won 52-56 MEPs, up from 42 last time around. The Eurosceptic Independence-Democracy group, which previously had 24 members, lost seats and has now 15-19 MEPs, while the Union for Europe of the Nations group (UEN) also lost members and is down from 44 to 33-37 MEPs. Similarly, the Confederal Group of the European Left / Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL), is down from 44 to 33-37 MEPs.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

CH-47 Chinook

CH-47 Chinook of the Hellenic (Greek) Army.

Athens – Greece.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is a multi-mission, heavy-lift transport helicopter. Its primary mission is to move troops, artillery, ammunition, fuel, water, barrier materials, supplies and equipment on the battlefield. Its secondary missions include medical evacuation, disaster relief, search and rescue, aircraft recovery, fire fighting, parachute drops, heavy construction and civil development.
Chinook helicopters were introduced in 1962 as the CH-47 Chinook, and were deployed in Vietnam. A central element in the Gulf War, they continue to be the standard for the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.

More aircraft images at my gallery:

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Hellenic Navy helicopters

S-70B-6 Aegean Hawk of the Hellenic Navy.
Athens, Greece – April 2009.

The Aegean Hawk helicopter is the Greek military variant of the Seahawk.
The S-70B-6 is a blend of the SH-60B Seahawk and the SH-60F Oceanhawk.
The Sikorsky SH-60 / MH-60 Seahawk is a twin turboshaft engine, multi-mission Navy helicopter based on the airframe of the Army UH-60 Black Hawk.
The Seahawk helicopter is able to deploy aboard any air-capable frigate, destroyer, cruiser, fast combat support ship, amphibious assault ship or aircraft carrier.It can handle anti-submarine warfare, undersea warfare, anti-surface warfare, naval special warfare, combat search and rescue (SAR), vertical replenishment and medical evacuation.



Agusta-Bell AB 212 helicopter of the Hellenic Navy.
Athens, Greece – April 2009.

The AB 212 helicopter is a military utility transport version of the Bell UH-1N Twin Huey, built under license in Italy by Agusta. The AB 212ASW is the anti-submarine warfare, anti-shipping version.


Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

April 2009

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Abasement

Abasement

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Loggia dei Lanzi

Loggia dei Lanzi

Piazza della Signoria, Florence, Italy.

A Roman copy of an original Greek work, statue of a man in armor supporting a heroically dying comrade. Probably depicting a scene from the Iliad (Trojan War), Menelaus and Patroclus or Ajax and Achilles.

The Loggia dei Lanzi is on a corner of the famous and popular Piazza della Signoria. The name dates back to the reign of Grand Duke Cosimo I, when it was used to house his German mercenary pikemen. After the construction of the Uffizi at the rear of the Loggia, the roof was modified and became a terrace from which the Medici princes could watch ceremonies in the piazza. The Loggia consists of wide arches open to the street and forms a small art museum that a visitor can enjoy at any time and for free.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

* This image is dedicated to all the victims of the earthquake (6.3 magnitude) that hit L'Aquila in central Italy yesterday (April 6, 2009).

March 2009

Kevrekidis Photography - March 2009

Aegean Sea

Equine Portrait

Wildflower II

Ghosts in the Playground

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

A Peaceful World

This pigeon was shot by someone for apparently no serious reason. The sight of this bird; a symbol of peace, reminded me of all the human casualties around the world…

Statistics show a total of at least 54 local wars and armed conflicts have taken place in the world in 2008. Besides the 2 large scale wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, there are also conflicts at Somalia, Burma, Philippines, Kashmir, Pakistan, India, Nigeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Sudan, Turkey, Angola and many more…

It’s a peaceful world…

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Immigrant Workers in Greece

Immigration in Greece has emerged as one of the major social issues with serious political and economic repercussions. The largest group of immigrants residing in Greece comes from ex communist countries. There are more than 1 million immigrants in Greece (equivalent to 10% of the population) mostly from Albania, followed by Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Pakistan, India, Egypt, Iraq, Kurdistan, Philippines and many African counties. Wages in Greece for work in the black market are 3 to 6 times higher than standard wages in their home countries. Yet, they have to live their lives in the insecurity and the constant fear of being deported. Since Greece has declared that is not an immigration country, there is hardly any state infrastructure to help immigrants integrate in the Greek society.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Ancient Corinth

The site of ancient Corinth was first inhabited in the Neolithic period (5000-3000 BC), and flourished as a major Greek city from the 8th century BC until its destruction by the Romans in 146 BC. Its commanding position on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow strip of land that separates the Peloponnese from northern Greece, was the primary basis of its importance. In Greek mythology, it was in Corinth that Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, abandoned Medea. During the Trojan War Corinthians participated under the leadership of Agamemnon. Being a leading naval power as well as a rich commercial city enabled ancient Corinth to establish colonies in Syracuse on the island of Sicily. Beginning in 582 BC, in the spring of every second year the Isthmian Games were celebrated in honor of the sea god Poseidon. The Corinthians developed the Corinthian order, the third order of the classical architecture after the Ionic and the Doric. The city was a major participant in the Persian Wars, offering forty war ships in the sea Battle of Salamis. After the end of the Peloponnesian War, Corinth and Thebes, which were former allies with Sparta in the Peloponnesian League, had grown dissatisfied with the hegemony of Sparta and started the Corinthian War against it. Corinth was conquered by Philip II of Macedon in 338 BC, but it was named the meeting place of Philip's new Hellenic confederacy. After Philip was assassinated, Alexander the Great immediately came to Corinth to meet with the confederacy, confirm his leadership, and forestall any thoughts of rebellion. At the Isthmian Games of 336 BC, the Greeks chose Alexander the Great to lead them in war against the Persians. Corinth was partially destroyed by the Romans in 146 BC, but in 44 BC it was rebuilt as a Roman city under Julius Caesar. The Apostle Paul visited Corinth in the 50s AD and later wrote two letters to the Christian community at Corinth (the books of Corinthians in the New Testament). Although Paul intended to pass through Corinth a second time before he visited Macedonia, circumstances were such that he first went from Troas to Macedonia before stopping at Corinth for a "second benefit". In 267 AD, the invasion of the Herulians initiated the decline of the city. During Alaric's invasion of Greece in 395–396, he destroyed Corinth and sold many of its citizens into slavery. Nevertheless, Corinth remained inhabited for many centuries through successive invasions, destructions and plagues.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

Kevrekidis Photography at Flickr

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Amarynthos

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Amarynthos (Vatheia) – Evia, Greece.
Αμάρυνθος (Βάθεια) – Εύβοια.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Attiki Odos

Athens – Greece.
The Attiki Odos is a modern motorway, extending along 65 km. It constitutes the ring road of the greater metropolitan area of Athens and the backbone of the road network of the entire Attica region.

Αττική Οδός, στο «δαχτυλίδι» της Λεωφόρου Κηφισίας, στο Μέγαρο του ΟΤΕ. Σταθμός Προαστιακού.
Η Αττική Οδός είναι ένας σύγχρονος αυτοκινητόδρομος μήκους 65 χλμ. Αποτελεί τον περιφερειακό δακτύλιο της ευρύτερης μητροπολιτικής περιοχής της Αθήνας και τη σπονδυλική στήλη του οδικού δικτύου ολόκληρου του Νομού Αττικής.

Kevrekidis Photography at deviantART

©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Maenads

My wife and her girlfriends dancing barefoot like the Maenads…

In Greek mythology, the Maenads were the female followers of god Dionysus. Their name literally translates as "raving ones". Often the maenads were portrayed as inspired by Dionysus into a state of ecstatic frenzy, through a combination of dancing and drunken intoxication. In this state, they would lose all self control, begin shouting excitedly, engage in uncontrolled sexual behavior, and ritualistically hunt down and tear animals (and sometimes men and children) to pieces, devouring the raw flesh.Τhey were also called Bacchae, Bacchantes, Bassarides, Thyiades, Potniades.

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©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Oxidation

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©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Paralympic Games

Wheelchair Racing.

Athens 2004 Paralympic Games, September 17-28, 2004.

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©2004 - 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Mediterranean Sunrise II

South Evian Gulf - Greece

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©2008 - 2009 Jordan Kevrekidis

Epiphany

Epiphany (alteration of Greek epiphaneia appearance, manifestation, from epiphainein to manifest), or 'The Blessing of the Waters', is held every year on January 6 throughout all of Greece. In this ritual a priests toss a cross in the waters, followed by young men diving into the frigid sea to retrieve the symbol of the Christian faith. The brave swimmer who recovers the cross is thought to be blessed with good luck throughout the year.

Epiphany is celebrated by both the Eastern and Western Churches, but a major difference between them is over precisely which historical events the feast commemorates. For Western Christians the feast primarily commemorates the coming of the Magi, while in the East the feast celebrates the Baptism of Christ in river Jordan. However, in both cases the essence of the feast is the same: the manifestation of Christ to the world (whether as an infant or in the Jordan), and the Mystery of the Incarnation.

For the Orthodox Christians called the Feast of Theophany (Greek: Θεοφάνεια, "God shining forth" or "divine manifestation"), it is one of the Great Feasts of the liturgical year. This term has been used to refer to appearances of the gods in the ancient Greek and Near Eastern religions. Theophanies occur throughout Greek mythology, while the Iliad is our earliest source for descriptions in the Classical tradition.

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©2009 Jordan Kevrekidis