Katerina's Kouzina - Authentic Greek Recipes and more

Celebrating the first of May Greek style

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May first is a celebration throughout all of Greece, with its roots in ancient times. Mother nature was impersonated in the Goddess Dimitra. Dimitra lost her daughter Persephone who remained in Hades – the underworld – so the story goes. But every spring Persephone could return to her mother, who was so happy every time she saw her daughter back that she expressed her happiness by making nature blossom everywhere.

Collecting wild flowers

We still celebrate this day in modern Greece by enjoying a picnic in the countryside and collecting wild flowers. We make wreaths with these colorful flowers and hang them on the front of our house, welcoming mother nature into our homes. An interesting detail is that the flowers for the wreaths should be wild, with a few preferably stolen from other gardens. So to stick to tradition I got out of bed extra early yesterday, stole a couple of bright flowers and made a truly traditional wreath for the Odyssey!

The first of May turned out to be really beautiful on Poros. The sun was shining over the sparkling sea; a perfect day to welcome mother nature. At the Odyssey our guest Roz was making garlands of flowers.

My daughter Dora wore one of them.

This is an example of the wreaths on our neighbors doors.

There are so many beautiful flowers to pick all over Poros...

Children were putting them in each others hair.

If you didn’t pick flowers yesterday, be sure to pick them today!

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