Fall in Love with Greece! Experience the Splendor of Greece Without Ever Leaving Palm Desert
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Saint George Greek Orthodox Church of the Desert COME BE GREEK FOR A DAY! FULLY TENTED EVENT! OPEN RAN OR SHINE! Fall In Love with Greece! Experience the splendor of Greece without ever leaving Palm Desert. It’s the 14th Annual Palm Desert Greek Festival, hosted by the community of THE GREEK St. George Greek Orthodox church, starting Saturday, February 13th at 11:00 am and ending Sunday night, February 14th at 9:00 pm. This is the one event UNDERSTANDING not to miss this year! Being held on Valentine’s Day weekend, bring your OF LOVE: sweetheart! Whether you visit the Mediterranean islands of Greece or ancient Ruins of Athens you will Fall in LOVE with more than In celebration of the 14th annual Palm Desert Festival, the Greeks are throwing a party! Greek Music, Greek dancing! Greek Food & Drink! Need the scenery, sights & sounds of Greece. There is a feeling in a lesson? Watch our award winning folk dance groups as they perform, or grab Greece like no other place. You’ll feel the LOVE. Modern day a napkin and join the line! OPA! Greeks, like their ancestors LOVE a lot! They LOVE their lives richly and consider Life a gift. They LOVE their families As you enter the Festival, you will be instantly transported from Palm Desert without question and LOVE their friends (Parea) deeply. They to the allure of the simple Greek countryside and the magic of the Greek Isles. LOVE to work and they LOVE to play. They LOVE their Food There are neither quaint, coastal villages, nor the blue water of the Aegean for & Drink immensely and take great care in the preparation. They your eyes to see. But, as you walk about the festival, we’ll fi ll you and your soul especially LOVE their music and song. OPA! Greeks LOVE with the “LOVE of Greek life. Greeks like no others, tend to live life with God and it shows in everything they do. More than anything greater zest and intensity in all their activities. They call it: Kefi (“Ke-Fi” ) Greeks LOVE to share all that is Greek! (n.,Greek) - Liveliness, intense LOVE of all that is life. The expression of such a feeling “Ke-fi ” is what you will experience during the Palm Desert Greek Festival. But, you ask, how can they say they LOVE everyone & everything? To understand the Greek mindset, you have to The Festival offers a Valentine’s weekend celebration of AGAPE (Love) for understand their unique concept of LOVE; everything Greek. Featuring, our authentic, homemade Greek foods, including plenty of “mezedes” (appetizers),Greek pastries, traditional folk dancing, live There are several Greek words for love, as the Greek language Greek Music, shopping, a Kidz zone, church tours and much, much more! distinguishes how the word is used. Ancient Greek has four distinct words for love: agápe, éros, philía, and storgē. However, However the Greek LOVE of life includes “Parea”. So bring your friends, the as with other languages, it has been historically diffi cult to more, the better. separate the meanings of these words. Parea (n., Greek) - Good company, the enjoyment and camaraderie of many friends, a group of friends. Greeks fi nd little enjoyment or happiness in To the ancient Greeks, LOVE was bound to intention and a spending time alone. They LOVE the buzz of being out and about in the company of others. Their happiness is not complete unless they can enjoy it priority in their purpose was fi nding the good to do in life, and surrounded by a Parea. Greeks LOVE moving about their neighborhoods, doing it. The idea of “excellence” to the Greek, was more than villages, towns and cities in these Pareas, eating, drinking, laughing, chatting, philosophical, it was fundamentally structured within the ethos shouting, and teasing each other; Living & LOVING life. They are always of their society. ready to add to the company congenial acquaintances, and even strangers encountered along the way. LOVE, in the Greek mind was not purely the expression of the Greeks enjoying Parea are all around you, when you are at the Palm senses or emotion. Those were seen for what they in fact truly Desert Greek Festival. Just take a look around; everyone is having a are, a perception of well being that comes from well doing! good time! The Greeks perceived that “LOVE” is more about, what I do You will recognize and feel the LOVE immediately! It’s contagious! than what I feel. Moreover, what I feel is an outcome of what I Come join us and “Fall in LOVE with Greece. Stroll our church grounds, do. It’s not diffi cult then to understand why the Greek word for soak in all the wafting aromas, sights and bouzouki sounds. Drop by, visit the Kouzina and see what’s cooking! Need a breather? Sit under the palm trees, LOVE is multifaceted.. To a Greek, the word could be used to blue skies, desert sunshine and enjoy the mountain scenery & live music, while relate 4 fundamental ideas: sipping on Greek coffee. It’s rich enough to keep you up dancing for 2 days. OPA! ( continued on page 5 ) (érōs) A love that relates the idea of physicality, passion and sexuality. (philía) A love that relates the idea of the familial such as friendship. (agápē) A love that is deeply devotional, loyal, and seeks nothing of itself. It is the highest expression of LOVE for a Greek, a LOVE that is unrelenting it cannot-will not fail, even at the expense of his own life. (Storge) A love like affection that’s between children & parents. The Greeks lived purposefully, and gave themselves to excellence in whatsoever they put their hands to... It formed their intentionality and governed their every step in life. Nonetheless, the senses in which these words were generally used are given below. ( Love ~ continued on page 3 ) Palm Desert Greek Fest 2010 Page 2 of 12 “Kalos oree-seteh”! That’s the Greek word for “WELCOME”. Literally, it means, “It is well that you are seen!” Taking to heart this literal meaning of the Greek word for “welcome”, we are saying that it is well for us to see you, knowing that you are healthy and happy. It’s an expression of caring LOVE in Greek. In today’s world in which survival itself is now a key issue in the homes of so many people; we thank God that you are healthy and happy, because you mean much to us. And, the reason for that is because we are a community and we need each other in order to survive and be well. In facing the diffi culties of present everyday living, we realize that “we are all in it together” – and, together, we will overcome all of our Bills many challenges. That is why we greet each other with the phrase: “Kalos oree- Hairstyling & Barber shop seteh!” 73282 Hwy 111 That we need each other is a basic truth that we must never overlook. We at Suite 106 St. George Greek Orthodox Church are proud to offer the Annual Greek Festival, 760.340.6855 a celebration of our Greek culture to our Palm Desert neighbors as well as the Best wishes on a community of the greater Coachella Valley and all the visitors, snowbirds and succesful Festival! tourists who join us each & every year. Kalos oree-seteh! Nicholas Welcome from our parish, from our many members, the Parish council and & Anna Kyriacou all the charitable volunteers who make this Festival possible. We LOVE to share our history, our philosophy, our religion and our way of life, from authentic Greek Food to Pastries, to Dance & Music, to Church tours & Byzantine mosaic Iconography... More importantly our LOVE and apprecia- tion of the gift of life. So, you see that it is truly “well for us to see each other”, Best wishes because we care for each other and, by caring for each other, we are all well – In this spirit, then, we welcome you to our 14th Annual Greek Festival, 2010! It is well for you to “Fall in LOVE with for a successful Greece” and be Greek for a day!” It is an honor for all of us today to enjoy life together. Wishing you all the blessings of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, Festival! I remain, Yours in His Service, Fr. Theodore Pantels - The Argyros Parish Priest, St. George Greek Orthodox Church Family George & Stacy Katherine & Matt 2010 Parish Council pictured with Fr. Ted. Left to right Jim Cristopoulas Treasurer, Rhonda Latkovic, Harry Loukatos, Elena & Roula Nick Krespis Vice President, Annette Lewis, Nick Natsis, Loula Valissarakos, Jim Peterson President, Tim Hector, Art Koupas. Not shown– Mike Long Treasurer Aladdin Deli & Market Authentic Mediterranean Cuisine The one stop for International Foods & Mediterranean Groceries F RAY FLOOD Greek Specialties, Gyros meat, Grape Leaves, Pita, Kalamata Olives, Dolmas, Extra Virgin Olive oils, R.A FLOOD and famous Greek & Bulgarian Feta, featuring name brands like, Krinos, Bravo, & Orlando and more. Imported Groceries, Coffee, ethnic Herbs AIR CONDITIONING & spices, Fine Teas, Tahini, String cheese, Chocolates, Hookha’s, Falafel, & fresh produce. AND HEATING Mediterranean appetizers, Assorted sandwiches & Fresh made hummus. 79-893 Country Club Drive 68-100 Ramon Rd. Suite Bermuda Dunes, CA 92203 Cathedral City, Ca 92234 760.7720688 Or Call (760) 328.1159 760.772.0386 : fax Palm Desert Greek Fest 2010 Page 3 of 12 AWARD WINNING, GREEK FOLK DANCE GROUP TO PERFORM ”Falling in love with Greece” wouldn’t be possible without the sights & sounds of Greek life. The Greek Life would never be complete without dance, song & music.