THE GREEK AUSTRALIAN The oldest circulating Greek newspaper outside Greece email: VEMA [email protected] DECEMBER 2003 Tel. (02) 9559 7022 Fax: (02) 9559 7033 In this issue... Our Primate’s Christmas Message PAGE 6/36 Best wishes Kythera: to you all An island revealed for a Merry PAGE 11/41 Christmas and a Happy New Year Cancer researcher wins major research grant PAGE 12/42 “FULL MARKS” to St. Basil’s Homes It was cheers all round as St. Basil’s Homes achieved the 44 out of 44 compliance out- comes in the rigorous accred- itation system. Julie Bishop, the new minister for Ageing, visited St. Basil’s Homes on Friday 28 November, to per- sonally award the accredita- tion certificates to the three ATHENS 2004 successful facilities of St. Basil’s Homes. They are Sis- Organisers unveil ter Dorothea Village Hostel in Annandale, Lourantos Vil- operational lage Hostel and St. Basil’s Nursing Home in Lakemba plan (NSW). PAGE 32/62 PAGE 10/40 DECEMBER 2003 2/32 TO BHMA The Greek Australian VEMA DID YOU KNOW? The first known commercial around-the-world passenger may be Giovanni Francesco Gemelli Carreri. Between 1693-98 the Italian sailed to Mexico, crossed by land to the Pacific, then returned to Italy on other ships via Asia. Christmas is coming! IN GREECE The first official Australian Christmas country. One version in particular is that pre- was celebrated on 25 December 1788 at sented by Radio Community Chest in By W. C. Egan Sydney Cove by Reverend Johnson. Sydney Town Hall - a tradition that has Following the service Arthur Phillips, the taken place for over 50 years, with proceeds Christmas in Greece is beginning to Governor, presided over a traditional going to those in need. A choir of over 500 resemble the holidays in Western Europe Christmas meal with his officers ending with is drawn from churches throughout Sydney. and North America. It was once a quiet, a loyal toast to King George III. However, The school summer holidays start a week spiritual time with very little commercial- there was no special meal for the convicts - before Christmas with children being off ization, but now (especially in the urban they had to make do with their normal until after Australia Day on 26 January. This areas), it has become more frenzied and rations of bread. is a time when exams are over and results are flashy. Preparation for Christmas starts in early eagerly awaited! December when decorations are put up, Many people will attend the midnight ser- St. Nicholas is important in Greece as the including door wreaths, artificial trees and vice on Christmas Eve before returning patron saint of sailors. According to Greek nativity scenes. Christmas cards with home to wait for Father Christmas/Santa tradition, his clothes are drenched with designs similar to those found in the UK and Claus to come and leave presents under tree. brine, his beard drips with seawater, and his US (holly, snow scenes, Dickensian Before they go to bed, children leave out a face is covered with perspiration because he Christmas scenes etc) are sent out to family glass of milk or coke for him and some car- has been working hard against the waves to and friends. In many homes, Christmas rots for his reindeer. Christmas Day is a time for families to get January 16, 1991: At midnight in Iraq, reach sinking ships and rescue them from cakes and puddings will be baked ready to together and exchange gifts before either the United Nations deadline for the Iraqi the angry sea. To members of the Eastern eat on Christmas Day. In the cities and going to church or having their Christmas withdrawal from Kuwait expires, and Orthodox Church, as are most Greek towns, many shopping centres and stores lunch. Until recently this would have been a the Pentagon prepares to commence Christians, Christmas ranks second to Easter have their own ‘Santa’ for children to meet. offensive operations to forcibly eject in the roster of important holidays. Yet there Iraq from its five-month occupation of are a number of unique customs associated its oil-rich neighbor. with Christmas that are uniquely Greek. On Christmas Eve, village children trav- el from house to house offering good wishes December 23 and singing kalanda, the equivalent of car- ols. Often the songs are accompanied by 1986 - Voyager completes global flight small metal triangles and little clay drums. The children are frequently rewarded with After nine days and four minutes in the sky, the sweets and dried fruits. After 40 days of fast- experimental aircraft Voyager lands at ing, the Christmas feast is looked forward to Edwards Air Force Base in California, com- with great anticipation by adults and chil- pleting the first nonstop flight around the globe dren alike. Pigs are slaughtered and on on one load of fuel. Piloted by Americans Dick almost every table are loaves of christopso- Rutan and Jeana Yeager, Voyager was made mo (“Christ Bread”). This bread is made in mostly of plastic and stiffened paper and car- large sweet loaves of various shapes and the ried more than three times its weight in fuel crusts are engraved and frosted with sym- when it took off from Edwards Air Force Base bols that in some way that reflects the fami- on December 14. By the time it returned, after ly’s profession. It is served with dried figs, flying 25,012 miles around the planet, it had nuts, and honey. just five gallons of fuel left in its remaining Christmas morning begins with an early operational fuel tank. Liturgy at the Greek Orthodox Church. After the service, Greeks feast on roast December 29 turkey stuffed with chestnuts, rice, pine nuts, and a nut cookie called kourambiethes. 1940 - Worst air raid on London Baklava, another sweet dessert, is made from layers of phyllo pastry, filled with On the evening of December 29, 1940, London almonds and cinnamon, and then soaked in suffers its most devastating air raid when lemon syrup. Germans firebomb the city. Hundreds of In almost every home it is traditional to ‘Carols by Candlelight’ is a tradition fires caused by the exploding bombs have a shallow wooden bowl with a piece of which started in Australia in 1937 engulfed areas of London, but fire- wire suspended across the rim; from that fighters showed a valiant indifference to hangs a sprig of basil wrapped around a the bombs falling around them and saved wooden cross. A small amount of water is Because it is so warm at this time, flowers traditional meal of turkey, cranberry sauce, much of the city from destruction. The kept in the bowl to keep the basil alive and tend to be the main form of decoration, par- ham, pork and vegetables followed by a next day, a newspaper photo of fresh. Once a day, a family member, usually ticularly the native Christmas Bush (a plant flaming Christmas pudding with brandy St. Paul's Cathedral standing undamaged the mother, dips the cross and basil into which has little red flowered leaves) and sauce. amid the smoke and flames seemed to symbol- some holy water and uses it to sprinkle water Christmas Bell. However, some people do However, due to the diversity of cultures ize the capital's unconquerable spirit during the in each room of the house. have a real tree with lights and decorations, within Australia, and the fact that the weath- Battle of Britain. Christmas trees which were once rare in which are put up just before Christmas Eve. er is so hot at this time of year, many people Greece are becoming more popular. They Christmas carols are played throughout the now have cold meat or seafood with salads January 8 are usually artificial and are placed in the country - traditional songs such as ‘Once in and it is often taken as a picnic either to the home in mid-December, decorated with tin- Royal David’s City’ and ‘Little Town of country or to the beach. 1916 - Allies retreat from Gallipoli sel and topped off with a star. The large light Bethlehem’ as well as typically Aussie In some parts of Australia there is a new tree at Syntagma Square in Athens is 125 ft. songs such as ‘Six White Boomers’, ‘The tradition beginning to take hold - that of On January 8, 1916, Allied forces stage a full tall. It has 60,000 light bulbs on it. North Wind’ and ‘The Carol of the Birds’. ‘Christmas in July’, which is the coldest retreat from the shores of the Gallipoli Christmas celebrations end on Epiphany, Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’ is also month of the year as it is in the middle of our Peninsula in Turkey, ending a disastrous inva- January 6. On this day, the priests dip cruci- popular down under! winter. Temperatures are still well above sion of the Ottoman Empire. The Gallipoli fixes in the sea and give them the Blessing of ‘Carols by Candlelight’ is a tradition which freezing but it is cooler than it is in Campaign resulted in 250,000 Allied casualties the Waters. started in 1937. It is held every year on December! This is when families will gath- and greatly discredited Allied military com- Christmas Eve at the Myer Music Bowl, er together and have the traditional mand. Roughly an equal number IN AUSTRALIA Melbourne when thousands of people gath- Christmas meal together with all the trim- of Turks were killed or wounded. er to sing their favourite Christmas songs, mings including party hats and streamers Christmas in Australia and New Zealand lighting up the night sky with candles.