OVERVIEW .

Greeks are extremely proud of their culture

LANGUAGE:
Greek language and dialect can vary from island to island
The first written Greek letters were found on baked mud tablets in the remains on Crete island

SUPERSTITIONS:
The Greeks are very superstitious and believe in religion and supernatural or paranormal
phenomenon.
A common superstition is that someone can catch the evil eye, or matiasma, from a jealous
compliment or envy
Another belief is that spitting chases the devil away

RELIGION:
Religion is one of the most important aspects of Greek life
98% of Greeks are Orthodox Christian

FOOD AND DRINK:

Baklava, moussaka, and kleftiko are some famous Greek recipes
Ouzo is a form of Greek alcohol.
Greece is famous for its unique herbs and spices in their cooking.

THE FAMILY:
Families are extremely close-knit
The man is the head of the household and the woman maintains the household.

CELEBRATIONS/HOLIDAYS:
Easter is the most important holiday.
The Easter season begin two months before the holiday and includes fasting from meat and
animal products.
Greeks attend church every day during Holy Week.

Name Day Celebration

Very important celebration (similar to birthday celebrations of US) because Greeks owe their
names to Saints.
Everyone named after a saint celebrates his name on a given day of the year.

Marriage
Men must ask a woman’s father for her hand
Father of the bride offers a furnished home to the couple

Baptism
Occurs in baby’s first year of life
The baby is immersed in holy water three times
The baby receives a gold chain with a cross on it and the takes their first Holy Communion

ETIQUETTE:
Social life takes place among close family and friends and often involves food, drink, music, and
dancing
Drinking is acceptable, but getting drunk is considered disgraceful
Hosts are always gracious to their guests

HEALTH CARE PRACTICES

ANCIENT GREECE:
Ancient Greeks viewed illness as a punishment and healing as a gift from the gods.
Physicians relied on religion and philosophy rather than science.
Ancient Greeks also believed that lifestyle factors such as heat, cold, and cleanliness played a
huge part in illness and healing.

There were no professional qualifications for doctors in ancient Greece, however, the famous
Hippocratic Oath was established among a select group of doctors. The Oath made doctors swear
by the Gods to operate within community values and cause no harm to patients.

Hippocrates was regarded as the father of medicine. His idea was that ‘humours’ made up all
living things. ‘Humours’ meant blood, phlegm, and bile.

Malnutrition, dehydration, hypothermia, fever, and typhoid were common illnesses among
ancient Greeks.
Doctors also treated wounded soldiers returning from battle. They mostly dealt with puncture
wounds and learned the importance of proper wound cleaning and stopping blood loss.

Surgery was not common and use of anesthetic was rare. Wounds were closed using flax or linen
thread and dressed with linen bandages, sponges, or leaves.

Greeks often self-medicated using food and plants.

MODERN GREECE:

Greece experienced an economic crisis in 2007 that led to a 27% increase in suicide rates among
men. Infectious disease rates also increased by 13% due to the poor economic state.

Presently, Greece does not spend much money on health. Some Greek islands have little to no
healthcare facilities or supplies.

Overall, Greeks are considered very healthy people. Currently, Greece has one of the highest life
expectancies out of all European countries and the numbers of Heart disease cases are among the
lowest in the world.
PREGNANCY .

TRADITIONS:

-From conception, Greeks honor the baby’s life with caring and nurturance

-Pregnancy in Greece is influenced largely by religion

-The couple and baby receive physical, emotional, and spiritual support primarily through prayer

-The woman should inform the priest of pregnancy so he may include the woman and unborn
child in prayers

-Pregnant women are encouraged to attend the liturgical services and to receive the sacraments

-If a woman becomes pregnant without planning, both the father and the mother must take
responsibility for the nurturance and care of their child. Abortion is believed to be sinful and
wrong

-Adoption is an acceptable and noble practice if parents are unable to conceive their own

-Birth control is generally accepted among the Orthodox except when it aborts a fetus after
conception.

-The priest can come and visit you in the hospital or at home for special prayers for the mother
and child

-If there is a miscarriage the priest can visit you for counseling and offer special prayers for
healing

-Staying home for 40 days is a common practice in Greece

-It is also recommended by doctors due to the following reasons:
* New borns are sensitive to bright lights during the first 6 weeks

* Newborns are at high risk for infection

* A child receives its first vaccine at 6 weeks

* Parents are asked not to have any sick visitor or those who have not been vaccinated around the
baby for 6 weeks

* Bonding time is very important in the first 6 weeks

* Recovery period for both the mother and baby

* Post-natal depression is likely to occur during this time frame

* It may take 6 weeks or longer for a mother to feel comfortable with breastfeeding

-On the fortieth day after birth, the mother and child are invited to the church temple for a prayer
service to reunite the mother and unite the child to the faith community.

- 40 Day recovery time was used as bonding time for the newborn child. (the mother and child
did not travel outside the home until both were strong enough) & the first place they went was to
the temple/church

-Greek superstitions assume that the new mother was said to be a source of jealousy and was to
avoid receiving the “evil eye” from others in public

-Another superstition is that the babies clothes should never be washed or dried at night to avoid
evil spirits

-babies are named after their grandparents (a boy would get his grandfather’s name on his
father’s side)

MODERN PRACTICES:

-Recovery time is much faster.

-The 40 Day recovery time and staying home is not always followed

-If able, the mother is encouraged to attend church services but should refrain from receiving
Holy Communion until after the 40 Day Churching

-Superstitions are not always followed

SPIRITUALITY .

The word ‘spirituality’ comes from Greek root words that mean wind, breath, or air; that which
gives life.

Due to the close relationship between spirituality and religion, many people confuse the two.

SPIRITUALITY:
Spirituality focuses on where meaning is found, how a person feels connected, and how they
should live to continue finding meaning.

Greek people experience spirituality in different ways. Some examples include art, nature,
personal relationships, and having a connection with God.
Greek spirituality is also based heavily on mythology.
Greek mythology is well known amongst many cultures but a staple in the Greek culture.
The main emphasis of Greek mythology is that humans are weak in comparison to the
powerful forces of Greek gods.
Greeks allow the Gods to direct and influence their beliefs and teachings.

RELIGION:
Religion focuses more on true and false, right and wrong, and the exact practices a person should
follow according to their faith.

Greeks are mainly Orthodox Christians.

The Orthodox church proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Gospel is an exclamation of “the good news” and emphasizes God’s love for all mankind.

NUTRITION .

The word “diet” comes from the Greek language and originally meant “way of life.”

Greek diets include foods such as: fresh vegetables, olives, olive oil, yogurt, fish, cheese, nuts,
legumes, a variety of seasoning herbs, and wine.
Another name for this is the Mediterranean diet.
Studies have shown that this diet can prevent heart disease, cancer, and weight gain.
It is known as one of the healthiest diets in the world.

Food is used as a social element during social gatherings (much like here in the US).
Greeks have experienced a slight change in diet due to tourism and increased demand for process
foods.

Famous Greek foods:

Baklava: dessert made of dough with honey and nuts
Moussaka: eggplant, ground beef, and a white sauce
Kleftiko: lamb dish
Ouzo: alcohol flavored with the anise plant, has a similar taste to licorice
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