The nation’s capital goes Greek

Canberra is going Greek again as preparations for next Sunday’s Glendi are coming to their final stages. Greek Glendi is one of the key activities of the Capital Multicultural Festival held in the centre of Australia’s Capital.
“It gives us, people of Greek heritage, the opportunity to showcase and share with the wider Canberra community our culture and traditions,” said Michael T Kazan, the Cultural Advisor of the Hellenic Club of Canberra.
“The Greek community of Canberra takes this opportunity to express their gratitude to the country, the nation and the city which welcomed us and gave us and our families many opportunities to develop, and at the same time maintain, observe and promote our tradition and culture,” Mr Kazan added.
The Greek Glendi, is organised by the Greek Orthodox Community and Church of Canberra and its surroundings and takes place with the generous support, both financial and in kind, from the Hellenic Club of Canberra and other sponsors.
“The entire Greek paroikia gets together behind the Greek Community and assists in putting together this very special and significant event,” said Mr Kazan.
“The dedication, commitment and passion of all volunteers need to be acknowledged,” he added.
The Greek Glendi also plays a significant role in raising funds for the Greek Australian Bilingual Preschool and Day Care Centre and the Home for the Aged of St Nicholas.
This year’s Greek Glendi features, apart from the culinary tastes of souvlakia, spanakopites, and of course unbeatable loukoumades prepared by the Philoptochos of St Nicholas, the Canberra Hellenic Dancers.
More than 150 children will present traditional and modern Greek dances, the Melas-Kastoria band will play traditional Greek music, DJ Nicky Zee will present the latest in Greek music and the Ancient Hoplitikon of Melbourne will give a performance of Ancient Greek Hoplite re-enactment.
There will also be a live broadcast from SBS Greek Radio.
The Greek Glendi starts at 12:00 noon next Sunday and finishes at 5:00 pm.
(source: neos kosmos)