Macedonian League
  • Who We Are
  • Advocacy
  • Media Center
  • Resources
  • Take Action
  • Contact

Momoeria, New Year's celebration in eight villages of Kozani area, West Macedonia, Greece makes UNESCO Cultural Heritage List

12/2/2016

0 Comments

 
Inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
Picture
Photo credit: Kostas Alexandridis (UNESCO)
From December 25 to January 5 in Kozani, west Macedonia, Greece, dancers, actors and musicians can be seen performing in village streets and visiting people’s homes to celebrate the coming of the new year.

The Momoeria dancers, a group made up of 30 male performers, are a special focus. They represent the priests of Momos (god of laughter and satire) or commanders of Alexander the Great wearing helmets, pleated skirts, traditional shoes and brandishing sticks dancing under their leader’s command to convince the powers of nature not to endanger the livelihood of villagers.
Video credit: UNESCO

​Actors surround the dancers performing a well-known satirical play featuring characters like an old man and the devil (this can vary among villages) who the audience is invited to tease creating a fun atmopshere. Instruments like the bagpipe play in the background.


The practice is mainly to wish the community prosperity in the year ahead, including healthy offspring and good harvests but now also encourages the sustainable management of natural resources.

Festivities culminate in the town square with everyone singing and dancing around a fire until morning. Transmitted informally from older to younger generations, it symbolizes part of the community’s cultural identity and helps to build social integration.

Source: UNESCO
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Media/News Center

    Keep up to date with the latest news and developments that impact Greece's national security and Balkan regional stability.


    Picture

    Επίσης Διαβάστε

    Τα άρθρα του
    Μάρκου Α. Τέμπλαρ
    στα Ελληνικά εδω.

    Categories

    All
    Annual Assessment
    Current Affairs
    FYROM Watch
    Marcus A. Templar
    Press Releases

    Please Visit & Support

    Picture
    Picture

    RSS Feed

    Highlighted Papers

    Skopje's NATO Adventures: A Conversation on Insanity and Megalomania. The FYROM: Bribing its Way to Membership
    ​
    -- by Marcus A. Templar
    Ilinden: A Story of the Web and the Harpoon - The “People’s Republic of Krushevo”
    -- by Marcus A. Templar
    Fallacies and Facts on the Macedonian Issue
    -- by Marcus A. Templar
    A Synopsis of the FYROM Name Issue
    ​
    -- by Marcus A. Templar
    The Treaty of Bucharest: Borders of the Balkan countries as of 10 August 1913
    ​-- by Marcus A. Templar
    III Communist International, Fifth Congress - June 17-July 8, 1924 "Resolution on National Question in Central Europe and the Balkans" The Balkans: Macedonian and Thracian Questions
    -- Comintern Journal #7
    An Introduction to and Remarks on the Comintern Resolution of 11 January 1934
    -- by Marcus A. Templar
    Eliminating Opposition One Way or Another: The Case of the Expelled Swabian Germans and the Kidnapping of Greek Children
    ​
    -- by Marcus A. Templar
(c) 2014-2024 The Macedonian League