By Maddie

Today

• EU and GREECE

• ANCIENT GREECE

• CULTURE

• NATIONAL DRESS

• GREEK PEOPLE

• FOODS

• ISLANDS

• GREEK GODS

• FAST FACTS

• GAME SHOW

Greece and the EU

• There are just over 11m Greeks living in the country.

• Greece joined the European Union in 1981.

• Greece’s currency is the Euro and it adopted it in 2001.

• Before joining the Euro Greece’s currency was the Drachma.

• Earlier this year in 2015, The Greek people voted for a new Communist Political party hoping that it will help the country become richer.

• The leader of this party in Alexis Tsipras who at 40 is the countries youngest ever Prime Minister.

Ancient Greece

• The Ancient Greeks held many festivals in honour of their gods.

• To celebrate the Greek God Zeus, the first Greek Olympic games were held in the city of Olympia in 776 BC and are thought of to have inspired our own Olympic Games!

• The winners in each event were given a wreath of leaves, and then returned home, they would be given free meals and the best seats in the theatre.

• Events at the Olympics included wrestling, boxing, long jump, javelin, discus and chariot racing.

• Those taking part in the wrestling event had to be the toughest, as there were hardly any rules and they had to compete naked.

• The Greeks had statues of their Gods inside temples, the most famous is the Parthenon. in Athens that was built for the goddess Athena, the protector of the city.

Culture

• Greece is one of the oldest nations in Europe, with a history going back thousand of years.

• The culture of ancient Greece has a major influence on the development of western civilization in; drama, art, architecture, literature, music, philosophy and mythology.

• Greek mythology has had a strong influence throughout the world - The most important god in Greek mythology was Zues, the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods.

• Aesops fables were believed to be written by a Greek slave around 600 BC. Every story ends with a moral.

National dress

• Most Greek people wear modern clothing, although traditional clothing is still worn in some rural areas.

• Many people in Greece wear black all the time to show respect for the dead.

• Different areas in Greece have different national dress.

• Crete island national dress consists of: waistcoat with embroidery, dress, back apron, apron, vraka trousers, headscarf and necklaces.

GREEK PEOPLE

• Greek people hang out at at beaches and cafes.

• Food is a big part of Greek life.

• Greek children do not celebrate birthdays instead celebrate their name day -The name day is on the day of the saint they were named after.

• For example every one called Catherine celebrates on St Catherine’s day.

Foods• Greeks eat a healthy diet with lots of grilled meats, seafoods and salads.

• The national dish is Moussaka – made from Cinnamon Spiced lamb, Aubergines, and a delicious creamy sauce.

• Other dishes are Dolmades or stuffed Vine Leaves and my dads favourite – Kleftiko, a slow roast lamb shank cooked in delicious spices.

• Restaraunts in Greece are called tavernas, at night dinner usually begins at 9:00 PM and lasts until midnight.

• The olive trees in Greece are usually quite small but last for hundreds of years,

GREEK ISLANDS

• There are 140 inhabited islands in Greece.

• Crete is the largest out of the Greek islands.

• The Greek islands Patmos and Tinos have strong connections to Christianity.

• The Greek islands are divided into seven main groups.

Greek Gods

Zeus – The King of the Gods and the God of the Sky

Zeus is married to Hera - the Queen of Goddess

Hermes – The God of TravelAris – the God of War Athena – Goddess of battle Aphrodite – Goddess of Love

Posidon & Hades – Zeus’s brothers

They had over 100 children….

http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/story562-pandoras-box.html

Fast Facts

• The official name for Greece is the Hellenic republic.

• The capital and largest city in Greece is Athens and other major cities include;

• Thessalanik.

• Patras.

• Heraklion.

• The major religion is Orthodox Christian.

• The Olympic games where held to honour Zues.

• The Greek flag colours of blue & white and represent sky, sea and independence.