GREECE – The Komboloi

GREECE – The Komboloi

Grecia

Anyone who has already been to Greece will surely have seen men of all ages holding a kind of “necklace” made up of small stones and passing it continuously between their fingers. This object is called komboloi and is precisely a row of pearls passed on a thin string whose ends are tied together and decorated with a finish.

As a first idea, it may seem like just a tool against boredom, an anti-stress or a method to avoid smoking too much. In reality, komboloi is much more, for the Greeks it represents a philosophy; accompanies them in every moment of the day, in moments of joy and pain, relieves them of stress, suffers and celebrates with them.

The komboloi is made up of pearls of different materials (wood, ceramic, glass, bone) and is present in different shades of colors. The most prestigious ones are however those in amber.

It is also called the Greek rosary, but unlike these prayer tools, the number of stones in the komboloi can vary and the pearls can slide along the thread that holds them together.

So even if it has no religious value, it is used to recite the Jesus prayer, repeated for all the komboloi grains. Some end with a cross and others with a tassel, which should serve to wipe away the tears following the prayer of the heart.

The komboloi was at first a symbol of power of the upper social classes: the local gentlemen carried with them a heavy and precious komboloi that ended with a silken end to be caressed.

Then with the passage of time, it has conquered all social classes becoming very popular but still remaining a purely male accessory.

In Nafplio there is the Komboloi Museum, which houses – in addition to a collection of rosaries of different religions – hundreds of different komboloi, from the simplest and cheapest to the most valuable.

GREECE – Meteore

GREECE – Meteore

Grecia

Meteora is a popular destination located in northern Greece, near the town of Kalambaka. It is an important tourist and Orthodox church center (only Mount Athos groups several monasteries), and has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It literally means “suspended in the air” and is characterized by the presence of numerous natural rock towers where monasteries (in turn called “meteors”) have settled, characteristic for their daring construction on top of sheer walls.

The first settlements date back to the 11th century, when the first hermits occupied some caves in the sides of the cliffs.

In the 14th century, in order to defend against the Turks, monasteries were built on the tops of these impregnable rocks. Then there was a period of proliferation and expansion of the monasteries, but with the various incursions of the conquerors, the decline began, especially after the seventeenth century.

Today only six of the twenty-four monasteries that were built in this area are functional and can be visited (two of these inhabited by nuns) and tourists can see some places of the monasteries such as the church and, in the larger ones, the museum (for women there are provision of sheets or trousers to cover bare legs).

These sandstone reliefs have been shaped by water and wind, in particular there are four groups of towers up to 400 meters high. Due to the particular rocky conformation Meteora is today a destination for climbers from all over the world.

Important officialization for Big Blue Travel, the historical partner of Tourism Connection, which through the umbrella brand Shorex.gr today affirms a stronger and more dynamic presence on the territory cradle of Greek mythology, through the implementation of ground excursions

Important officialization for Big Blue Travel, the historical partner of Tourism Connection, which through the umbrella brand Shorex.gr today affirms a stronger and more dynamic presence on the territory cradle of Greek mythology, through the implementation of ground excursions

Grecia

The Big Blue Travel Agency, in addition to the rest of its activities in Greece, its specialization in Tours, the services it offers for MICE groups, the exclusive services in Athens, Mykonos and Crete, has started its dynamic presence in the excursions on the ground under the umbrella brand, the Shorex.gr.

Developing a huge network in 11 countries and 32 ports in the Eastern Mediterranean, it offers excellent service with high standards and highly competitive prices.