Χαράλαμπος name day on Symi
Harry helps the dentist with the icon
There were plenty of nice things happening over the weekend, apart from the thunderstorms and the rain. There was a poetry evening at the Symi Gallery on Saturday and a name day celebration on Sunday.
The poetry event was really well attended, lots of people turned up to read and listen, participate and share a barbeque on the Kali Strata afterwards. There were at least six or seven different nationalities represented, and poems were read in Greek, English and Pakistani, possibly other languages as well. By the time we were able to get there, inside was full and it was standing room outside only.
(Click to enlarge)
And yesterday was godson Harry’s name day, and the name day of everyone named after St Haralambos, Χαράλαμπος, or Charalambos. There is a short video from a previous year here.
This year Harry got himself fully involved, helping to carry the icon around the church and standing with it as the bread was blessed and passed around. The boys were given a whole loaf to take home with them, and this was duly shared out among friends who came to the Harry house afterwards for coffee. That was after we’d had coffee in the church refectory, sweet, strong Greek style coffee, with milk and bread, and donuts, and truffles that Sam had made, and a chocolate éclair from the church. All very nice thank you.
In church
And so the week starts and it’s a big week for us: golf tonight in the on-going Symi golf championship (I think I am currently ahead by a few strokes), tomorrow it’s pancakes with the boys, Wednesday is the tap class (must practice!), I think Thursday is a ‘day off’ (for Valentine’s Day), Friday will be the usual card game, Saturday quiz, Sunday is Jenine’s birthday so there is a day out planned and we’re hoping the rain stays away. There was another thunderstorm last night, the towels are down under the doors and windows, but it looks like it might be clearing up… famous last words as it is forecast to be “shower in spots this afternoon” whatever that means.
So….. major earthquake on Wednesday?