The Kassian Celebration Lives On

The events of the Museum’s second programme cycle, “Musical Villages in the City – Living Musical Heritage in the Urban Environment” (2024–2025), continue with “The Kassian Celebration”, featuring a community of Kassos islanders living in Athens.

The Kassian community tells us:

Kassos has the sea,
Bonendi and Alendi,
and all the people become one
whenever they gather to celebrate.

“We, the people of Kassos living in Athens, a small island community in the capital, continue to gather and celebrate together just as Kassians have always done on our island—and wherever else they may be. In this way, we preserve our musical identity intact over time, because it is our music that unites us and keeps us connected to our roots. During this special evening at the Museum, we will do what we know best: create an authentic Kassian celebration with lyras and lutes, traditional melodies, dances and mantinades (improvised rhyming verses) from our island—everything that generations of Kassian men and women have carried with them and preserved through the years. We will sing, dance, talk and explore how a small community of Kassians in Athens remains connected through music, dance, song and celebration; how music sustains and strengthens our sense of identity. The Kassian Celebration is a wonderful ‘contagion’—a source of energy that gives us the strength to carry on with everyday life until the next gathering and until we meet again on the island we love so dearly. It is a way of communicating and sharing our thoughts, nostalgia and love for our homeland in a joyful atmosphere, accompanied by the music and flavours of Kassos.”

Programme
19:30 | Discussion

The discussion with members of the community will be moderated by Antonis Karagiannakis, journalist, radio producer and fellow Kassian.

20:30 | Music and Dance Event

Musicians:

Ilias Tousounis (lyra, vocals)
Antonis Karagiannakis (lute, vocals)
Ilias Perselis (lute)

Curated by: Antonis Karagiannakis

Advance registration is required.

Contact: +30 210 3254129
(Monday–Friday, 09:00–15:00)

Alternatively, reservations may be made through the more.com platform by obtaining a free admission voucher.

The event is supported by Bodossaki Lectures on Demand (BLOD), the Bodossaki Foundation’s online lecture library.