“Syr’ to (g)aiman! Our Heritage Calls Us and Brings Us Together!”

The second cycle of the Museum’s programme series “Musical Villages in the City – Living Musical Heritage in the Urban Environment” (2024–2025) continues with the musical event:

“Syr’ to (g)aiman! Our Heritage Calls Us and Brings Us Together!”

featuring the Pontian Association “Argonautai – Komninoi.”

The Association’s members told us: “Our Association was founded in 1930 by our parents and grandparents, refugees from Pontus, with the aim of safeguarding, preserving and promoting the cultural values of the Greeks of the East. The Argonautai from Kerasounta and the Komninoi from Trebizond joined forces and created a new ‘homeland’ within the motherland after their violent uprooting from their ancestral land. Through successive generations, our Association has remained vibrant and active, developing a rich programme centred on music and song, dance, dialect and theatre. It serves as the link connecting us to a geographical homeland that may have been lost, but has never been forgotten. It transmits knowledge of history and geography, fosters relationships, preserves the values and dignity of the Pontian community and makes the joy of togetherness a reality.

Our dance classes are always accompanied by live music. Knowledge of the Pontian dialect enables us to sing while dancing and to understand the meaning of the lyrics. Although today’s living conditions differ greatly from those of our ancestors in Pontus, themes such as the longing of love, the appreciation of nature and beauty, and admiration for courage and honour remain timeless.

During our celebrations, known as mouhapetia, a circle is formed: anyone can join and dance wherever they wish. For a moment, they interrupt the circle, extend their hands and become part of it—supporting and being supported, becoming part of the whole. This is the same hand we symbolically extend to the Association itself, in a continuous search for belonging and meaning. The experiences we build together enrich our personal identity.”

Programme
19:30 | Discussion

The discussion with members of the Association’s Dance Group and other Cultural Sections will be moderated by actor Lefteris Katahanas.

20:30 | Music and Dance Performance

Members of the Association’s Dance Group perform.

Musicians:

Ilias Avramidis
Pantelis Nikolaidis
Pavlos Fotiadis
Konstantinos Arsenis

Dance Instruction and Artistic Coordination:
Konstantinos Savvinidis

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 events are supported by Bodossaki Lectures on Demand (BLOD), the Bodossaki Foundation’s online lecture library.