Greece - the crossroads of culture, colour and civilisation
Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations worldwide; it sees more than 14 million tourists every year. With an area of 131,957 sq km, and a population of 10,964,020; a third of which live in the capital, Athens.
Athens is the symbol of freedom, art, and democracy in the conscience of the civilized world. The capital of Greece took its name from the goddess Athena, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge.
In Athens memory never fades. Wherever you stand, wherever you turn, the city's long and rich history will be alive in front of you. This is where that marvel of architecture, the Parthenon, was created. This is where art became inseparable from life, and this is where Pericles gave the funerary speech, that monument of the spoken word. In the centre of town are two hills, the Acropolis with the monuments from the Age of Pericles, and Lycabettus with the picturesque chapel of Ai Giorgis.
Ancient ruins provide a vivid testimony to the glory of Athens, hailed by many people as the cradle of western civilization.
In Greece, you are standing at the crossroads of culture, colour and civilisation. The splendour of the history and the warmth of being at the southernmost part of Europe is more than imagery, being in Greece turns it into reality. Greece is a country with a vast wealth of cultural tradition and folklore, with a unique historical past. Visitors, have many opportunities to enrich their travels by attending the various cultural or sports events held in every region of the country, to take part in the festivities that are often connected with enchanting customs and get acquainted with many aspects of Greek folklore heritage.
Sparta a beautiful town near the river Evrotas, located in the centre of the Peloponnese in southern Greece, is the capital of the prefecture of Lakonia. SPARTA ( known in Greek as Sparti) has a history which dates back to the Neolithic period, at least 3,000 years before Christ.
Even in its most prosperous days, it was merely a group of five villages with simple houses and a few public buildings. The passes leading into the valley of the Evrotas were easily defended, and Sparta had no walls until the end of the 4th century BC. The city itself was destroyed by the Goths under their king, Alaric I, in 396 AD. Modern Sparta, founded by the government in 1834, occupies part of the site of ancient Sparta and is the capital of the department of Laconia. Excavations of the ancient city have uncovered ruins of temples and public buildings as well as a theatre dating from the Roman period, but the sparse remains are insignificant for a city of such renown in antiquity.
Olympia ancient sanctuary and site of the ancient Olympic Games, located in the western Peloponnese, 10 miles (16 kilometres) inland from the Ionian Sea, near a point where the Alpheus (Alfios) and Cladeus (Kladios) rivers meet.
The Greek year is a succession of events and festivals, some of which are religious, some cultural, others an excuse for a good time. Gynaikokratia on 8 January is in the northern villages, this is a day for role. Women spend the day in kafeneia (cafes) where men usually congregate, while the men stay at home and do the housework. The carnival season in Greece runs throughout February and March, and features fancy dress, feasting, and traditional dancing and generally a good excuse for fun. Easter is the most significant festival in Greece, with candle-lit processions, feasting and firework displays, emphasis is placed on the Resurrection rather than on the Crucifixion. There are numerous summer festivals across the country, the most famous being the Hellenic Festival (mid-June to late September), which hosts drama and music in ancient theatres.