Skopelitissa
is dedicated to
Giorgos
Sarris,
from Greek Connection on Skiathos,
who died much to early!
He was just a young boy first time I met him in 1980; he, his
brother Kostas and their family was the first to receive Norwegians
who traveled with Gulliver, a non existing anymore charter
company. They did all possible for the Norwegians to enjoy themselves,
and we did!
Giorgos got ill playing football at the Easter of 1995,
died in Athens the 15th of May and was buried on the 17th, Norways
national day!
I will never forget him or that day!
We went straight from the ferry to the home of Giorgos family,
there he was in the middle of the livingroom, in his open coffin.
His mum said to her boy; Look, they are coming from Norway to say Goodbye
to you!
I have never cried so much in my whole life!
We all paraded after the coffin along the Paralia, waterfront, of
Skiathos, it was the 17th of May a day that many Greeks had
learned to celebrate, it was flags all over and everyone greeted
Giorgos in his coffin!
The boats was hooting and most crying!
I saw rough beach boys crying like an old woman!
A big tragedy had stroke the island.
After the church service we followed the coffin to the cemetery
and all took a handful of earth and threw it in the grave. Some
had flowers and other gifts for Giorgos.
I am crying here I am sitting!
Skiathos has
never been the same after Giorgos!
He made the Skiathos that I learned to love since 1980!
How many boat trips, church celebrations, Easter, 1st of May or
just a party somewhere did he made!
He called me and said come tomorrow, I pick you up in the harbor
and we will ...
At a wedding party he told me to remove my camera from the table,
then he took the whole table and threw it to the dancing floor!
This is not destruction, it is KEFI, - a Greek way of showing
happiness! And the damage gets on the bill!
*****
"Don`t know
when they`ll put me in the ground
I don`t know if I`ll be left alone
All I know is that I follow you
On my way to the unknown bound"
Madrugada?
*****
To write about death and funerals is not
easy!
In Greece it is a bit different from what I have been used to!
What is best I do not know,
but I have tried to find out things about it here on the island.
I have worked with this page for nearly a year,
since our dear architect friend Angelos left us the 14th of
February last year.
One thing I am sure about; that the Greeks has a more close
relationship with death than I have!
I hope I do not say anything wrong here, but we need to know, we
will all die one day, - I think!
People who dies here, but are
not from here, are taken home.
Often a memorial service is hold in a church here.
If a strange death occurs the
body will be sent to the mainland for an autopsy!
Mostly one is buried within 24
hours.
The dead is prepared and left in an open coffin,
if possible,
at the house.
All comes, chairs are borrowed at the neighbors and all sits there,
inside as outside.
Many stays all night.
The atmosphere is rather quiet,
one can hear laughter and crying.
Food and drinks are served,
often also ouzo or tziporo.
Neighbors and friends are helping.
Next day the coffin is taken to
the church the diseased belong to,
for a mess and then all follows it to the cemetery.
Churchyards in Greece are not
big, the graves are opened after 3 years and the bones are put
in a small box with name, dates and a photograph on.
The boxes are stored in the "bone-house"
who are at
the cemetery.
The grave then can be used again.
This I believe is to save the valuable soil,
there is not to much of it on the islands.
Memorial services are held after 3 months, 1 year, 3 years
and often more!
Today the 3rd of January
2006
I have been to a funeral
here of our German friend
Ursula Zimmermann.
She just made it to her 50th!
She did not drink alcohol, she kept to her diets and took a lot
of exercise!
She was very well fit!
We worked together at Madro
Travel and the last years she worked in the reception in
Alkistis.
She was a very good person, nobody could say anything bad about
her,
- and she never said a bad word about anybody!
I knew her for about 20 years and she is the one I can thank for
that my Greek is better!
She died in Salonika
yesterday, after fighting the cancer for 8 years.
She returned today, in a
coffin, so sad!
We were gathered down in the harbor when the ferry with the
coffin came.
Kosta, her man, came first,
- he looked surprisingly good, but in a way so small!
The funeral offices car picked
up the coffin and took it up to the cemetery.
The coffin was put on an empty grave,
then to of the "old" priests had a mass, very nice
that they did that.
Ursula was not orthodox, but she was a Christian!
Some put flowers on the coffin
and then the upper part was opened so people could say
farthewell!
Then the coffin was put into the empty grave, many went to put a
handful or better three of earth on it!
The sexton did the rest!
(sexton - hope this is the right word for the man working at the
churchyard! I found it strange, but two of my Norwegian - UK
dictionaries says so!)
A life was over!
So sad!
Ti
na kanoume;
*****
'
