By Gina DeChellis, Emily Learn, Savannah Franks,

Abby Collins, Sarah Ihnat and Erica O’Rell

OverView of culture
 Reasons for
migration
● Greeks began migrating to
the U.S. in the 1820s
after war of independence
from the Ottoman Empire
● Economic challenges
● Employment opportunities
● Most were men to secure
dowries for their sisters
● Today, Greeks are 0.4%
population of the United
States
Greek heritage
Hellenism
● Ancient Greek culture or ideals
● Followed the death of Alexander the Great
● “Greekness” which is greek values, culture and
language are connected the Alexander the Great
● Over 50 million in the population of Europe
believe in Hellenic culture
● It allowed educational systems to withhold
their identity and spread culture
 Greek heritage continued...
Archeological sites
● Each site has a historical meaning for the Greek and
most were dedicated to Greek Gods and Goddesses
● Examples:
○ Parthenon- temple dedicated to the greek goddess,
Athena. Can be found in in Athens and there is a
replica in Nashville

○ Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus- sanctuary dedicated

to the God of medicine and was held for music and
dramatic shows
Greek heritage continued...
Greek mythology
● Famous stories about Gods and Goddesses
● Each God and Goddess are assigned a symbol
○ Examples:
■ Zeus, the God of lightning
■ Athena, Goddess of wisdom
■ Poseidon, God of the sea
● Usually have a deeper meaning
● The Creation is the origin story of how greek mythology
began
● Contains different kinds of species and monsters
● Most of the time the stories contain a hero
Greek heritage continued...
Festivals
● The Olympics was a religious
festival and remains still to
this day, but involving modern
sports
● Known for having cultural
events year round
● Greek heritage month is in
June
○ Celebrate with food, music
and dancing
 Where do most Greeks live?
● Highest amount of Greeks live in
the New York City, Boston and
Chicago area
● In 2000, Tarpon Springs, Florida
had the highest population
● The United States is the largest
community for Greeks aside from
Greece and ahead of Australia,
Cyprus, Albania, Canada, Germany
and the United Kingdom
Educational styles and the importance of education
● System is divided into 3 levels: primary, secondary and
tertiary
■ Primary is from ages 6 to 12
■ Secondary has 2 stages: Middle school and a 3 year school
■ Higher tertiary is universities, tech universities and academies
● Need to take Panhellenic exam
○ Emphasizes on theory over practical application
● Importance of education
○ To produce good citizens
● Educational opportunities
○ Limited due to tuition being expensive and the famous entrance exam is
difficult to pass.
○ If they do pass the exam, they go into college and study the major they
chose.
 What is their work ethic?

● Controversy between if the Greeks are hard workers

or not.
● Regard work as a curse
● Some say they work the longest hours in Europe
● Some say productivity is low
● Others say they are lazy
● Germans think they need to adopt their work ethics
Pregnancy and Childbearing Practices
Fertility
● As the years go on the fertility rate
among the Greek culture has actually
declined and continues to do so. This
decline is leading to a decrease in the
Greek population.
● There is a festival thrown called the
annual Phallus festival to honor and
increase fertility among the women in
Greece, and is considered a popular
tradition.
● A tradition called Krevati was used to
promote fertility. This ritual is done
before a Greek wedding and the
bride-to-be and her single friends come
together to decorate the couple’s future
marriage bed.
 ● Greek physicians used herbs to

Contraceptive methods prevent pregnancy. They were

administered as pessaries (into
the vagina), and these herbs
were believed to shut down the
uterus before the seed could
pass.
● Eventually the herbs were see
as evil and then replaced with
an oral contraceptive herd
called silphium.
● Today contraceptive pills are
used but only by 4% of the
greek culture.
Naming Process
● One of most characteristic
traditions in Greek culture
1. Name after Grandparents
- Most common tradition
- If child is a boy, named after
paternal grandfather
- If child is a girl, named after
maternal grandmother
- Modern spin= first name
whatever and middle name is
blend of both grandparents
2. Name after Saints
- Less frequent
- If the pregnancy is difficult,
the mother calls a saint for
protection until she gives
birth, then names the child
after the saint
- Child then gets a second
birthday
- The day family celebrates
saint, they also celebrate the
child
- Family has party at home.
Guests say Hronia Polla (happy
birthday) and bring presents
Postpartum traditions
● Birth customs ● It is very
include that the important to
mother and baby Greek families
must rest and be that after birth
isolated for 40 the child is
days after celebrated. They
birth. This use a practice
period is called called “to asimo
‘lochia’ and is to pethi” or “to
a time when silver the
women can child”, and this
cherished and was a time when
pampered. gifts are given
to the child to
ward off the
evil eye.
 Old wives tales
● A greek physician believed that if a pregnant woman
were to look at any images of other people their
child may end up resembling that individual.
● The same physician also stated that pregnant women
that were exposed to or even imagined an alarming
sight would put their infant at risk of being
malformed.
Death Practices and Beliefs
 ● Began with “Prothesis” which was the
preparation of the body.

Ancient greek death

○ Body was first washed, then clothed in red &
white

practices/Rituals
○ A crown of leaves, ribbons, and flowers was
placed on the departed
○ Body was then placed on planks
● Followed by “Ekphora” which was the funeral
procession
○ Family & friends carried the body to a grave
outside of the city on the third day before
daybreak
● Burial then followed
○ Corpse was wrapped in cloth or placed in a
coffin, then cremated
○ Ashes were placed in a special container
○ Sacrifices were made & gifts were left at the
grave
○ A tombstone was placed
● “Perideipnoin” which was a celebratory feast
followed
ANcient greek death beliefs
● At the moment of death the soul
(psyche) left ones body
● All souls would partake on a
journey to Hades
● The body that housed the soul on
earth was not important
● Soul went to 1 of 4 places in hades
○ Tartarus which is were the evil
souls went to
○ Asphodel Meadows which is where the
average indifferent souls went
○ Mourning Fields where the souls who
wasted their lives on unrequited
love went
○ Elysium where gods, demigods, and
those who lived virtuous lives went
Modern greek death ❏ Believe an “evil spirit” enters the home
when someone dies
traditions ❏ Windows are kept open to drive out the
evil spirit
❏ All mirrors in the house are covered in
towels/cloths
❏ This forces the family to only focus on
the death of their loved one and not
themselves
❏ The body is dressed in a new outfit so
the body can be laid to rest in grace
❏ Candles are used as a way to say goodbye
to the deceased
❏ Mourning lasts a full 24 hours
❏ During this time family members and
friends pay their respects at the
deceased home
❏ Here they expresses their feelings in a
very intense manner
 References
Customs & Traditions: Birth. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://chnm.gmu.edu/greekam/birth_frame.html

Education in Greece. (4 January 2014). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Greeceness-34384671

Germans tell Greeks to rise earlier and work harder to avoid financial crisis. (2010, March 05). Retrieved from
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/7378905/Germans-tell-Greeks-to-rise-earlier-and-work-harder-to-avoid-financial-crisis
.html

Greek Americans. (2018, September 21). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Americans

Greek Funeral Customs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.funeralwise.com/customs/greek/

Greek Heritage Month. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://greekday.com/greek-heritage-month/

Greek immigrants. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://immigrationtounitedstates.org/529-greek-immigrants.html

Greeks. (2018, November 17). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greeks

Haland, E. J. (2014). Rituals of Death and Dying in Modern and Ancient Greece. Retrieved November 19, 2018, from
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/download/sample/61829

Howe, K. (2017, April 02). Pregnancy & Childbirth in Ancient Greece. Retrieved from
https://womeninantiquity.wordpress.com/2017/03/31/pregnancy-and-childbirth/amp/
References continued...
Kasimis, C., & Kassimi, C. (2017, March 02). Greece: A History of Migration. Retrieved from
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/greece-history-migration

Pentaris, P. (n.d.). Death in the Modern Greek Culture. Retrieved November 19, 2018, from
https://research.gold.ac.uk/11349/1/STA_Pentaris_2012.pdf

Pickles, M. (2015, September 30). Greek tragedy for education opportunities. Retrieved November 19, 2018, from
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34384671

Ramon, J. C. (2017, November 21). What Is Hellenism in Ancient Greek Culture? Retrieved from
https://classroom.synonym.com/hellenism-ancient-greek-culture-7917.html