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Culture in Greece

Taylor E, Wry

Faculty of Liberal Studies, Durham College

SOCI 1407: Introduction to Sociology

Professor Huma Nasery

October 20, 2022

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Culture can have different means to people depending on where they live and

how they grew up. Culture defines a way of life (Macionis & Burkowicz, 2019). It is

important to connect culture and society because culture affects our everyday tasks in

society. Creating a culture within society helps people feel a sense of belonging, giving

a thing people can relate to. When individuals have a sense of culture and belonging,

they will have a better life.

Greece has material aspects of their culture. First, food is a major part of

Greek culture. Food is more than sharing a meal with loved ones, it is more about

sharing items and socializing with others. (Real Greek Experiences, 2022). Secondly,

wine is an important part. In Greece wine was a common thing to have around, and

many things revolved around it (Capurso, 2019). Men would drink wine to help expand

their minds and praise god ( (Capurso, 2019). Also, wine grapes were believed to bring

health benefits and offered nutrition (Capurso, 2019). Thirdly, Architecture is a major

part of Greek history. The architects who had made the buildings in the world created

some of the most known buildings in the world (Cartwight, 2013). These building include

temples, theatres, and stadiums, all these building play a part in tourism, learning about

their culture, and the Greeks remembering and honouring their ancestors (Cartwight,

2013). Lastly, when most people think of Greece, they think of the art. Greek art shows

the accomplishments of them throughout the years (Passaris, 2022). The art shows the

history, how it was back then and what it is becoming, it embraces the difference

(Passaris, 2022).

Greece’s nonmaterial aspects might be the most interesting of all. First,

the people of Greece value their god(s) (Ancient Greeks: Everyday Life, Beliefs and
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Myths, n.d.). Greeks believed that whatever god or goddess they believed in had control

and played a part in their everyday life (Ancient Greeks: Everyday Life, Beliefs and

Myths, n.d.). They prayed to these gods or goddesses for help and protection they

believe they can provide, they also believed that if someone upset the gods or

goddesses then they would punish the person(s) responsible (Ancient Greeks:

Everyday Life, Beliefs and Myths, n.d.). Secondly, following the importance of their gods

and goddesses the Greeks also believed in the fact that your soul does not die after

death. (Majeed, (n.d). They believed that the souls of the dead would be judged to see if

they were fit to be given the possibility of living with the god forever and not have to be

reincarnated (Majeed, (n.d). These souls that would be sent to a different world a place

they call Hades (Ancient Greeks: Everyday Life, Beliefs and Myths, n.d.). Thirdly, fate is

important in Greek culture. The Greeks believed that there are three sisters of fate,

Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos (30 of the Most Famous Tales from Greek Mythology,

2019). Clotho is the origin of life and birth, when she spins her thread and a person is

born, Lachesis is the one who creates fate, and Atropos carries shears so when

someone time is up she cuts the thread letting them free (30 of the Most Famous Tales

from Greek Mythology, 2019). Last, etiquette plays a role in how people interact with

each other. The Greeks have different forms of etiquette such as, meeting, gift giving,

dining, table manners (Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd., n.d.). These different forms

of etiquette all require a different form of socializing, such as for women when meeting

someone that you are good friends with you should each other on each cheek

(Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd., n.d.). Being invited over to someone’s house for

dinner is always a compliment, but in Greek culture there are many things to consider
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when going over, such as you do not start eating until the person who is hosting the

dinner eats first (Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd., n.d.).

I think Greek culture has both similarities and differences to Canadian

culture. It is similar in the way that majority of Canadians practice Christianity just as

how Greeks have their own gods and goddesses, many Canadians have their own god.

(Statistics Canada, 2016). Something that is different is that when we are invited to

dinners, we usually do not wait for the host to eat before we begin eating, in my

experience we are usually encouraged to begin eating before them.

Learning about Greek culture was eye opening. Before this assignment I

believed that all cultures were completely different, now I know that even though they

might mainly be different cultures they mainly contain the same values. We all value our

loved ones, things that make us happy and feel fulfilled. I would be interested about

learning about other cultures further in depth to see how they relate to others. Culture

creates a sense of belonging or something to believe in.

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References

30 of the Most Famous Tales from Greek Mythology. (2019, December 19).

Retrieved from Greek Travel Tellers: https://greektraveltellers.com/blog/30-of-the-most-

famous-tales-from-greek-mythology

Ancient Greeks: Everyday Life, Beliefs and Myths. (n.d.). Retrieved from My

Learning: https://www.mylearning.org/stories/ancient-greeks-everyday-life-beliefs-and-

myths/415

Capurso, A. (2019, March 4). Drinking wine: What we need to learn from Ancient

Greece. Retrieved from Medium: https://medium.com/@antoniocapurso/drinking-wine-

what-we-need-to-learn-from-ancient-greece-1d8754430afb#:~:text=In%20classical

%20Greek%20culture%2C%20wine,were%20treated%20as%20essential%20nutrition.

Cartwight, M. (2013, January 6). Greek Architecture. Retrieved from World

History Encyclopedia:

https://www.worldhistory.org/Greek_Architecture/#:~:text=Definition&text=Greek

%20architects%20provided%20some%20of,and%20cities%20from%20antiquity

%20onwards.

Commisceo Global Consulting Ltd. (n.d.). Greece - Culture, Etiquette and

Business Practices. Retrieved from Commisceo Global : https://www.commisceo-

global.com/resources/country-guides/greece-guide

Macionis, J. J., & Burkowicz, J. (2019). Society The Basic (Canadian Edition).

Majeed, H. M. ((n.d). The orpgic origins of belief in reincarnation in ancient

Greek philosophy.
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Passaris, C. (2022, July 4). Waht the World Can LEarn From the Greece's

Passion for the Arts. Retrieved from Greek Reporter:

https://greekreporter.com/2022/07/04/world-learn-greece-passion-arts/

Real Greek Experiences. (2022, September 2). Retrieved from Real Greek

Experiences: https://realgreekexperiences.com/food-in-greece#:~:text=Why%20is

%20food%20important%20to,and%20enjoy%20other%20people's%20company.

Statistics Canada. (2016, Febuary 19). Section three: Composition of the

population. Retrieved from Statistics Canada: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/91-

003-x/2014001/section03/33-eng.htm