Macedonian folklore and the diachronic continuity of Greek culture

[kostas68]

Many times the Scopians are asking from us to explain them what exactly is this Greek culture which was kept by us through the centuries.It's true that during the Ottoman time in Macedonia as in the other Greek territories and also the whole of Balkans,wasn't developed any remarkable cultural activity. The only way to take a taste of this culture is to research the folkloric side of it and here we are:<Macedonian folkore> by G.F.Abbot at 1903.

In pages 1,2 and 3 he mentions the Macedonian cities and regions where he collected his matterials:The country around Drama,the villages of Vasilika in Thessaloniki and Provista(today Paleokomi) in Serres,the towns of Sohos in Thessaloniki,Pravi(today Eleftheroupoli) in Kavala,Nigrita and Demir Hisar(today Sidirokastro) in Serres and the cities of Thessaloniki,Kavala,Serres and Melnik(Meleniko) which was a Greek city(around 50-60 km northerly of Serres) surrounded by Bulgarian villages that left out of Greek soil after the Bucarest treaty in 1913.The Greek inhabitants settled mainly in Sidirokastro and Serres.
He mentions also the people who helped him:From Serres Kyra-Tasio and M. Tzikopoulos,a professor whose origin was from south-west Macedonia and from Meleniko M.Zografides and Kyr Liatsos.



Some dances and songs in Nigrita in pages 6 and 8:


Notice in page 9 how Abbot connects the blind barba-Sterios to the ancient Greek blind minstrels.

In pages 12,13 and 14 some addages,who are common in Macedonia and southern Greece.



In pages 18-19 Abbot informs us how the ancient Greek custom of <helidonismata> or the swallow song survived in Macedonia.


I've already posted a thread about this custom:
http://www.macedoniaontheweb.com/for...macedonia.html
In pages 20-21,another ancient Greek custom that survived in Macedonia,the <koronisma> or crow song.


In pages 40-41 is described a custom that is clearly connected to the ancient Greek Feast of flowers or <anthestiria>.


In pages 111,112,187 and 189 some superstitions common to the modern Macedonians and ancient Greeks:




In pages 193,194 and 203,the author mentions the similarity in the funeral rites between ancient Greeks and modern Macedonians:



The pages 251,279,280,281 and 282 consist the most important part of Abbot's book:It shows us conspicouously how the memory of Alexander and Philip was kept still alive after 2200 years by his real descendands and ridicoules the Scopian claim about the...ignorance of the Greeks for Alexander's history at that time.





These last pages have been posted already by Orphic Hymn in this thread:
http://www.macedoniaontheweb.com/for...der-great.html
I add also and an excerpt of Piere Bellon's book from 1553 where the author mentions a local myth in the village Chalastrea close to ancient Philippoi : The locals called this city <city of Bucephalus> and they believed that there was the manger where Alexander the Great's horse ate.<Les habitans du pays en sont une fable enti eulx,estimants que c'est la mangeoire de la iument d' Alexandre le Grand.Mais par la iument fault entendre Bucephalus.>



It's very interesting to read in Orphic Hymns thread that whereas the real Macedonians folklore was full of Alexander's memories,that of our neighbors was absolutely accordant to their Slavic background and origin and hadn't the minimal mention to Alexander.
Now i believe that every one can understand what we mean when we say that Scopians can no way be considered as descendands of ancient Macedonians because they are representing culturally something totally irelevant to them whereas only we,the indigenous Greeks of Macedonia have cultural continuity with the ancient Macedonians and therefore we are the real Macedonians.

[Boreas]

This is a great source. Thank you Kosta.