Every year the 2nd primary school of Vrontados ends the year with small nice festivities to go with good mood into the Christmas holidays and with them into the New Year.
This year was the same and the TES-volunteers had the luck to observe those beautiful traditions and partly also to participate in their realization.
One gesture which I really liked came from some teachers. As a small present for the children for Christmas they made little handicrafts, they could put on their Christmas tree at home. This small action had not been to be done but as we could observe the teachers making them, they really enjoyed doing it and they are for sure cute and pleasurable for the children.
On the 22nd of December there was a performance in the school by the second class.
The topic was the customs and the traditions of Christmas in Greece. They were all told in the process of the theatre by the members of the playing family and they include the cake of Saint Basil, Greek Christmas songs – which were sang by the children of the 2nd and 6th class-, the decoration of the Christmas tree, things which are traditionally said when visiting others in this time, the different Christmas stories, the legend of the “Καλικαντζαράκια”, malevolent goblins and a lot more.
In the work of the children to bring the magical feeling of this time into the room, the TES-volunteers could also help.
In the time of three weeks we drew the background of the scenes.
The whole play took place in the living room of the family and so we drew on 4 times 2*1metre the chimney- and two window-areas were you could see behind the beautiful snowy landscape.
The children did perfect, the holidays were near and everyone had good mood and the theatre passed with a lot of fun and brought back old memories and created new ones.
On the 23rd all the school together went through the neighborhood singing and playing on their music instruments the Kalanta, the traditional Greek Christmas carols.
The children went from door to door knocking on them and singing to the owners if they opened the doors, while wishing them at the end a long life with a lot of luck and making a rendezvous to meet with them again in the next year. As a thank you for the beautiful wishes and the singing the housekeeper would give small presents, what made the children always really happy.
To see all the pictures go into our gallery!
