4th General High School of Heraklion

Erasmus+ KA2 (KA229) Programme

Reference No. 201 8-IT-02-229-048049 1

Natural Soap Scientists. From Production to Business

Heraklion/ Crete 29th March - 4th April 2020

BEING A CRETAN MEANS…

The pastThe island of Crete is the cradle of Europeancivilization, a geographical location where climaticand morphologic features maintain a delicate balanceand the birthplace of different yet harmoniouscivilizations. Between 2800BC and 1400BC, theMinoan civilization (the first European) builtmagnificent palaces at Knossos, Phaistos, Zakros,Malia, and Archanes. After a natural disaster thatdestroyed the Minoans, the Achaeans and Doriansdominated the island. Classical Greek civilizationflourished in the years that followed. In 67BC Cretewas conquered by Rome. Gortyn was the town thatbecame the capital of the Roman province of Creteand it was one of the first towns to welcome theChristian religion.

During the Byzantine period Crete became an important center for

Christianity. From 824AD to 961AD, Saracens seized the island

and from 1204 Crete was taken over by the Venetians until 1669

when it fell to the Ottoman Turks after a 22-year siege. Crete

regained its autonomy in 1897 and was united with Greece in

1913. Its troubles were not over as it suffered under Nazi seizure in

World War II.

The people

The Cretans as a whole are ofmedium height. They aremostly brown with browneyes and small eyes. Theyhave black or brown wavyhair. Their nose is in themajority of cases straight,lips moderate, forehead erector slightly elongated. Thesetraits classify them in theAegean race, the northernbranch of the European race.

The character of a Cretan consists

of three main characteristics :

He has a word of honor and puts it

above all else

He has bravery and courage

He is hospitable

Enjoying life…Every Cretan has an extrovert character and express his feelings throughsongs and dances.

The dances of Crete are danced by men and women, who in theirmovements remind the observers of the majesty and power of the peopleof the island.

The Cretan dances are divided into two major categories, those withjumps and those with slow steps. Leaping dances, especially when onlydanced by men, refer to war dances. On the other hand, the “syrtoi”dances have been identified with the songs of the wedding, while inantiquity they were danced by the Minoans during the sacrifices.

1. Celebrating special ceremonies

Religious FestivalsThe most famous celebrations arethe festivals to honor the saint-protector of each village. In allthe regional districts of Crete, eachvillage celebrates its saints withmusic, food and traditional Cretandancing. Most festivals take placeduring the summer months,culminating in mid-August, whenhundreds of festivals take placesimultaneously across the wholeisland.

Easter

Traditional Easter sweets

The Epitaph

The burning of

Judas

Red eggs

2. Traditional occupations

Following the techniques

and the tradition of their

ancestors, the modern

people of Crete, especially

in the villages, express

their creativity by making

folk art objects of excellent

quality.

Ceramics, basket-making,

wood-carving, stone-

carving and, of course,

weaving. Some of these arts

are traditionally exercised

by entire villages, which

largely base their economy

of them.

Cobblers in major cities and villages such as Anogia, make the traditional

stivania, the resistant Cretan leather boots.

Knife manufacturers in Chania and Heraklion convert steel into the famous

Cretan knife, the inseparable companion of each Cretan. Engraved depictions and

poems adorn the blades.

In the mountainous villages of Mylopotamos, Anogeia, Zoniana, Livadia and in

the rest of the prefecture, traditional weaving, knitting and embroidery are the

basic hobby of the women in their free time. The techniques are handed down

from mother to daughter. Traditional materials are used in weaving, such as wool,

cotton, linen and silk. The women produce the thread themselves and weave it in

the loom. Even today they often dye the textiles with natural colours made from

plants and white flowers of the Cretan earth. Women’s cooperatives in all major

villages still weave on the loom, reminding of the just as they used to do in

Minoan times.

Sariki, the Cretan head scarf with fringes resembling tears, symbolizes

lamentation for the hardships Crete experienced in the past centuries. The black

sariki is worn as a sign of mourning, while the white sariki is worn as a sign of

joy during weddings, feasts, births and christenings. Objects of folk art can be

seen today in the homes of the local people or in folk museums, where older

objects are kept.

3. But Crete remains an agricultural island!

Ιf one decides to visit the island , he can participate in the harvest of olives, the process of the olive oil production, distillation of raki, vintage, honey production, vegetable cultivation , but also collection of milk and dairy products processing, raising of domestic animals, sheep – shearing, etc.

harvest of olives distillation of raki sheep - shearing

Producing green olive soap

From the Minoan times to …the present

• Minoans used to cleanse themselves with pure olive oil.

• Once upon a time, women gathered the inferior grades of olive oil accumulated at the bottom of the barrels (pomace) to make large quantities of homemade soap. This was a collective activity where all the women of the village participated and shared the soap at the end of the process.

• Later people decided to earn money out of that and the first small soap industries were established on the island.

• Soap business began to exist.

NOW THAT YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT BEING A

CRETAN MEANS LET’S JOIN US AND FEEL ….

THE TASTE!