Citizens' Associations GREECE (Country) EUROPE - GTP

http://www.acheloos.gr/club.htm

Cultural Association "Alexander the Great"

AGIOS GEORGIOS (Village) GIANNITSA
The Cultural Association of Agios Georgios "Alexander the Great" is taking place the last three years. It was founded in 1982 but two years later it stopped operating because there was lack of interest of the young people. The comeback to the action was powerful, with a creation of dancing courses and a theatrical team which has presented allready two plays.
The Association has 62 registered members. The dance master is Dimitrios Mitskas. There is a variety of dancing from Macedonia, Thrace, Epirus and the Black Sea. The costumes of the association represend the Central Macedonia and Thrace. Every year at the village festival the members of the association organise a two-day cultural celebration on 25-26 October, the day of the Church celebration. There are many participations of "Alexander the Great" for other festivals all around Pella prefecture.

This text is cited May 2005 from the Municipality of Megas Alexandros URL below, which contains images

http://www.dimos-meg-alexandrou.gr/english/agios_p... (3 img.)

APODOTIA (Municipality) NAFPAKTOS

http://www.apodotia.gr/silogi.htm

Cultural Association of Drosero "Philippos"

DROSSERO (Village) GIANNITSA
The internal immigration of the recent years, affected the culture of the village. The Cultural Association of Drosero "Philippos" was out of action for about six years and that dead period of time, was obvious mostly to the young people. So, in 1998 it was decided to refound "Philippos" with the aim to fill the cultural emptiness, offering alternative activities and entertaining ways to residents.
Today, "Philippos" has a choir of adults and two sections of dancing in which dance master Constantinos Trebolitis teaches dances from Macedonia, Thrace and Vlach dances. In the choir participate 15 members and three players of musical instruments. In the dancing sections take part 50 members of all ages. The association has undertaken the organising of the celebration of the village on 21st of May, the day that celebrates the Church of Drosero Agios Constantinos. Even dancing festivals are organised and monthly meetings, where sweets and coffee is offered to the guests. The projection of the action of "Philippos" has been helped by the letters of love of its members and the offering of presents to the soldiers of the guardhouses at the borders and to the boarders of elderly houses at Christmas and Easter.

This text is cited May 2005 from the Municipality of Megas Alexandros URL below, which contains images

http://www.dimos-meg-alexandrou.gr/english/dro_pol... (2 img.)

Cultural Educational Association "Makedonia"

GYPSOCHORI (Settlement) PELLA
The Cultural Educational Association of Gypsohori "Macedonia" was founded on 26th of March 2000. Although it is newly founded, it has made a lot of progress in the cultural activities of the village. In the association there are four dancing sections, where the young people of the village are taught traditional dancing from all over Greece and mostly from Macedonia.
One of the activities of the association is the organising of festivals on 18th of January, the day of the celebration of the Church of Saint Athanasios. Furthermore every December 23rd there is a revival of the custom of the fire (Golde Babo). Moreover, in a special room there is an exhibition of old photos and objects of the village residents.

This text is cited June 2005 from the Municipality of Megas Alexandros URL below, which contains images

http://www.dimos-meg-alexandrou.gr/english/gypso_p... (2 img.)

"Agios Vassilios" Cultural Society

MANDRA (Village) LARISSA

http://www.dimos-koiladas.gr/politismos_b.html (33 img.)

Pontians Union of Melissia

MELISSIA (Suburb of Athens) ATTIKI
Tel: +30 210 8044368, 6136279

Cultural Association "The Friends of the Village" of Neochori

NEOCHORI (Small town) SERRES
Tel: +30 23210 76595

Women Association of Neos Skopos

NEOS SKOPOS (Small town) SERRES
Tel: +30 23210 32015

Cultural Association of Pethelinos

PETHELINOS (Village) SERRES
Tel: +30 23210 73073

Cultural Association of Paralimnio

Tel: +30 23210 73053

Cultural Association of Psychiko

PSYCHIKO (Village) SERRES
Tel: +30 23210 31993, 32523

Women Association of Valtotopi

VALTOTOPI (Small town) SERRES
Tel: +30 23210 31633

Educational and Cultural Association of Valtotopi

Brotherhood of Achladokambiton 'St. Demetrios'

ACHLADOKAMBOS (Village) ARGOLIS
Tel: +1 773 4670493
Fax: +1 773 4670493

Agios Georgios Sikousis Society of America

AGIOS GEORGIOS SYKOUSSA (Village) CHIOS

Chian Federation

CHIOS (Island) NORTH AEGEAN
Tel: +1 718 2042550
Fax: +1 718 2786199

The Birth of the Chian Federation

  The birth of the Chian Federation was an event whose time came in 1974. A federation of the Chian Societies in the Greater New York Metropolitan area probably should have been organized sooner. Nevertheless, sooner or later, it is present fact that such a Federation now exists consisting of 25 Chian societies representing approximately 20,000 Chiotes who live and work in the New York area. Nationwide, approximately 50,000 Chiotes are residents and citizens of the United States. There are more Chiotes in the United States than on the island of Chios.
  In examining the birth of this Federation, an overriding question to many of us is why in 1974 and not before? What was that certain combination of ingredients that proved to be the catalyst behind the Chiotes in New York to unite, who prior to 1974 were content to remain independent entities focusing strictly on a narrow spectrum of social activity whose common denominator was that they individually represented a group of people with origins from a small geographic area on the island of Chios. On the surface at least, it is obvious that the international events of our time, with respect to Cyprus and the Aegean Sea, have proved to be an awakening. It became apparent that we must raise our concerns in unison; we must address and act on issues relevant to all of us; and we must do this through a coordination of efforts.
  The outright tragedy of the Cypriots, with whom we share a kinship and the ever present menace to the homeland of our parents, shocked us all. All of us felt a sense of anxiety and frustration that the goodwill that has always existed between U.S. and Greece was now being jeopardized. We, as Americans of Greek ancestry, have always cherished the particular warm relations between this great nation, our adopted country, the United States, and Greece, representing our ancestral and cultural background.
  The turmoil of these current international developments may have been the catalyst in the birth of the Chian Federation but the efforts of the Federation also signify an awareness of the Greek-Americans of their responsibilities to exercise their rights as American citizens. The Chians along with other Greek Americans must participate in the prominent issues of this country and responsibly exercise their right to petition the government and their duly elected public officials. This we have done and should continue to do. As such, the Greek-American has fully evolved to understand and participate in the political process of American government and hence has truly become an integral part of that beautiful and colorful mosaic characterizing the American people and the American way of life.
  The series of events which led to the actual formation of the Federation itself began in the summer of 1974. While the Turkish army was pillaging Cyprus and the Turkish government was threatening the Aegean Islands, the Chiotes of the various Chian societies met to coordinate their activities in petitioning the U.S. government and our elected officials to condemn and speak out on this infamous Turkish action; a tragedy which, to this day, remains unresolved.
  To coordinate these efforts an Ad Hoc Committee was formed. Under the auspices of this committee, during the summer of 1974, the Chians of New York collected funds for the Cypriot refugees, participated in three excursions to Washington, D.C. (in chartered buses and countless private vehicles) to petition the U.S. government for an evenhanded and fair policy on Cyprus and the Aegean; informed the citizenry of the facts of the Cypriot and Aegean issues; and urged and organized the transmittal of thousands of letters and telegrams to our elected officials expressing our strong opinions on these issues. We were all gratified that our efforts were fruitful in at least limiting the U.S. arms shipments to Turkey and in getting the message across that, if Turkey meant to continue her aggression, the support of the U.S. Congress in such adventures would unquestionably be denied and that the rule of law must prevail.
  Although the damage had been done, we felt a sense of bittersweet success in that the U.S. Congress shared our view in several respects. First, by recognizing that Turkey's actions were illegal in that U.S. arms were used in the invasion of Cyprus; second, by reexamining U.S. policy towards Greece, Cyprus and Turkey in terms of past alliances and human values; and third, by examining and questioning the relative importance of Turkey to our national security, at least in the face of an uncompromising position on the part of Turkey which verged on the brink of blackmail.
  Initially, however, to each participant in the drive to petition, urge, and inform the elected officials and the administration, came the recognition and realization of the glory that is the system of government in the United States. A people with a just cause properly voicing their concern was able to make the government listen to its pleas. This event transformed the Greek-American from a rather apolitical individual, to an active participant in the politics and issues of the United States, since it is as American citizens that such participation was undertaken.
  It was in the fall of 1974 that the Chian societies realized that the success which the Committee experienced was the result of the joint, coordinated effort of all Chiotes acting in unison. Since the Chian-Americans faced other issues where a joint effort was required, the Chian societies met to formalize their unity through a formal organization. They drafted a constitution under which the "Federation of Chian Societies of New York" would operate. This constitution was submitted to the membership of each society for individual approval, which was quickly given, and the Federation became a reality in October 1974, a date which will stand as another milestone in the history of the American Chian.

Cretan Association "OMONOIA" Inc.

CRETE (Island) GREECE
Tel: +1 718 7268981
Fax: +1 718 7219172

Evrytanian Association of America "Velouchi"

EVRYTANIA (Prefecture) GREECE
Tel: +1 704 3666571, 9755973
Fax: +1 704 3666571
  Many Evrytanians immigrated to America following other Greeks during the 1890's. Most settled in large northern cities such as New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore; a few settled in the South. Many of these immigrants suffered humiliations due to language, cultural, and religious differences. Many of the original immigrant Evrytanians came to America from the village of Viniani.
  Despite difficulties first encountered by the immigrants of the 1890's, the decade between 1910 and 1920 proved profitable for many Evrytanians living in the Carolinas, Georgia, Maryland, and Virginia. Most were owners of restaurants.
  After 1925, a new era began in the South, with many well-established Evrytanians gaining the respect and friendship of their communities. Many returned to Greece at the beginning of the Great Depression, while others remained in America. After WW II, in which the state of Evrytania suffered more than other areas with the Nazi occupation and the communist-inspired guerilla warfare that followed, many persons left Evrytania; many returned to America and many others came for the first time.
  The lives of many fellow Evrytanians has improved over the past century in America. While such assimilation into the "melting pot" has proved profitable, there are costs. One large cost is the loss of being able to read the original literature. One way to share this knowledge is by translating many of the literary works into English, a language that has become primary for many of our youth. Professor Paul N. Chryssikos, a long-time, and deceased in 1997, member of our Association, often donated his time to this excellent cause. One of Paul's translations which he performed for the Youth of Evrytania, is the poem by Mihalis Stafylas "EVRYTANIA". This is available from all local chapters.
The Evrytanian Association came to fruition during 1944 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Location information

Citizens' Associations (22)

Miscellaneous