Weekly Photo Challenge: Community (I)

Saturday 14 December, 2013 by Uncle Spike

Clan Spike’s first entry for this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge is from our neighbouring Greek Islands…

On 15th August each year, the vast majority of the community across Greece celebrate The Dormition of the Mother of God. It’s a big deal in those parts, as we found out for ourselves, as all the hotels and guest-houses were packed full for the week.

We were on the island of Astypalea, the Westernmost of the Dodecanese Islands. It is situated to the right of Santorini, above Crete and to the left of Kos. As were are from neighbouring Turkey, we came in from stage right…

Part of the communal celebrations include swimming competitions just before dusk in the harbour bay. Swimming races were open to all ages, as well as the main attraction, ‘the pole’. This was perhaps a 7 metre (22′) highly ‘greased’ thick pole suspended out over the water, with a basket of goodies hanging off the end. Those islanders who possessed sufficient bravery and/or recklessness would balance, walk or run long the pole, which had been handsomely coated in oil and grease, with aim of grabbing the basket…. Most failed; finally one succeeded.

This was a real gathering of the ‘community’, everything was set up during the day by the Greek army, and all ages took part in the races, with half the island out to watch proceedings. Plus us from our hotel balcony…