If I was ethnologist I guess I would like to analyze 2 geographical areas: Mediterranean and Middle-East. Leaving for about one year in Syria, I had one month break time in Greece and I felt quite impressed by cultural similarities between the 2 countries. I’ve already been to Turkey in 2005 so I was not surprise by founding something similar with Syria, both countries being located at the ‘geographical east’ (beyond the Bosphorus and the Dardanelles straight) but I was not expecting it in Greece*. These details are first of all feelings that I tried to understand and I found some tangible examples: About the general behavior of the people, family is the central reference inside the society. For example, as the Muslims Syrian’s have their important family time during the Ramadan, the Greek orthodox have a strong family customs with the Easter. I saw also this typical ‘family company’ in which I recognize both Syrians and Greeks when I enter a shop and everybody working is from the same family.
Some more fine details like when I saw a complete family bringing her 20 years old son in the bus station and the mother cry (Greece, Turkey) or on the airport a complete family wait for some familiar and everybody cry when they arrive (Damascus).
- In the style of the food like with the Mezze**
- Then there's objects like the Komboloi (Greek), Misbaha (Arabic), Tespih (Turkish) that Armenians have also.
*I may also should not have forget that Greece was under the Ottoman empire! They may have interfered inside the societies rules, it is of course not only about ottoman red hat (Fez)…
**Many little dishes on the table at the diner time
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