Colors of Ikaria Island - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

While communicating with Greeks remember that some of the gestures have peculiar meaning here. For example, they express any objections by raising their eyebrows and their whole head upwards, while softly clicking with their tongue. When locals signal to somebody to join them, they extend their arms with their palms facing downwards. Greeks touch or pat the lower lip with the index finger when they want to say something. Ikaria inhabitants put a palm to their chest to say «thank you».If you want to show neglect to a person, just pretend that you are brushing off the dust of the lapel of the jacket.

In general, Greeks are very emotional people. They use a lot of hand movements, raise voice and interrupt each other. They don’t want to insult anybody, it is just their communication style. Locals like to touch people during a conversation without embarrassment. They always express feelings openly. If a Greek wants to sing, he will do that even being in a public place. The locals are not too scrupulous in matters of etiquette. When eating, they laugh loud and emotionally discuss different issues even while a business lunch.

Local inhabitants love to gather around the table with family and friends in favourite taverns. They drink ouzo and retsina, have a meal and chat under the folk music and dances. However, you won't find drunk people on the streets of Ikaria. The reason is that invariable behaviour is a disgrace for Greeks and foreigners. So, if you don’t want to be condemned by locals, try to control yourself . Copyright www.orangesmile.com

The atmosphere on Ikaria is so relaxing and peaceful that even straight workaholics forget about their work and all the problems and enjoy holidays. It is caused by the fact that Greek people believe that the most important thing is to make the most of life. Greeks never work hard and it is not important for them to earn money. They will never waste their time and energy to climb the career ladder. Locals have a strange attitude toward money. They can’t be called thrifty people. If a Greek gets a large sum of money, he will immediately waste it or he will spend it on an evening in a tavern or useless things. In short, local inhabitants are bad investors, they don’t keep large sums of money in banks.

If you want to win the favour of a Greek person while having holidays on Ikaria, say something pleasant about the island or show that you know some historical facts about Greece. Greeks are great patriots but they often criticize their government, but you should never do the same. Locals can't stand when foreigners speak ill of Greece. Remember that Greeks love to teach people and give advice. It is customed on Ikaria to greet everyone entering a public place such as a shop or a tavern.

Greeks are quite religious people. Christmas, Easter and many other religious holidays are celebrated here. Ikaria is famous throughout Greece for her "Panagiria", traditional feast days that celebrate the Saints' name days and other religious holidays. During the festival, people perform folk dances and hold fairs. In general, people love fairs. You can visit them throughout the year. The day of the Prophet and the day of the liberation are also celebrated here. If you are a girl who has decided to visit Ikaria alone, be ready to get compliments from local men. They always flirt with women. They are even not embarrassed by the presence of their wife or girlfriend. But don’t take it seriously.