Culture

Since their early years of settlement Greek Canadians have shown a strong desire to preserve their language and culture. Greek school has taught children the language and acquainted them with Greek culture and historical experience through evening or Saturday-morning classes. Prior to the 1960s Greek schools were under the auspices of Greek Orthodox parishes. However, with the increase of the Greek immigrant population after 1960, non-parish Greek schools have been growing in variety and enrolment. Of those children attending in 1990, about 90 percent were enrolled in schools not under the direct supervision of the parish.

The curriculum includes instruction in modern Greek, Greek geography, history, literature, folk dances, and songs, and the contributions of Greek Canadians to Canadian society. Children are encouraged to participate in celebrations of Greek holidays, where they show pride in and understanding of their cultural heritage. Though the curriculum is generally designed for grades 1–8, in certain cities local school boards offer high-school credit courses in modern Greek.

Financial support comes from parents, community organizations, and provincial governments sponsoring heritage-language programs. In Ontario, for example, Greek schools have used such programs since the early 1980s. Three-hour classes are held in public-school premises at nights or on Saturday mornings, with teachers paid through local school boards. Committees elected by parents advise the academic administrators of local school boards who supervise the programs. Community leaders have argued, however, that programs administered only by local school boards are likely to weaken the autonomy of the Greek school – an institution that has been the backbone and pride of the Greek community since the early 1900s.

The Greek media have also helped preserve Greek culture and identity in Canada. The first Greek newspaper, Hestia (Hearth; Montreal, 1924–40), was edited by Heraklis Papamanolis. Between 1925 and 1975 over thirty Greek-Canadian newspapers appeared. Some disappeared because of precarious finances. For example, between 1957 and 1977 about 30 percent of the papers survived for three years or less. At the end of 1993 there were at least twelve in Canada – most notably, Hellenikon vema (Hellenic Tribune; Toronto, 1958– ), Hellenikos tachydromos (Hellenic Postman; Montreal, 1958–), Helleno-kanadika hronika (Hellenic Canadian Chronicles; Toronto, 1981– ), Eleutheros logos (Free Word; Toronto, 1972– ), Evdomada (Weekly; Toronto, 1990– ); Nea tou Hamilton (News of Hamilton; Hamilton, Ont., 1980– ) and Gnome (Opinion; Vancouver, 1988– ). A monthly national periodical is Hellenika nea (Hellenic News; London, Ont., 1981– ).

Greek-language newspapers carry international news, especially about political events in Canada and Greece, issues related to ethnocultural organizations, and advertisements of Greek retail businesses. Though most are published in Toronto and Montreal, some come directly from Greece. A number of Greek radio and television programs are provided by multiethnic stations, particularly in Toronto and Montreal. Radio programs include Greek music, news (local, national, and international), announcements for ethnocultural events, and advertisements for Greek business and employment opportunities. The television programs, with limited air time, offer local (including Greek-community), national, and international news, Greek movies, advertising of Greek business and produce, and guest speakers. In 1993 Greek Canadians started to receive television programs directly from Athens. The Greek station Antenna, broadcasting through satellite channel nine, offers daily news, documentaries, movies, and cultural events.

Involvement in the Greek media in Canada varies with generation. Greek immigrants, for example, are much more likely than their children to listen to Greek radio and television programs or to read Greek newspapers and periodicals. Second-generation professionals and entrepreneurs often use the Greek media to advertise to a Greek clientele.

Greek Canadians’ concerns for retaining language and culture have been expressed in their strong desire to speak Greek at home and to engage their children’s participation in cultural organizations. According to Canadian surveys in the early 1980s, the overwhelming majority of Greek parents speak Greek at home and strongly favour its retention by their children. Some parents send or accompany their children to Greece during the summer in order to familiarize them with Greek culture and encourage them to learn the language more fluently. Most Greek-language use takes place in the context of family, friends and community, and church gatherings. Canadian data on ancestral-language maintenance indicate that in 1981 over 79 percent of Greeks had learned to speak Greek in early childhood; at least 64 percent of those who claimed Greek as a mother tongue also used it most often in the home. Many Greek families have also been able to socialize their children to conform to the expectations of the ethnic community and remain part of it. These young people participate in Greek youth organizations, folk-dance groups, holiday parades, and festivals.

Other important aspects of Greek culture are folk dancing and folk music. Traditional Greek dances are seen in community festivals, ethnic celebrations, and weddings. The country foot-stamping dances (vlachica) are commonly performed by people from rural Greece. These dances were first put on during Ottoman domination as a means of asserting Greekness. One of the most popular is the tsamikos, first danced by the kleftes (revolutionary warriors), who fought the Turkish overlords. This dance, which is done in circular fashion, with hands linked, is usually led by men who kick high in the air and slap their shoes as they kick, expressing their desire to fly away from the earth. Other popular dances include the hasapikos, first danced by the butchers of the Byzantine era, and the hasaposervikos, which involves staccato steps. Both originated in Greek taverns, where men traditionally gathered to eat, drink, and talk. They require enthusiastic expression and involve systematic, complex steps.

Greek Canadians also entertain themselves in Greek night clubs in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, where one may enjoy Greek food and Greek folk dances and music. Bouzouki music dominates, moving the audience to kefi (musical euphoria), and some get up and dance the zembekiko (solo dance) popularized by Nikos Kazantzakis’s novel Zorba the Greek and the movie based on it. Most traditional Greek dancing, however, is done in circular fashion, with hands linked, and participants are both males and females. In festivals and ethnic celebrations dancers wear traditional and national costumes.

Since the early 1960s many entertainers and actors from Greece have visited Canada to perform in music halls, community centres, and Greek night clubs. Famous singers such as George Dalaras, Panos Gavalas, Glykeria, Vicki Mosholiou, Yannis Parios, Gregoris Pithikotsis, and Mikis Theodorakis have appeared. Greek theatrical groups have also performed Greek drama and comedy. In the mid-1980s the Greek government, with the cooperation of Greek-Canadian communities and organizations, established and sponsored the Greek Month in Canada as an annual cultural event, bringing more professional entertainers and artists from Greece. Such events started to subside in 1990 with the change of government in Greece.