Posted From: The Bronx, New York, United States
Being Greek - what does it mean?
The highest grossing romantic comedy of all time? A film about Greeks.
“Greeks invented everything,” so the saying goes, popularized by the 2002 film My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Americans learn that Greece was the birthplace of democracy and theatre; essentially serving as the bedrock for Western culture.
Nonetheless, being Greek to me does not embody those ideals. Rather, being Greek means experiencing the Greek-American culture common to hundreds of thousands of youth from Greek immigrants. It means associating experiences with the Greek Church, eating certain foods, celebrating certain holidays, and placing family above all else.
The foundation for Greek-American experience; Greek Orthodoxy, i.e. the Church
No, Greeks do not worship Zeus or any other multitude of gods. The vast majority of Greeks are Christian. In fact, the vast majority of that vast majority are of one denomination: Greek Orthodox.
Thus, by probability, being Greek means being Greek Orthodox. What exactly, does this mean though, to someone unfamiliar with the religion?
The Greek Church serves as the centerpiece to the community of local Greeks in an area. My uncle noted earlier this year that “when there are a dozen Greek families in a town, expect a church. Greeks build churches to build community.” As an American-born citizen, this struck me as a bit of an exaggeration. However, this location is not to be understated. For example, when my family moved from NYC to Virginia, proximity to the local Greek Church was a factor in the home search!
The Church hosts a plethora of events. For example, a weekly list of events at a Greek Church would include: Greek school, Greek dance, a meeting for older men (AHEPA), a meeting for older women (Philoptochos), a meeting for younger adults (YAL), a meeting for teens (GOYA), and of course, a variety of Greek Orthodox church services. Families do not only visit the church on Sundays. Often, I would be at the church on three separate occasions in a single week during my youth. No wonder my family wanted to be in close proximity to the local Greek church!
By serving as a focal point to the community, the Church becomes synonymous with one’s identity as a Greek-American. Any activity is routed through the church. In this manner, one associates all experiences of being Greek with the Church itself. Whether intended or not, this conception of association between one’s Greek identity and the Greek Church becomes impenetrable when trying to disassociate the two. This is true for Greeks growing up in New York or Virginia; the church functions as a predominant hub for Greek identity.
“The Mediterranean Diet” is not Greek food
Greek food is popular; a Google Trends analysis and a Yelp analysis each found Greek food to be the 8th most popular cuisine in America.
To me, I categorize Greek food in two ways: restaurant and homey. Unfortunately for the health of Greeks, the Mediterranean Diet is not omnipresent in either category of food. The former is what is widely disseminated throughout the US: gyros, olives, “Greek salad,” an assortment of dips, and grilled meat and seafood.
The “homey food” is unknown to many non-Greeks, as it is the localized cooking handed down from people who directly emigrated from Greece, like my grandparents. It differs from Greek-American to Greek-American, as the food associated with home depends on the hometown of where your family emigrated from. For example, “homey” dishes include Araka (pea soup), Fakes (pronounced fah-kes, lentil soup), kritharaki (Orzo with tomato sauce), and rizogalo (rice pudding).
To further my point, a recipe for Prasorizo (leeks and rice) states:
“Prasorizo (praso is the Greek word for leeks) is mainly a dish that is cooked at home and not found very often in restaurants.”
Two reasons cause this difference. First, Greek restaurants “Americanize” their food. Similar to how it is commonplace for there to exist “American-Chinese” food (takeout) and “authentic” Chinese food (for example, Sichuan), the same trend exists for Greek food. However, since the density of Greeks in America is less than that of many other nationalities, the prevalence of authentic cuisine presents itself less. Second, “homey” food differs from household to household; it relies greatly on the origin of your family. For my family, which comes from the Macedonia area of Greece, the food is not as marketable as the “restaurant” Greek food known to Americans; many stews and soups. In this manner, the “homey” food rarely makes its way outside the Greek home.
Even so, both foods remind me of my Greek identity. The former showcases the pervading nature of Greek food in the minds of Americans, while the latter showcases the familiar tastes and ingredients passed down through generations of family.
“Living it up” on holidays
The predominant holidays for Greeks revolve around religious holidays. Pascha (Easter) is the largest holiday for Greeks, known as the “feast of feasts”. Based on the religious calendar, 12 more days are next in importance. In addition to the widely-celebrated religious days, celebrations of individuals occur on their name day. This is a day similar to the customary birthday. But, the difference is your name day is shared by those with a common forename. For example, all people named “Michaels” celebrate their name day on November 8th.
In addition to the predominance of religious holidays, there are a couple other non-religious holidays that serve as pinnacles for Greeks. March 25th (which is a religious holiday), also serves as “Greek Independence Day.” October 28th serves as “Oxi Day” (no day — in celebration of Greek’s resistance to Italian occupation in WWII). Both of these holidays are commonly celebrated by Greeks. At Greek Churches across the country, children perform plays and songs in remembrance of those days. My childhood memories are filled of Sundays celebrating those two days, year after year, performing different plays and skits for the crowd of older Greeks and Greek-Americans.
Another instance of celebration occurs annually in NYC with the Greek Independence Day parade. Around March 25th every year, thousands of Greeks march up 5th avenue, waving flags of Greece while marching and shouting songs off parade floats. I, too, participated in this as a child — I remember it being a day of celebration, and also, proudness, within my family.
Instead of focusing on the individual, Greek holidays focus on a common history, either religious or historical. This reinforces the shared experience Greeks feel about their identity, and thus, strengthening feelings towards the homeland.
You’re stuck with ‘em — family
Alongside the Greek Church, the family presents one of the two most important units to influencing the life of Greek-Americans. By and large, the family is the creator, and proliferator, of the Greek-American experience.
Distinct from many other European immigrants, Greeks continue to protrude families as the mainstay of the Greek identity. Greek families are large: multiple generations live in close proximity and visit often. In fact, four generations of my family live all on the same block as me; I see my grandma, aunt, and cousins daily!
Greek families protrude common characteristics — they are loud, noisy, and proud. Loud when talking to one another, noisy to the neighbors, and proud to all viewing them. These characteristics stem from Greeks’ feelings; they exhibit a lot of emotion. In turn, Greeks extrude that emotion in their voice through conversation. For example, Greek families speak loudly to one another when discussing plans for the upcoming weekend — partially because such plans are always a family affair, partially because everyone wears their heart on their sleeve.
In my own experience, the concept of family constantly centers all of my family. For instance, when deciding what to do on a Saturday night in my junior and senior years of high school, I would only do something outside of my family if my family was not doing anything — how could I make plans with others, I repeatedly thought, if my family already has plans?
Ultimately, the family acts as the unit prevailing unit in the lives of Greeks. In the minds of Greeks, the family ranks above all else. Greeks constantly see family, live with family, and act because of family.
Introduction to my conception of self
I know I am Greek. (Genetically, 23andMe says I am.) But, how Greek am I really?
If I no longer find the Church as the centerpiece to my community, am I still Greek?
If I cook yet do not make Greek food often, am I still Greek?
If celebrations revolve around US federal holidays, instead of Greek national holidays, am I still Greek?
If I am not loud and noisy, am I still Greek?
If I no longer speak Greek, am I still Greek?
I am a Greek-American. I share a common set of experiences with thousands of other Greek-Americans who grew up with second-generation parents. While this identity embodies part of me, I am unsure the extent to which it will continue living within me.
Next Steps
Thank you for reading.
This is post 8.
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