Discover Greek culture: The birthplace of Western culture

• 15 January, 24

When mentioning Greece, people not only think about beautiful islands or ancient ruins, but are also fascinated by the unique culture and art of this country. Every street corner, every wall tells a story about the glorious past and brilliant future of Greece. Here are some unique things about the rich cultural in Greece.

Greek personality

Greek people are famous for their hospitality. This has its roots in ancient traditions, where visitors to the home were seen as a gift from the gods and welcoming them reflected respect for the supernatural world. Today, this manifests itself in Greeks welcoming visitors with warmth, sharing food, wine and stories with them.

Language

Greek is the official language of Greece. Greek has a history spanning more than 3,000 years, making it one of the languages with the longest recorded history in the world. Ancient Greek has had a great influence on many other languages and cultures, especially in fields such as philosophy, science, mathematics and medicine.

Cultural communication

During the first meeting, Greeks often demonstrate their communication culture by shaking hands firmly, smiling and maintaining contact using eye contact. For friends or relatives, they often show closeness by hugging tightly and kissing both cheeks. When men greet each other, they often use a pat on the shoulder gesture.

In Greece, debate is an important part of communication culture. People here often enjoy discussing and debating with each other. What’s special is that, despite heated arguments, they never let negative opinions or emotions affect their relationship.

Even though there are heated debates, the result is often satisfaction because both sides have reached an agreement and consensus. For Greek people, conflict and debate are considered important steps on the path to personal development and progress.

Traditions and customs

In Greek tradition, family and friendship hold a very important place. Large family gatherings and events are very common in Greek homes.

Besides, in Greek families, the elderly are highly respected and respected. They are often considered people with a lot of knowledge and experience, and their opinions often carry a lot of weight in the family and community.

Festivals also play an important role in Greek culture. Every year, Greek people often organize many traditional festivals such as: Name Day Celebration, Clean Monday…. These festivals are often held combining music, dance, and cuisine.

Religion

In Greek culture, religion plays an important role. According to statistics, up to 98% of people here follow Orthodox Christianity and this is also an officially recognized religion according to the constitution.

However, all people in Greece still have freedom of religion in accordance with the law. In addition to Orthodox Christianity, Greece also has Muslim, Roman Catholic and Jewish communities.

Body language

Sign language is an important means of conveying information that Greeks regularly use. Some sign languages used by Greek people include:

• Raising a hand towards the other person can be misunderstood as an insulting gesture.
• Nodding means no, shaking your head means yes.
• The ringing of fingers to form “OK” in many places can be misunderstood as swearing in Greece.
• The Greek thumbs-up gesture is not a compliment but on the contrary an expression of humiliation.

Sport

In Greece, basketball and soccer are very popular sports. Among them, Panathinaikos, Olympiakos and AEK Athens top the list of the most famous football clubs. In 2004, the Greek national football team won the European championship.

Not only that, the Greek basketball team is also considered one of the strongest teams in the world. The Greek basketball team won the European championship twice in 1987 and 2005.

Mercan Asia is a part of Mercan Group of Companies. Mercan Group is one of the largest and most successful professional investment immigration consulting companies, which originate from Canada and expand its region to more than 20 international companies global. Established in 1989, Mercan has become a leader in the field of immigration and developed a reputation for integrity, honesty and efficiency. Under Investment sector, Mercan Group successfully developed more than 40 projects in USA and more than 20 hotel projects in Portugal. We are the leader developing hotel projects in Portugal under Golden Visa Program.