A supportive society
In villages and neighbourhoods, but especially within families, it is solidarity that has enabled Greek society to survive the 2009 crisis: the uncle who finds you a job, the neighbor who brings food to the old lady on thefifth floor, the cousin who has gone to Germany to finance the work on the family restaurant, etc. It is true that social ties have also suffered greatly from this same crisis, which has increased individualism and broken down many traditional structures. But Greek solidarity is still palpable, as in Lesbos, one of the main points of entry of refugees into Greece, where many islanders transport and feed the new arrivals for free, no matter how illegal it is.
Philoxenia as a precept
This term means "love of strangers" and refers to a very strong sense of hospitality. If it has become a name for many hotels, it is above all an oriental tradition that continues. Not always in the big cities or in the most touristy areas, but as soon as you are in the countryside, you can find yourself invited for coffee or a meal by complete strangers. And this is even more true if you are traveling with children. The same goes for restaurants with Greek friends, where it will be very difficult to pay or share the bill. Philoxenia has also regained its nobility with those families taking under their protection the refugees who have arrived in numbers since 2015. This uncalculated sense of hospitality remains one of Greece's assets: even after nearly a century of mass tourism and successive waves of immigration, Greeks still often make a point of welcoming foreigners.
The table at the heart of social relations
Greece and France have at least one thing in common: they are the two nations where people spend the most time eating. The French are the world champions with an average of 2h13 per day, followed by the Greeks with 2h11. Here, the meal is an opportunity to order/cook a lot and not to finish everything, to talk, to drink, to be with family or friends, sometimes to do business or to spend a romantic evening. In short, it's a well-established tradition. But we don't entertain at home, we prefer to invite to the restaurant. The typical meal is convivial. However, you should know that here, everyone digs into the dishes, salads and assorted mezzedes. Another important difference is that in taverns, outside the most touristy areas, dessert is usually offered. You should not ask for it (it is rude), but it comes after the bill in the form of watermelon, grapes or a small sweet.
The importance of family
Here, pedia (a word which, among other things, gave rise to "pediatrician") are little kings. Because even though they have very few (1.3 children per woman on average), the Greeks are crazy about toddlers. They nurture their children, showering them with gifts and sweets. And even when their offspring have grown up, they continue to spoil them with little dishes prepared by Mum or an apartment bought by Dad. On the one hand, this is great, because if you travel with children, you'll be welcomed more warmly everywhere. On the other hand, it's a terrible thing, because an entire generation of young Greeks is now spoiled rotten... and victims of one of the highest obesity rates in Europe. Another harmful aspect of this cumbersome love affair is that parents are desperate for their offspring to succeed at school. As a result, from primary school onwards, many children find themselves bogged down in evening classes - the dreaded frontistiria - on which families spend lavishly.
When they retire, Greeks often stay close to their children to help them out with their own children and meals. If they can afford it, they return to their island or native region. Retired people don't travel around Europe like the French, preferring to focus on home and household chores. The men meet their lifelong friends at the local kafenion to play cards and share a mezze while sipping an ouzo. On Sundays, the tavern brings families and friends together around a table. As old age sets in, the grandfather in turn is taken care of by his children.
The omnipotence of patriarchy
Besides the venerable Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which governs the religious life of the Orthodox, the Greeks are above all subject to another patriarchate, the paternal social order. All his life, in all his administrative procedures, at the bank and to create a company, the Greek citizen - man or woman - will be recognized only in relation to his father. And the same goes, of course, for the wife, who is almost non-existent from a legal point of view. This is one of the signs that says that this is the Orient. The father decides, the rest of the family executes. As in all oriental countries, there is another reading of this distribution of roles: the women hold the reins, leaving the men the impression of power. Nevertheless, it is the men (politicians) who have brought the country to chaos on several occasions, as in 2009, for example. Men still gather to play tavli (backgammon) at the kafenion, a traditional café where women never venture. But the patriarchy is slowly unraveling with the increase in the number of children born out of wedlock, or with the creation of a civil union, in 2015, including for homosexual couples.
