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Sunday, Oct. 12, 2008

Inaugural church-sponsored Greek festival offers up food, fun, culture

Members of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church downtown on First Street are hosting the parish's first Greek festival this weekend.

The event features traditional food, music and dance, a shopper's marketplace and tours of the 19th century structure, where extensive renovations are under way to restore original aspects of the building and add modern elements.

Vendors and dancers traveled from far as Clearwater, Fla., and Detroit to participate in the culture festival.

Women in the congregation were in charge of the menu - preparing popular Greek dishes such as pastitsio, spanakopita, gyros and souvlaki, and baklava.

The Rev. Julian Damian, who joined Holy Cross last year, is giving tours of the aged church, highlighting the history of the ancient Christian faith.

"There are two elements of Greek Orthodoxy that I always emphasize: the structure of the building and the uniqueness of the church as an apostolic faith," Damian said.

"For instance, the inconostasis, the wall that places the altar literally and figuratively above everything else, is something that is special to a Greek Orthodox church. It is one of the most reverent parts of the building."

In 2004, the congregation purchased the church building from First Street United Methodist Church and relocated from a smaller site on Bloomfield Drive.

More than 60 church families represent a wide area in Middle Georgia and multiple countries, including Albania, Hungary, Serbia and Hungary.

Damian, a native of Romania, said the diversity of his congregates exemplifies the mission of the Greek Orthodox faith.

"It is a church that keeps praying for the unity of all churches," he said.

Rosa Rector of Tipp City, Ohio, a festival-goer Saturday, said the tour changed her impression of the traditional Orthodox service.

"It's more personal that I thought it would be. Because of the decadence of the actual building, I thought it would be more ceremonial," she said.

Proceeds from the festival will go toward replacing stained glass windows destroyed in the Mother's Day tornado and the structure's stucco finishing, said Mike Cantrell, who is chairing the event with Jim Lekas.

"This place ultimately will be a museum of sorts," Cantrell said. "And someday, we envision this festival taking over the whole block."

About 1,000 people have visited the event since it began Friday, he said, adding that it is the only festival of its kind in Middle Georgia.

"Greeks are notorious for their festivals and even with Macon's small Greek community, central Georgia needed one," Cantrell said. "There's just so much history in the culture, from ancient times to now."

Along with the Grecian Echoes band, two dance troupes are performing on the church grounds. Traditional Greek dances are called "suites," regional styles that include six components.

Strati Papageorgiou, a 17-year-old member of Eleftheria from Marietta, said a dance's steps indicate its origin.

Short, shuffling movements originate from mainland Greece, tougher steps from mountainous areas and "usually flowing dances are from the islands," he said.

Eleftheria and the Hellas Dancers from Damian's former church in Clearwater compete in the annual Hellenic Dance Festival held in January in Atlanta. There will be dancing throughout today.

The festival vendors feature a variety of imported items from Greece - wine, coffee pastries and herbs, handmade jewelry, garments and religious artwork.

George Skaroulis, a popular pianist whose music is often featured on Georgia Public Television and PBS, is selling copies of his eight instrumental albums, original photography pieces, and meditation and spa products.

"I do a lot of Greek festivals and I'm very impressed by this one," the Atlanta musician said. "It's starting off on a smaller scale but it's obvious the congregation is very passionate. This is one of those festivals that makes you proud to be Greek."

To contact writer Ashley Tusan Joyner, call 744-4347.