ascertain, Matthew 13:54-58, St Lydia Thyatira, Philippi Macedonia and Kavala Greece
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Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Something Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7..
We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift knowledge and free will as well,
make the most of it. Life on earth is a stepping to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Today's Word: ascertain as·cer·tain [as-er-teyn]
Origin: 1400–50; late Middle English, variant of assertain, acertain < Middle French acertain- (tonic stem of acertener to make certain), equivalent to a- a-5 + certain certain
verb (used with object)
1. to find out definitely; learn with certainty or assurance; determine: to ascertain the facts.
2. Archaic . to make certain, clear, or definitely known.
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Today's Gospel Reading - Matthew 13: 54-58
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| Jesus preaches in synagogue |
Coming to his home town, Jesus taught
the people in their synagogue in such a way that they were astonished
and said, 'Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous
powers? This is the carpenter's son, surely? Is not his mother the
woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude?
His sisters, too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man
get it all?' And they would not accept him. But Jesus said to them, 'A
prophet is despised only in his own country and in his own house,' and
he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
Reflection
• The Gospel today tells us the visit
of Jesus to Nazareth, his native community. Passing through Nazareth
was painful for Jesus. What was his community at the beginning, now it
is no longer so. Something has changed. Where there is no faith, Jesus
can work no miracles.
• Matthew 13, 53-57ª: The reaction of the people of Nazareth before Jesus. It is always good for people to go back to their land. After a long absence, Jesus also returns, as usual, on a Saturday, and he goes to the meeting of the community. Jesus was not the head of the group, but just the same he speaks. This is a sign that persons could participate and express their own opinion. People were astonished. They did not understand Jesus’ attitude: "Where did the man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” Jesus, son of that place, whom they knew since he was a child, how is that now he is so different? The people of Nazareth were scandalized and do not accept him: “This is the carpenter’s son, surely? The people do not accept the mystery of God present in a common man as they are, as they had known Jesus. In order to speak about God he should be different. As one can see, not everything was positive. The persons, who should have been the first ones to accept the Good News, are the first ones to refuse to accept it. The conflict is not only with foreigners, but also with his relatives and with the people of Nazareth. They do not accept because they cannot understand the mystery envelops Jesus: “Is not his mother, the woman called Mary, and his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Jude? And his sisters too, are they not all here with us? So where did the man get it all?” They are not able to believe.
• Matthew 13, 57b-58: Reaction of Jesus before the attitude of the people of Nazareth. Jesus knows very well that “no one is a prophet in his own country”. And he says: A prophet is despised only in his own country and in his own house”. In fact, where there is neither acceptance nor faith, people can do nothing. The prejudice prevents it. Jesus himself, even wanting, can do nothing. He was astonished before their lack of faith.
• The brothers and sisters of Jesus. The expression “brothers of Jesus” causes much polemics between Catholics and Protestants. Basing themselves in this and in other texts, the Protestants say that Jesus had many brothers and sisters and that Mary had more children! Catholics say that Mary did not have any other children. What can we think about this? In the first place, both positions, that of Catholics as well as that of Protestants, contain arguments taken from the Bible and from the Tradition of their respective Churches. For this reason, it is not convenient to discuss this question with arguments which are only intellectual, because it is a question of profound convictions, which have something to do with faith and with the sentiments of both and of each one. The argument which is only intellectual cannot change a conviction of the heart! It only irritates and draws away! Even if I do not agree with the opinion of others, I have to respect it. In the second place, instead of discussing around texts, all of us, Catholics and Protestants, should unite ourselves much more to fight for the defence of life, created by God, a life so disfigured by poverty, injustice, lack of faith. We should recall some other phrases of Jesus. “I have come so that they may have life and life to the full” (Jn 10, 10). “That all may be one, so that the world may believe that you, Father, has sent me” (Jn 17, 21). “Do not prevent them! Anyone who is not against us is for us” (Mk 10, 39.40)
Personal questions
• In Jesus something changed in his
relationship with the Community of Nazareth. Since you began to
participate in the community, has something changed in your
relationship with the family? Why?
• Has participation in the community helped you to accept and to trust persons, especially the more simple and the poorest?
• Has participation in the community helped you to accept and to trust persons, especially the more simple and the poorest?
Reference: Courtesy of Order of Carmelites, www.ocarm.org.
Died: 371
Patron Saint of : Vercelli, Italy
Lydia of Thyatira is a character in the New Testament. She is regarded as the first recorded convert to Christianity in Europe. The name, "Lydia", meaning "the Lydian woman", by which she was known indicates that she was from Lydia
in Asia Minor. Though she is commonly known as “St. Lydia” or even more
simply “The Woman of Purple,” Lydia is given other titles: “of
Thyatira,” “Purpuraria,” and “of Phillippi (‘Philippisia’ in Greek).”
“[Lydia’s] name is an ethnicon, deriving from her place of origin”.
The first refers to her place of birth, which is a city in the Greek
region of Lydia. The second comes from the Latin word for purple and
relates to her connection with purple dye. Philippi was the city in
which Lydia was living when she met St. Paul and his companions. All of
these titles expound upon this woman’s background.
Paul, Silas, and Timothy were traveling through the region of Philippi when they encounter “a reputable businesswoman and possibly a widow… [who] was a righteous Gentile or ‘God-fearer’ attracted to Judaism”. “[S]he was one of a large group [considered]…sympathizers with Judaism, believers in the one God, but who had not yet become ‘proselytes’ or taken the final step to conversion to Judaism”. Because these encounters and events take place “in what is now Europe,” Lydia is considered “the first ‘European’ Christian convert”.
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Saint of the Day: St. Lydia of Thyatira (Philippi)
Feast Day: August 3
Died: 371
Patron Saint of : Vercelli, Italy
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| A Greek Orthodox Painting of St. Lydia |
New Testament narrative
Acts 16 describes Lydia as follows:A certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, one who worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened to listen to the things which were spoken by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and stay." So she persuaded us.—Acts 16:14-15 World English Bible.
Background
Lydia was most likely a Greek even though she lived in a Roman settlement. She was evidently a well-to-do agent of a purple-dye firm in Thyatira, a city southeast of Pergamum and approximately 40 miles inland, across the Aegean Sea from Athens. Lydia insisted on giving hospitality to Saint Paul and his companions in Philippi. They stayed with her until their departure, through Amphipolis and Apollonia, to Thessalonica (Acts 16:40-17:1).Paul, Silas, and Timothy were traveling through the region of Philippi when they encounter “a reputable businesswoman and possibly a widow… [who] was a righteous Gentile or ‘God-fearer’ attracted to Judaism”. “[S]he was one of a large group [considered]…sympathizers with Judaism, believers in the one God, but who had not yet become ‘proselytes’ or taken the final step to conversion to Judaism”. Because these encounters and events take place “in what is now Europe,” Lydia is considered “the first ‘European’ Christian convert”.
Profession
“Thyatira in the province of Lydia (located in what is now western Turkey) was famous for the red [variety of purple] dye”. Lydia of Thyatira is most known as a “seller” or merchant of purple cloth, which is the likely reason for the Catholic Church naming her “patroness of dyers.” It is unclear as to if Lydia simply dealt in the trade of purple dye or whether her business included textiles as well, though all known icons of the saint depict her with some form of purple cloth. Most portray this holy woman wearing a purple shawl or veil, which allows many historians and theologians to believe that she was a merchant of specifically purple cloth.Social status
There is some speculation regarding Lydia’s social status. Theologians disagree as to whether Lydia was a free woman or servant. “There is no direct evidence that Lydia had once been a slave, but the fact that her name is her place of origin rather than a personal name suggests this as at least a possibility”. Ascough states other examples of noble women named Lydia from the first or second centuries, so it is unlikely that she was actually a slave or servant.Marital status
Because women did not possess the same equality rights as modern women, it appears unusual that Lydia would be capable of inviting a group of foreign men to her house without a man’s consent. “The fact that there is no mention of a man has been used to deduce that she was a widow, but this has been challenged as a patriarchal interpretation”. Lydia’s evident social power exemplified by her control of a household and ownership of a house (which she offered to St. Paul and his companions) indicates that she was most likely a free woman and possibly a widow.Feast day
Lydia of Thyatira is recognized as a saint by several Christian denominations, though the feast day varies greatly. In the liturgical calendar of saints of the Latin Rite Catholic Church her feast day is celebrated on August 3, but the Orthodox Church’s sects celebrate several days. The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America remembers St. Lydia’s on May 20 while the Russian branch of the Orthodox Church observes both June 25 and March 27 as her feast day. In the Eastern Orthodox Church her feast day is on May 20. The Lutheran churches are also divided: ELCA commemorates St. Lydia on January 27 while LCMS does so on October 25. Curiously, the Episcopal Church holds the belief that the correct feast day is January 27 as well. Lydia is also commemorated with Dorcas and Phoebe on January 27 in the Calendar of Saints of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and on October 25 in the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. She is honored with a feast day on the liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America on January 27.Devotion
Devotion to St. Lydia is greater in the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches than the Catholic Church and evident in the myriad of icons depicting this woman. The Orthodox Church has given her the title of “Equal to the Apostles,” which signifies her importance and level of holiness. There is a church located in Philippi, which many consider to be built in St. Lydia’s honor. A modern baptistery is located on the traditional site where Lydia was baptized by St. Paul near Philippi as well.
References: Courtesy of the Catholic Online, catholic.org and Courtesy of Wikipedia, wikipedia.org
- Hahn, Scott (2002). The Acts of the Apostles Revised Standard Version (Second Catholic Edition). San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press
- "St. Lydia of Philippisia". The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
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Today's Snippet: Philippi, Macedonia and Kavala, Greece
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| Ancient Biblical Map of Macedonia |
Philippi (in Greek Φίλιπποι Philippoi) was a city in eastern Macedonia, established by Philip II in 356 BC and abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest. The present municipality Filippoi is located near the ruins of the ancient city and it is part of the region of East Macedonia and Thrace in Greece.
Philippi was established by the king of Macedon, Philip II, on the site of the Thasian colony of Krinides or Crenides (Κρηνἱδες, "Fountains"), near the head of the Aegean Sea at the foot of Mt. Orbelos about 8 miles north-west of Kavalla, on the northern border of the marsh that in Antiquity covered the entire plain separating it from the Pangaion hills to the south of Greece.
The objective of founding the town was to take control of the neighbouring gold mines and to establish a garrison at a strategic passage: the site controlled the route between Amphipolis and Neapolis, part of the great royal route which crosses Macedonia from the east to the west and which was reconstructed later by the Roman Empire as the Via Egnatia.
Philip II endowed the new city with important fortifications, which
partially blocked the passage between the swamp and Mt. Orbelos, and
sent colonists to occupy it. Philip also had the marsh partially
drained, as is attested by the writer Theophrastus. Philippi preserved itsautonomy within the kingdom of Macedon and had its own political institutions (the Assembly of the demos).
The discovery of new gold mines near the city, at Asyla, contributed to
the wealth of the kingdom and Philip established a mint there. The city
was finally fully integrated into the kingdom under Philip V.
The city remained. It contained 2,000 people. When the Romans destroyed the Antigonid dynasty of Macedon in 167 BC and divided it into four separate states (merides), it was Amphipolis and not Philippi that became the capital of the eastern Macedonian state.
Almost nothing is known about the city in this period, aside from the walls, the Greek theatre, the foundations of a house under the Roman forum and a little temple dedicated to a hero cult. This monument covers the tomb of a certain Exekestos, is possibly situated on the agora and is dedicated to the κτίστης (ktistès), the foundation hero of the city.
The Roman era
The city reappears in the sources during the Roman civil war that followed the assassination of Julius Caesar. His heirs Mark Antony and Octavian confronted the assassins of Caesar, Marcus Junius Brutus and Cassius, at the Battle of Philippi
in the plain to the west of the city during October in 42 BC. Antony
and Octavian were victorious in this final battle against the partisans
of the Republic. They released some of their veteran soldiers, probably
from legion XXVIII and colonized them in the city, which was refounded as Colonia Victrix Philippensium. In 30 BC, Octavian became Roman emperor, reorganized the colony, and established more settlers there, veterans possibly from the Praetorian Guard and other Italians. The city was renamed Colonia Iulia Philippensis, and then Colonia Augusta Iulia Philippensis after January, 27 BC, when Octavian received the title Augustus from the Roman Senate.
Following this second renaming, and perhaps after the first, the territory of Philippi was centuriated
(divided into squares of land) and distributed to the colonists. The
city kept its Macedonian walls, and its general plan was modified only
partially by the construction of a forum, a little to the east of the
site of Greek agora. It was a "miniature Rome," under the municipal law
of Rome and governed by two military officers, the duumviri, who were appointed directly from Rome.
The colony recognized its dependence on the mines that brought it its privileged position on the Via Egnatia.
This wealth was shown by the many monuments that were particularly
imposing considering the relatively small size of the urban area: the
forum, laid out in two terraces on both sides of the main road, was
constructed in several phases between the reigns of Claudius and Antoninus Pius, and the theatre was enlarged and expanded in order to hold Roman games. There is an abundance of Latin inscriptions testifying to the prosperity of the city.
The early Christian era
According to the New Testament, in AD 49 or 50, the city was visited by the apostle Paul (Acts 16:9-10). From the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 16:12) and the letter to the Philippians (Philippians 1:1), early Christians concluded that Paul had founded their community. Accompanied by Silas, Timothy and possibly Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, he is believed to have preached for the first time on European soil in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40). According to the New Testament, Paul visited the city on two other occasions, in 56 and 57. The Epistle to the Philippians dates from around 61-62 and is believed to show the immediate impact of Paul's instruction. The development of Christianity in Philippi is indicated by a letter from Polycarp of Smyrna addressed to the community in Philippi around AD 160 and by funerary inscriptions.
The first church described in the city is a small building that was probably originally a small prayer house. This Basilica of Paul, identified by an mosaic inscription on the pavement, is dated around 343 from a mention by the bishop Porphyrios, who was present at the Council of Serdica that year. The prosperity of the city in the 5th and 6th centuries was
attributed to Paul and to his ministry. As in other cities, many new
ecclesiastical buildings were constructed at this time. Seven different
churches were constructed in Philippi between the mid-4th century and
the end of the 6th, some of which competed in size and decoration with
the most beautiful buildings in Thessalonica, or even those of Constantinople. The relationship of the plan and of the architectural decoration of Basilica B with Hagia Sophia
and Saint Irene in Constantinople accorded a privileged place to this
church in the history of early Christian art. The complex cathedral
which took the place of the Basilica of Paul at the end of the 5th
century, constructed around an octagonal church, also rivaled the
churches of Constantinople. In the same age, the fortifications of the city were rebuilt in order to better defend against the growing instability in the Balkans. In 473, the city was besieged by the Ostrogoths, who were unable to take it but burned down the surrounding villages.
The Byzantine and Ottoman era
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| Ruins at Philippi. |
Already weakened by the Slavic invasions at the end of the 6th century, which ruined the agrarian economy of Macedonia and probably also by the Plague of Justinian in 547, the city was almost totally destroyed by an earthquake
around 619, from which it never recovered. There was a small amount of
activity there in the 7th century, but the city was now hardly more than
a village. The Byzantine Empire possibly maintained a garrison there, but in 838 the city was taken by the Bulgars under kavhan Isbul, who celebrated their victory with a monumental inscription on the stylobate
in Basilica B, now partially in ruins. The site of Philippi was so
strategically sound that the Byzantines attempted very soon to recapture
it ca. 850. Several seals of civil servants and other Byzantine
officials, dated to the first half of the 9th century, prove the
presence of Byzantine armies in the city.
Around 969, Emperor Nicephorus II
Phocas rebuilt the fortifications on the acropolis and in part of the
city. These gradually helped weaken Bulgar power and strengthen the
Byzantine presence in the area. In 1077, Bishop Basil Kartzimopoulos
rebuilt part of the defenses inside the city. The city began to prosper
once more, as witnessed by the Arab geographer Al Idrisi, who mentions it as a centre of business and wine production around 1150. After a brief occupation by the Franks after the Fourth Crusade and the capture of Constantinople in 1204, the city fell into the hands of the Serbs. Still, it remained a notable fortification on the route of the ancient Via Egnatia; in 1354, the pretender to the Byzantine throne, Matthew Cantacuzenus, was captured there by the Serbs. The city was abandoned at an unknown date, but when the French
traveller Pierre Belon visited it in the 16th century, there were
nothing but ruins, used by the Turks as a quarry. The name of the city
was preserved at first by a Turkish village on the nearby plain,
Philibedjik (Filibecik, "Little Filibe" in Turkish), which has since disappeared and then by a Greek village in the mountains.
Archaeological excavation of the site
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The ruins of Direkler (Basilica B),
illustrated by H. Daumet, 1861
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In the Bible
According to the New Testament, in AD 49 or 50 the city was visited by the apostle Paul who was guided there by a vision (Acts 16:9-10). Accompanied by Silas, Timothy and possibly Luke, the author of the Acts of the Apostles, he preached for the first time on European soil in Philippi (Acts 16:12-40) and baptized Lydia, a purple
dye merchant, in a river to the west of the city. While in Philippi,
his exorcism of a demon from a slave girl caused a great uproar in the
city, which led to their (Paul and Silas) arrest and public beating (Acts 16:16-24).
An earthquake caused their prison to be opened. When the jailer awoke,
he prepared to kill himself, thinking all the prisoners had escaped and
knowing that he would be severely punished. Paul stopped him, indicating
that all the prisoners were in fact still there. The jailer then became
one of the first Christians in Europe (Acts 16:25-40). Paul visited the city at least on two other occasions, in 56 and 57. The Epistle to the Philippians dates from around 61-62 and shows the immediate impact of Paul's instruction.
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Kavala, Greece
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| Map of Greece |
Kavala (Greek: Καβάλα), is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala regional unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos. Kavala is located on the Egnatia motorway and is a two-hour drive to Thessaloniki (160 km west) and forty minutes drive to Drama (37 km north) and Xanthi (56 km east).
History
The city was founded by settlers from Thassos about at the end of the 7th century BC, who called it Neapolis
(Νεάπολις; "new city" in Greek). It was one of the colonies that the
Thassians founded in the coastline, in order to take advantage of the
rich gold and silver mines of the territory, especially the ones that
were located to the nearby Pangaion mountain (which were eventually
exploited by Phillip the Second of Macedonia).
Antiquity
The worship of "Parthenos", a female hellenised deity of the thracian
goddess Vendis is archaeologically attested in the archaic period. At
the end of the 6th century BC Neapolis claimed its independence from
Thassos and cut its own silver coins with the head of Gorgo (γοργὀνειο)
at the one side as a symbol. At the beginning of the 5th century BC a
large ionic temple from thassian marble replaced the archaic one. Parts
of it can now be seen in the archaeological museum of Kavala. In 411 BC, during the Peloponnesian War, Neapolis was sieged by the
allied armies of the Spartans and the Thassians, but remained faithful
to Athens. Two athenian honorary decrees in 410 and 407 BC rewarded
Neapolis for its loyalty. Neapolis was a town of Macedonia, and the harbor of Philippi, from which it was distant 14 km. Neapolis was a member of the Athenian League, as a pillar found in Athens mentions a contribution of Neapolis to the alliance.
Roman Era
he military Roman road Via Egnatia passed through the city helped commerce to flourish. It became a Roman civitas in 168 BC, and was a base for Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC, before their defeat in the Battle of Philippi. (Appian, B.C. iv. 106; Dion Cass. xlvii. 35.). The Apostle Paul landed at Kavala on his first voyage to Europe (Acts, xvi. 11).
Byzantine Era
In the 6th century Byzantine emperor Justinian I fortified the city in an effort to protect it from barbaric raids. In later Byzantine times the city was called Christoupolis (Χριστούπολις, "city of Christ") and belonged to the Theme_(Byzantine_district) of Macedonia. The first mention of the new name is recorded in a taktikon of the early 9th century. The city is also mentioned in the "Life of St. Gregory the Decapolite". In the 8th and 9th century Bulgarian
attacks forced the Byzantines to reorganize the defense of the area,
giving great care to Christoupolis with fortification and a notable
garrison. In 926 the Byzantine general (stratigos) Vasilios Klaudon
reconstructed the fallen walls of the city, ("τα πριν φθαρέντα και
πεπτωκότα τείχη") according to an inscription that is now in the
archaeological museum of Kavala. Due to the location of Christoupolis,
the city experienced an economic flourish, securing the contact between Constantinople and Thessaloniki. During the Norman
raid of Macedonia in 1185, the city was captured and was burned. In
1302, the Catalonians failed to capture the city. In order to prevent
them from coming back, the Byzantine emperor Andronikos_III_Palaiologos
built a new long defensive wall ("το παρά την Χριστούπολιν τείχισμα").
In 1357 is mentioned that the Byzantine officers and brothers Alexios
and Ioannis (John) controlled the city and its territory. Recent
excavations have revealed the ruins of an early Byzantine basilica under
an old Ottoman mosque in the old part of the city (Panagia peninsula).
This Christian temple was used till the late Byzantine era, as the also
recently revealed small cemetery around it shows. The Ottoman Turks
first captured the city in 1387 and completely destroyed it in 1391, as a
Mount Athos chronicle testifies.
Ottoman Era
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| Kamares Aqueduct |
Kavala was part of the Ottoman Empire from 1387 to 1912. In the middle of the 16th century, Ibrahim Pasha, Grand Vizier of Suleiman the Magnificent, contributed to the prosperity and growth of Kavala by the construction of an aqueduct. The Ottomans also extended the Byzantine fortress on the hill of Panagia. Both landmarks are among the most recognizable symbols of the city today. Mehmet Ali, the founder of a dynasty that ruled Egypt, was born in Kavala in 1769. His house has been preserved as a museum.
Kamares (The old Aqueduct):
The Old Aqueduct, the Medieval Aqueduct, is work of the Byzantine
period, which held extensive repairs during the Ottoman rule,
particularly during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent and Legislator
(1530 AD approx.) This double arch structure was designed to bridge the
peninsula of Panagia with the foot of the mountain of Lekani. It was
used to carry water from mountain sources (six kilometers north from the
'Mother of Water "or" Soumpasi "or" The Three Elms") in today's" Old
Town "- Panagia, with the main water source situated at an altitude of
400 m and other complementary lower sources of supply. This grand
monument has a length of 280 m consists of 60 arches of four different
sizes and has a maximum height of 25 meters. The restoration works began
in September 1997 with a mild technical assistance. Source: «Medieval
Aqueduct of Kavala – Arcs», Publication of 12th Service of Byzantine and
Ancient Antiquities, Kavala, 2008
Modern Kavala
Kavala was briefly occupied by the Bulgarians who defeated the Ottomans in 1912, but was finally annexed to Greece by the Greek Navy in 1913, during a successful landing operation commanded by the famous admiral Pavlos Kountouriotis.
The city was captured again by the Bulgarian army during the First
World War from 29.8.1916 till the September of 1918. During this period
the local population faced the brutality of the occupation troops: the
local harvest was almost completely expropriated, while a sizable
portion of the population was sent to Bulgaria.
According to a report of the Inter Allied Commission in Macedonia, most
of them never returned and as a result, the local population has been
dramatically decreased from 69,600 to only 8,000. According to another source, Kavala had only about 23 thousand inhabitants before the war ans slightly less than that in 1920 After the Greco-Turkish War
of 1919-1922, the city entered a new era of prosperity because of the
labour offered by the thousands of refugees that moved to the area from
Asia Minor. The development was both industrial and agricultural. Kavala
became greatly involved in the processing and trading of tobacco. Many
buildings related to the storage and processing of tobacco from that era
are preserved in the city. During World War II and after the fall of Athens, the Nazis awarded Kavala to their Bulgarian allies in 1941, but the city was liberated in 1944. In the late 1950s Kavala expanded towards the sea by reclaiming land from the area west of the port. In 1967, King Constantine II left Athens for Kavala in an unsuccessful attempt to launch a counter-coup against the military junta.
Culture
Festivals and events
Kavala hosts a wide array of cultural events, which mostly take place during the summer months. The top festival is the Festival of Philippi,
which lasts from July to September and includes theatrical performances
and music concerts. Since 1957, it has been the city's most important
cultural event and one of the most important of Greece.
Cosmopolis is an International Festival held in the Old Town
of Kavala that offers an acquaintance with cultures around the world
through dancing and musical groups, traditional national cuisines,
cinema, and exhibits at the kiosks of the participant countries.
Giannis Papaioannou’s Festival includes concerts and music seminars.
Ilios ke Petra (Sun and Stone)(July):
a Festival held in “Akontisma” of Nea Karvali. The event is of
folkloric character, with the participation of traditional dancing
groups from all over the world.
Wood Water Wild Festival:
Wood Water Wild is an outdoor activities festival, inspired by nature.
It includes live bands & dj sets, body&mind activities, a book
fair, outdoor theatre, ecology, camping, and debates. Besides, various cultural events are held in all municipalities of Kavala during the summer months.
Cuisine
Fish and sea food, as well as the products of the local livestock
breeding and agricultural sectors are the prevailing elements of Kavala
courses. In Kavala, the traditional local recipes have been influenced
by the cuisine of the refugees from Pontos, Asia Minor and Kappadokia.
Fresh fish and sea food, salted food, mackerel "gouna" (sun dried
mackerel on the grill), sardine pantremeni, mussels with rice, herring
saganaki, anchovies wrapped in grape leaves, Stuffed eggplant: these are
some very renowned recipes in Kavala and the coastal settlements of the
region. The grapes, wine and tsipouro produced in the area, as well as
the kourabiedes (sugar-coated almond biscuits) from Nea Karvali are
particularly famous.
Twin towns – Sister cities
Kavala is twinned with:
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References: Courtesy of Wikipedia, wikipedia.org
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Smith, William, ed. (1854–57). Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.