Customs of Ancient Greece: Greek civilization is one of the most important civilizations in the short history of humanity on planet earth. Greece was the first civilization that excelled in Europe, eight thousand years ago.
Customs of Ancient Greece
In the basin of the Aegean was founded to revolutionize this great civilization in many areas of humans way of thinking and acting of the human race. The Greeks were the pioneers of Western philosophy, yet also of mathematics, along with the Arabs and Egyptians.
Ancient Greek Culture and Traditions
The Greeks honoured their gods by worshiping them and by holding festivals and games in their honour. Culture Early Greek literature included stories that taught lessons and long poems that told of adventures. Greeks believed angry gods could cause trouble for humans. Therefore they believed it was important to honour gods; did so with statues, temples, events.
Monthly holy days included the festival of Noumenia for new moon. Early Greeks wrote fables and epic poems. The ancient Greeks created stories about their gods, who were important to their daily lives. Each city was protected by a god or goddess, such as Athena for Athens – Athena was the goddess of wisdom, a warrior, patron of crafts.
What is the Culture of Greece
Usually, men got married when they were about twenty-five or thirty years old (as they do today), but women got married much younger, between twelve and sixteen years old. Probably girls from rich families got married younger, and girls from poor families got married a little older. Because the girls were so young, they did not have much choice about who they were going to marry.
As seen in the literature of ancient Greece, tombs and rituals of the wealthy were extravagant. Gold and jewels were essential grave offerings of respectable and honored tombs, perhaps used as a way to display wealth and status. It seems the wealthier you were the more elaborate your final resting place.
Greek Culture Facts
The ancient Greeks had distinct methods of burial, and it was often believed if you were not provided a proper burial along with the appropriate rituals, you were destined to suffer between worlds until your rites of passage into the underworld were completed.
Greeks are warm and hospitable. When meeting someone for the first time, they shake hands firmly, smile, and maintain direct eye contact. In general, Greeks exchange gifts with family and friends for ‘name days’ (birth date of the saint after whom they are named) and Christmas.
Gifts need not be expensive. Since gifts are generally reciprocated, giving something of great value could put a burden on the recipient since they would feel obligated to give you something of equivalent value.
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