Pella, Macedonia, Greece

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

During a previous visit to Pella last October, Haris Tsougaris, the Director of the Pella Archaeological Museum, told me about the annual August full moon concerts held at the site of the ancient Macedonian capital. This sounded like an enchanting prospect - something definitely not to be missed - and I was determined to try to get there for this year's "Στο φως του αυγουστιάτικου φεγγαριού" (By the light of the August moon).

The only problem was that a few days before the big event I was still busy down in central Greece and everything was taking much longer than scheduled: life in slow motion in the August heat. I was also uncertain about whether the full moon festivities, which have been held at several archaeological sites in Greece since 2011, would still be going ahead as the continuing Greek economic crisis has meant severe budget-slashing and staff shortages at many of the country's sites and museums. I could find no information about full moon events for 2013 on the web, but felt sure that Mr Tsougaris would somehow manage to pull a rabbit out of the hat and put on a show this year. So I made the impulsive decision to head north, still not knowing if I would make it to Pella on time.

Finally arriving at Thessaloniki, I phoned Mr Tsougaris, and was delighted to learn that the party was definitely on.

After 40 minute bus ride, I landed at the modern village of Pella, right next to the the splendid new museum and archaeological site, and had time to visit the museum, take refreshments at a local taverna and a walk around the village before heading towards the site for the full moon fandango.

Modern Pella is a farming village on a wide, fertile plain which stretches from Thessaloniki to the southeast, to the surrounding hills and mountains of Central Macedonia to the north and west. This area has been farmed since prehistory, and even during the brief interval of fame and wealth achieved by ancient Pella during the Classical and Hellenistic periods agriculture provided the backbone of the local economy and culture, as it still does today.

With the help of a relatively mild climate, good water supply and soil, the farmers here manage to produce a variety of crops, including cotton (see photo below). Right about now everybody is busy with the cotton harvest, but by the time I get out towards the fields surrounding Pella it is already early evening, and it seems that most people have gone home to prepare themselves for the evening's entertainment.

Pellans have a strong sense of local history, as can be seen from the large bronze statue of Alexander the Great which stands in the centre of the village, a bust of Euripides (who wrote and produced his last plays here) in front of the Dimarcheion (town hall) and copies of ancient Greek art which adorn houses. They also support the archaeological endeavours here, even though few locals profit from them directly. Most visitors arrive here by tour buses for a brief visit to the museum and site and never set foot in the village or its shops, cafes or restaurants. This is the unfortunate lot of many communities near popular tourist attractions. Personally I find this a pity as there is often much to be learned and enjoyed by spending time in a village like Pella.

The E86 (National Road EO 2), the main highway between Thessaloniki, Giannitsa and Edessa, follows the route of the 2nd century BC Roman trans-Balkan Via Egnatia (Ἐγνατία Ὁδός) which connected the Adriatic port of at Dyrrachium (now Durrës, Albania) with Byzantium (now Istanbul), see History of Stageira & Olympiada part 7. Until a few years ago it ran right through the archaeological site of Pella, which was frustrating for archaeologists and hazardous for visitors trying to cross the busy road which separated the old museum from the entrance to the site.

Fortunately, when improvements for the road were being planned, it was decided to divert the road around 500 metres further south of Pella. The stretch of the old road now ends at the gates of the site, from where another road leads up north to the village and the new museum. It is now used mostly by local traffic and agricultural vehicles, making it much safer and more pleasant to walk or cycle along.

And finally we are here. The seating for the concert was set up along the wide ancient street between "the House of the Abduction of Helen" and "the House of Dionysos" so that the audience could enjoy the view of the moon rising behind the stage and the columns of the courtyard of the House of Dionysos. Perhaps it was the god of revelry himself who organized for the moon to rise exactly in the right place.

The concert was organized by the hard-working staff of the museum and archaeological site, with the help and support of the local community and sponsorship from the Pella Municipal Benefit Enterprise for Culture and Sport (Δημοτικής Κοινωφελούς Επιχείρησης Πολιτισμού και Αθλητισμού Πέλλας).

As the sky darkened and the moon rose above Pella over 600 people of all ages turned up to enjoy the concert. Many of them were local people, mostly from Pella village, including the mayor. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, and it seemed that everybody knew everybody. After greetings, gossip and refreshments provided by a local kantina van and a popcorn stand set up in front of the entrance to the archaeological site, they walked past the remains of ancient houses and floor mosaics to the concert area.

The moon was up, the audience sat down, and Haris Tsougaris stepped up to the microphone to welcome everyone. A few words of greetings and thanks and the show began.

The concert consisted of a set of traditional Cretan music and more modern songs in traditional style, led by the lyra and singing of George Sfakianakis, accompanied by bouzouki and guitar, with the guitar player also singing on some of the numbers. (As soon as the band send me more information about themselves and their music I will post it here.) The rhythmic pace and mood of the music varied from strident and dramatic to more melodic and romantic, and brought the exciting sounds of the wild Cretan mountains to the gentler Macedonian plain. The effect, at least for this member of the audience, was very uplifting and captivating. Memories of many merry evenings in Crete could not be avoided, so I let them flow over. A very special evening, and good time was had by all.

The Cheshire Cat Blog

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