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Easter Traditions of the Greek Orthodox Faith April 28, 2016 17:39

Iconography in the Greek Orthodox Church March 18, 2016 15:24

The Greek Orthodox Faith March 10, 2016 14:26

What is Orthodoxy?

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Kantyli's Brush with Celebrity February 5, 2016 16:46

Behind the Scenes: A Closer Look at Kantyli January 20, 2016 13:26

Panos Fiorentinos, Creator of Kantyli, got his love for engraving early in life. As a child, he enjoyed building and creating things. He began his first endeavor at the young age of nine using toothpicks and glue to begin constructing the house and town where he lived. With his intentions on becoming an architect, a drawing class in college sidetracked him where he saw his instructor working on an architectural model. Says Panos, “I never completed that project — until that visit to the instructor’s studio. I’d thought that it was long forgotten, but fate had other plans.”

 His talent led him into a career building architectural models alongside his instructor and later with architect Christ Kamages creating mostly Greek Orthodox churches. Eventually he went on to form his own company, PF Models, where he built models independently.

 In 2004, Panos completed a book entitled  ECCLESIA: Greek Orthodox Churches of the Chicago Metropolis. While marketing the book he came up with new and innovative ideas as well as the name Kantyli. “Looking inward to the subject matter, my wife Irene and I stumbled upon a most appropriate name: Kantyli– it’s the oil lamp used in the Greek Orthodox Church.”

 As Kantyli has grown every year, Panos has developed new products. He uses his background in creating models to hone his custom style of engraving using a variety of materials. They all honor Greek heritage and culture and help others to celebrate Greek traditions as well. Says Panos, “I get to design and create Greek gifts that are original. Every year Kantyli gets busier and noticed more. People tell us they ‘love’ our products. We can customize and personalize anything that’s on our site and that’s what makes us special.”

The Greek Drachma December 17, 2015 00:00 1 Comment

Christmas in Greece December 10, 2015 00:00

The Greek Language October 27, 2015 20:55

The Greek Flag October 19, 2015 20:30

Greek Traditions September 30, 2015 16:13

Customs and traditions are a very important part of Greek culture. They are often of a religious nature. Still today, most of the festivals and traditions are religious.

 Name day celebration

Because most Greeks are named after a religious saint, it is a very important tradition that those named after a saint celebrated by the church celebrates his name on a given day of the year. January 7, for example, is the day of Saint John the Baptist and it is the name day for all Greek people named Yannis (or Ioannis = John, male) or Yanna (or Ioanna, female). John is described as having the unique practice of baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Other names included Silvestros (Sylvestros, Sylvestor) and Nina (Nina, Ninas). Furthermore, biblical events such as Christmas and Easter are very important celebrations in Greek culture. Manolis – Emmanoula is the name celebrated on Christmas and Anastasios, Anthe, Anthi, Lambros and Paschalis for Easter.

On the “name day” of someone, friends and family visit without invitation offering wishes and small gifts. The hostess of the house offers pastries, sweets and specific dishes to the guests. Give one of our personalized gifts to someone you love for their name day celebration. Or, simply give a gift with their name engraved on one of our many products for no reason at all.

Sightseeing in Greece May 15, 2015 00:00

In Greece, you can trace the history and culture of Athens from ancient times to the present day, and pass a plethora of various shopping opportunities are along the way. You can easily visit many things to do including world famous museums, with spectacular views of ancient temples, the Acropolis and Parthenon.

Athens represents the juxtaposition of ancient history and modern life which is a very rare experience and one not to be missed. Nearby are the Theatre of Dionysus and the restored Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a superb theatre which hosts open-air performances of the Hellenic Festival and August Full Moon Festival.

The ruins of the Ancient Agora and its Agora Museum are also places of interest. The center of modern Athens, especially Kolonaki, has many designer boutiques, sophisticated restaurants and international-class hotels. The city has a thriving nightlife, with most bars and clubs staying open until at least 3 am.

The northernmost island of western Greece, Corfu is the best-known, busiest and most cosmopolitan of the Ionian Islands. Crete’s climate is ideal and its cuisine is one of the healthiest in the world. There are magnificent mountain ranges, long sandy beaches, rocky coves, water-sports, tranquil locations, clean seas, beach bars and nightlife.

The most visited and most expensive of all the Greek islands, Mykonos is known for its lively nightlife and some of Greece’s best discos. Mykonos Town, also known as Hora, comprises a modern harbor, whitewashed houses and churches, shops selling local arts and crafts, small taverns and cafes, and is backed by a hill with five thatched windmills.

In Delphi, the Museum contains a superb collection of artifacts from the site. Nearby is the pretty hillside town of Arahova, renowned for its formaela cheese

In Olympia, there is also a good Archaeological Museum, and a Museum of the Olympic Games located in the modern town.

There are churches with more gold than some countries have in their vaults and icons that perform miracles. There are virgin forests and animals that are found nowhere else but the Holy Mountain. There are many excellent travel packages available for those wishing to tour and site-see in Greece.

City of Athens May 10, 2015 00:00

Athens, the capital of Greece, is one of the oldest cities in the world. Its first inhabitants lived around the 11th-7th millennium BC. Athens combines the ancient and the new, drawing countless tourists every year. It’s a beautiful city, full of history and culture. And the gorgeous countryside offers many sights to behold, including one of the largest varieties of wildlife in Europe.

In Athens you will find many wonders such as the Parthenon. The Parthenon, built to honor the goddess Athena in 438 BC, is considered one of the world’s greatest monuments. Thought it was created to be a temple, it has had many uses over the years. It was mostly used as a treasury, then was transformed into a Christian church in the 5th century. After the Ottoman Empire took over, the building was turned into a mosque in the 1460’s. Tragically, this incredible building was damaged around this time when an ammunition dump was ignited.

There are many other incredible places to visit in Athens besides the Parthenon. The Acropolis, famous for hosting concerts and other performances, draws enthusiasts of the arts as well as history lovers and tourists. You can also visit the Roman-era Philopappos Monument and many more building and historic sites, including over one hundred archaeological museums.

Whether you’re considering a visit to Athens or you’re planning to move there, Athens is an incredible place that everyone should see at least once in their lifetime.

Decorating with Blue and White May 3, 2015 00:00

Blue and white is a common color combination, and for good reason. Depending on what shade of blue is used with the white, the room takes on an entirely different feeling.

For example, white and pastel blue is a soft, delicate color combination that works well in many rooms of the house. It’s unassuming and neutral, and would look excellent with white or pale wood furniture. In fact, it’s barely noticeable with some pale shades of blue because it blends so well with the white. This is great for people who want a teeny bit of color without it being noticeable.

White and navy blue is a classic color combination, and is used in many different themes such as nautical. You can choose from all sorts of pretty nautical decorations and patterns to get the look you want. It’s also a striking choice for a modern room- you can opt for navy walls and white trim to really create a WOW factor.

The white and cobalt blue color combination also works if you want to have a Greek themed home, since the Greek flag is blue and white. Simply add in some Greek flags, Greek road signs and so on, and you’ll have a beautiful Greek theme in no time.

Greek Festivals in the United States April 16, 2015 00:00

Fun Facts about Greece April 5, 2015 00:00

Love learning about Greece? Here are some fascinating facts!

• Voting is required by law in Greece for everyone 18 or older.
  
  
• Greece produces about 7% of the entire world’s marble.
  
  
• Greece is the third leading supplier of olives. It’s an ancient tradition to cultivate olive trees in Greece; some trees still producing olives today have been around since the thirteenth century!
  
  
• Tourism is a major part of Greek culture. Around 16.5 million tourists visit Greece every year, and tourism makes up almost 16% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
  
  
• Because of all this foreign tourism, Greece has more international airports than most countries.
  
  
• Greece is mostly rocky and full of mountains. In fact, 80% of Greece is mountainous.
  
  
• There are more than 2,000 islands in Greece; 170 or so are populated. Crete is the largest of these islands, measuring 3,189 square miles.
  
  
• The entire nation of Greece is about the same size as the state of Alabama. However, the population of Greece- more than 10 million people- is more than double the population of Alabama, which is 4.5 million.
  
  
• 12 million people in the world speak Greek.
  
  
• Sunny Greece! There are nearly 3,000 sunny hours a year, and more than 250 days of sunshine!
  
  
• Many of our common English words have their origins in Greek, such as apology, academy, siren, typhoon, marathon, and many more.
  
  
• More than 40% of Greek inhabitants live in Athens, the capital.
  
  
• The population of Athens has jumped from 10,000 (1834) to 3.6 million (2001).
  
  
• Greek leads the world in producing sea sponges.

Many Things in American Culture Originated in Greece March 11, 2015 00:00

Many things in American culture originated in Greece. Greece is a country steeped in culture, history and tradition, and many of those traditions have touched other countries.

America was founded on the idealism of democracy. The democratic system put in place by the country’s forefathers gave the power to the people through the representatives that they vote into office. Democracy first came from Greece in the 6^th Century BC.

Not only did Greeks believe in fairness (perhaps not towards women, slaves or foreigners) in government, but also in law. Athens, Greece was the place of the first trial by jury of peers. Male citizens over the age of 30 were eligible to serve on juries, and potential jurors were chosen by lot. Citizens of the same age could also run for election as a magistrate.

Philosophy came from Greek fathers Aristotle (384-322 BC), Plato (429-347 BC) and (469-399 BC). Western thought came from this philosophical genius. High school students can blame their geometry class on the Greeks. Actually, all mathematics originated with the Greeks.

The pledge made by physicians is credited to Hippocrates of Kos, was a Greek physician of the Age of Pericles. The oath is still recognized as the American Medical Association's Code of Medical Ethics.

Everyone knows that the Olympic Games came from Greece but many might be surprised to learn that the tradition held their Olympic competition every four years since 776 BC. The competitions included wrestling, boxing, the pentathlon and chariot racing. A Greek messenger was dispatched to run the 25 miles to Athens to announce the city’s success over their Persian army. The messenger died from exhaustion, and the Marathon was born.

There are many other things that originally came from Greece from tragedy to comedy, the screw to secret police, and thanks to Kantyli.com a small piece of Greece can live in American homes.

Sounds Greek to Me! 7 Popular Greek Sayings February 24, 2015 00:00 1 Comment

Greek-Inspired Ideas and Gifts for Church Fundraising February 21, 2015 00:00