French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1917-07-05
HOLIDAY IN GREECE
HeIIenes' Food Good But Their
Dancing Is MonOtOnous.
Men, Women and Children Take Part
in the Celebration With No
Trace of JoViaIity.

i.s s1+ -
It is perhaps the only ADVANTAGE
of being at Saloniki that YOU con
spend two separate Christmases there
Thus it happened that, 10 days after
we had eaten our own plum md,
dings in the mess, we rode aWay RI.
mantically across the mountains for
Christmas day in a Macedonian vii.
lage, says a writer in the London
Times.
The cava1cade consisted Of three
Englishmen-one of them a cosmo.
politan genius speaking Greek like his
mother tongue-Petros, a Greek or.
derly and a leading citizen of our viii
1age. We sat on pack saddles not IN
like armchairs, with rope stirruus,
The reins are a hollow mockery.
their only purpose being to afront the
pony and makeHhim sulk. Hang them
~carelessly ON the saddle and the sure
footed little beast will find his Wav
along the most b~lood-curdling paths
where deep ravines full Of powders
await the smallest slip. At the end of
a pass we emerged into a great plain
and saw our village before US amid
vineyards and fig trees.
We fred a salvo Of revolver shots
into the air to announce our arrival
and were soon shaking hands with a
number of men in dark blue-black
braided Elton jackets and dark baggy
trousers.
Petros was politely determined that
we were to lunch with him and soon
we were in his house reclining on
lovely striped rugs Of red, black and
yellow and watching the, sparks from
a wood fire fly up a big chimney. Be-
fore lunch, however, came a ceremony
which is inevitable on entering any
house. The daughter Of the house
brings a tray on which are small
glasses of homemade brandy, an
equal number of glasses Of water, and
a dish of sweet stuf-Turkish delight,
chocolates, or in one case, unequivoc-
ally British marmalade to be eaten
with a spoon. The guest stands up,
takes a,glass of brandy, drinks it and
says "Cheer OH" Next he takes a
sip of water, and last a sweet.
After the cognac and the Turkish
coffee came lunch. Soup of tripe, rice
and vinegar, followed by a duck. The
duck had Hc with it and a touch Of
garlic. OF all ducks this was the most
palpably divine ever eaten. Then fol-
lowed dancing in the market place.
The market place is an irregular
open space with the invariable plane
tree. The spectators gather in the
corners, leaving the middle clear for
the dancers, who are divided into two
groups. One of these groups revolves
slowly round a bGs:eI or:-,>I decorated
with artificial flowers anu grinding out
one never ending tune. First come
half a dozen young men, their hands
on each others shoulders. Next, hand
in hand, some twenty or more women
with maroon-colored draperies round
their heads, dark blue gbodices and
Skirts and largeSaprons| of vivid scar
let crossed with bars of a darker red
and frtnged with tassels Of bright
color. Round their necks are strings
Of gold cOins-dOWries to be handed
on from mother to daughter, big, thin
Magyar cOins mostly, though one
woman has a brooch Of three English
~sovereigns. Next to the women come
the children, failing away to the very
tiniest little girl, each resplendent in
her tiny red apron. The leader per-
forms a very simple step; his imme-
date neighhors initiate it, but further
down the line the step becomes a mere
shuttle, and so they go round and round
forever silently and steadily, not ap-
:parently bored, but with no trace OF
:~joviality.
The other group consists Of older
men-who-dance far more deliberately
with tufnings and twistings and duck
,ings and swapping OF fingers. Their
is a fine, tall fellow with a
fierce black mustache and a red sash.
waves a bottle in one hand, as
poses Of humorously exaggerat-
ed grace, and has altogether a de-
Fbonair>and sWashbuck1ering way with
him. Having been to America he
proudly shouts, "Merry Christmas!
Happy New Year."