Arachametes, Our Village in Greece
Arachamites
Beautiful village amidst greenery and walnut trees. The Church of Metamorfosis (Transfiguration) is noteworthy. Close to the village is the Elissonas Gorge for walking excursions; the Barboutsana (Mparmpoutsana) Bridge and Papas Mill are located there.
from Aunt Helen:
We should be grateful that only one single Eleni has undertaken the responsibility of Arachamita’s survival. She and Alexandros cannot do much under the circumstances and this I understand. The question is how long this house will continue to be because I know that every thing in this world has a measured time.
From STIN IGIA MAS VRE PAIDA
Eleni then takes her place with the band and announces that the song she is going to sing is called Neratzoula.
[ Neratzoula, is a traditional song which was sang when the Valtetsi and Arachamites people who are your ancestors, were dancing the traditional Tsamiko Greek Folk Dances.
My mother Maria sang these songs to us all the time. She had a good voice as Areti and Eleni. My father Demetrios, did not sing. I had the donkey’s voice.
You have been to the Panigyri at Agia Sotira on August 6 in Arachamites, and you have seen the people dancing and singing these traditional dances. These songs, speak of the people’s every day experiences, and many of the songs tell of the people’s plight for freedom from the Turks.
They are endemic to t he county of Arcadia in the Peloponnese, where Tripolis and the villages of Valtetsi, Arachamites, and Demenitsa are located. Yiota comes from the Demenitsa village.
Before Eleni begins to sing, she says she is dedicating the Nerantzoula song to Yiota Yenga, the guest singer of the program, and Eleni says:
I come from Arachamites and Yiota comes from Demenitsa, and this song is sang in Arcadia, the Arcadia of the proud tall mountains.
If you watch Yiota’s face as Eleni sings, she becomes emotional, as also do some of the people, she tears and she thanks Eleni at the end.
from Aunt Helen:
Among these photos, is the photo of the Kourtis Vrisi, [ Vrisi means Spring ] which today is
The Litsa Papoulias Vrisi.
Kourtis, originally belonged to my grand father mayor Nicholas Salavrakos, he gifted the Spring to the village of ArachamItes
because of the people’s need of water for themselves and for their animals.
In those days there was not indoor plumbing. The women strapped a barrel on their back or on their horse or donkey, and they went daily to the Vrisi to bring water to the house for their needs. No waste!...
My sisters and I lived this village life during WW II. Water was precious as was the daily bread. No waste!
At the same time, they brought their horses to Kourti Vrisi to drink. The Vrisi was a busy all day rendezvous place.