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CIVILIZATION

Sifnos is an island in which Apollo gave with generosity the divine light and maybe this contributed to its mental development. Sifnos respect of traditions, the manners and the customs. One of the most basic occupations of the inhabitants is the fishery. In other is pottery because of the many deposits of argil and it became a real source of survival and wealth for the inhabitants. Concerning, the letters Sifnos made known excellent writers folklore scientists, journalists, pedagogists and jurists as also and architects.

The buildings in the island shows the precaution of the inhabitants. The today's inhabitants keep with loyalty the manners and the customs that they inherited. In Sifnos as also in the most islands the local manifestations are connected with the religious worhip of the place. The festivities take place in the eve or on the day of the feast of some saint.

During the year, a specific family known as panigirades keep the saint's icon in their house and during the festivity undertake the expenses of the feast and the festivity. The litany takes place to the central roads of the island and after the litany some of the panigirades give a meal for the people who attended the litany. The traditional food that is served in this feast is revithada (with chickpeas) together with meat and wine. The food follows entertainment with local traditional music.

The most important festivities this of Panagia Vounou in the 24 of March, Prophetes Elias in Psilos and Prophetes Elias Troulakion in the 19 of July, Agios Panteleimonos Herronissou in the 26 of July, Agios Ioannis in the 28 of August, Agios Ioannis Styletis in the 31 of August, Taxiarhis in the 5 of September, Agios Sozon in the 6 of September, Panagia in the 7 of September, Agios Nikitas in the 15 of September, Agios Galatis in the 5 of November, Panagias Vounou in the Ascention where participate the entire island.

n the old days they used to sing the carols only the day of Agios Vasilios and they had every time different content relatively with the facts of the time or for asking something from the saints. Antonios Troulos a researcher from Sifnos describe to us a lovely custom that concern dance and it is called the dance of Mr North.

It is in religious frames and concern the age where the people wanted to appease the gods and the nature. This dance appeases the wind. It takes place the last Sunday of the carnival in the forecast of the church and the priest is the first that begin to dance and after follow the rest in a mask. The inhabitants of Sifnos one cheerful and kind and keep the traditions and the traditional cuisine. Sifnos people are revellers and gourmands and good cooks as well.

It's not by chance that the head cook Nikolaos Tselementes came from Sifnos and specifically from the village Exampela. Famous dishes and pastries are patties, macaroons, Turkish delights and nougat. Of course the island is not lacked the agricultural production. The basic products of Sifnos are oil, olives, wine, almonds, honey, citrus trees and others.

A small number of the people occupy with the cattle and mainly with sheep and goats. Because of them they have a big production in tasty cheeses as manouri and mizithra. Certainly, it was expected that Sifnos would have a developed fishery. An other occupation of the Sifnos' inhabitants is the basket knitting and mainly the straw hats.

I Today a powerful economic factor is the tourism that increases continually. Sifnos especially in the summer is filled by thousands of people that want to see its beauties.

Most of the inhabitants occupy with tourist business and invest more and more to the improvement of their services. There are many hotels units and apartments and they make an effort to improve also the roads of the island. In this point we must mention that the pottery has an important position to the economy of Sifnos.

There were the materials and in the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th had a great flourishing this art.

Years later and with the market's changes there was the need of pottery and in other places. So, Sifnos' people moved in many other islands and some of them in Attica. Details about these potters you can find in the book of Eleni Spathari - Begliti, editions Arsenidis. Sifnos in the arts and letters has contributed enough in Greece. Some of the most remarkable men are mentioned below.

Nikolaos Chrysogelos taught the art in a hundreds of young people. He developed a many-sided activity about the revolution of the island and the throwing of the Turkish bondage with the beginning of the battle in 1821 he raised first the banner of the revolution in Sifnos. He was a honorary representative in Sifnos in the national assemblies. Kapodistrias appointed him, minister of Education. After he is elected three times mayor in Sifnos. Next he became senator and later minister of Education and Ecclesiastics.

Other well-known pedagogists, poets and novelists are Aristomenis Prevelegios academician and poet, Yiannis Gryparis poet with a high distinction in letters and arts by the Athens Academy, Konstantinos Sialismas great pedagogist and writer, Iakovos Dragatsis pedagogist and archeologist, Apostolos Makrakis, theologian and philosopher, Nikolaos Dekavalas doctor in the Athens University with studies in Germany who compiled the great historic dictionary of the Greek language, Kleanthis Triantafyllos satirical poet, Nikolaos Kampanis journalist. There was also a large number of teachers and poets, novelists and journalists till nowadays.
Well-known writers, archeologists and folklore scientists: Manos Filipakis, Barbara Filipaki, Manolis Kores, Antonis Troulos, Simos Simeonidis, the archimandrite Filaretos Vitalis, Evagellos Pantazoglou. In Sifnos the homogeneous cubical masses offer a sight of rare beauty.

The organizing and d3velopment of the central built-up-areas date in the latest years of the Turkish domination and it was completed in the 19th century when capital of the island became Apollonia. Its basic urban planning is creates around a central pedestrian zone.

Local materials, stone and wood construct the houses of Sifnos. Plenty is also the use of the local slate. In Sifnos dominate the traditional type of residence with a few variations. Particularly, they are impressive the old mansions. An essential element of the houses in Sifnos is the yard.

The characteristic of the houses in Sifnos is the simplicity. In the whole Sifnos there are many churches and country churches. It is said that there are 365 as the days of the year as well. In Sifnos most of churches are privately owned. Most of the temples are dedicated to Virgin Mary, Christ, John the Baptist and Prophet Elias. Most of them date in the 16th century. All of them are white and simple. The domes are not made by tiles but they are only coated with lime and some they have a deep blue color, characteristic of Cyclades. At Sifnos they worked many excellent hagiographers of the 16th, 17th and 18th century as Emmanuel Skordilis, Konstantinos Palaiokapas e.t.c.

 
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