In Crete We Don’t Say Hi, We Say Gia Sou
One of the things I admire so much about the Greek people is how they wish or greet each other, for example in Crete we don’t say hi instead we say Gia sou (γεια σου) This can mean hi or goodbye in an informal setting. But the words themselves translate into your health. So basically you are sort of like wishing someone good health when you say hi or, goodbye, how cool is that?
When we take a drink, here in Crete we don’t say Cheers, we say Gia Mas (γεια μας) This is another phrase that we use a lot here in Crete, when translated in English it means our health, so when we say gia mas, it’s like saying to our health. Also, the waiter when he serves the drinks he would say stin igia sas (Στην υγειά σας) so he is wishing us good health as we drink.
Another thing I noticed, here in Crete, is that there are many occasions to wish each other well, for example, at the beginning of the week we say Kali evthomatha (Καλἠ εβδομἀδα) That is to wish someone a good week ahead, so if you meet someone in the beginning of the week, you can say Καλἠ εβδομἀδα.
In Crete, We Don’t Say Its Summer, We Say Kalo Kalokeri
Now we are heading into Summer so we are saying to each other kalo kalokeri (Καλό καλοκαίρι) I think this is so beautiful, just wishing each other well all the time, whether its weekend, new week, new month, new season, always wishing one another well, I think we need lots of that especially during the times we are living, don’t you agree?
In the beginning of the month, we would say Kalo mina (Καλό Μήνα) Which means good month. And in the beginning of winter, we would say Kalo Himona (Καλό χειμώνα)
I think the Greek language is a very deep language, where words actually have a deeper meaning, also the Greek culture, in my opinion, is very rich. Let’s talk about the words, I miss you for example, in Greek, it’s not just about missing the person, it’s about the person missing from you, how deep is that? I think that is really meaningful.
Can you imagine telling someone you haven’t seen for a long time, oh you were missing from me, instead of saying, I missed you.
In Crete We Don’t Say Enjoy Your Food, We Say Kali Orexi
Although it’s used the same as the English words enjoy your food, in Greek Kali Orexi (καλή όρεξη) actually means good appetite, I think this is cool because I mean no matter how delicious the food is, if you have no appetite, it won’t taste that good, that’s why they say “hunger is the best seasoning”.
So if you live here in Crete, the next time you have your friends over for dinner, instead of saying enjoy, how about you wish them Kali orexi, that way even if you are not an amazing Cook, they will enjoy your food anyway lol.
If you would like to read about things you should not say in Greece, then I suggest you read this article here
Conclusion
Although the Greek language is not easy to learn, I think it’s an amazing, and beautiful language. I hope you have enjoyed my article today, and I would love to hear your opinions on it. In your language, how do you say the phrases covered in this article? also, if you live in Greece, how many of the phrases I mentioned do you use?
Please leave your comments below.
Thank you for your time
Rose
