Spring festival keeps Greek culture alive in Frederick

At 82 years old, Nick Caviris of Sts. Peter and Paul Greek Orthodox Church in Frederick only recently started learning the art of Greek dance.

Though he is the son of Greek immigrants from the island of Chios, Caviris said, he was not particularly connected to Greek culture or to Eastern Orthodox Christianity during his childhood.

It was only when his wife died 10 years ago that Caviris felt an urge to return to his roots. He began re-learning the Greek language and sought out Greek dance classes.

Now, Caviris helps lead the Greek folk dance ministry at Sts. Peter and Paul alongside Georgette Calomeris.

“We’re trying to retain the culture, because we feel like there’s a risk of losing it,” Caviris said. “We rely on churches and youth organizations to keep it alive.”

Together, members of the ministry learn dances with origins in different regions of Greece, including Nisiotika from the Aegean Islands, and Kalamatiano, the latter of which was performed at the church’s Spring Greek Festival on Saturday.

Wearing traditional costumes from the island of Crete, members of the folk dance ministry joined hands with attendees of the festival and led them in circles around the tent where others were eating gyros from Demitri’s Fine Greek Foods and other staples like spanakopita, a spinach pastry, from Yia Yia’s Kitchen.

The Rev. John Bullock, the head of Sts. Peter and Paul, said that while many people in the congregation are of Greek heritage, it is not a requirement. He hopes that, through events like the Spring Greek Festival, members of the broader community can connect with members of the church.

“A lot of people will be drawn in by the cultural event, and while they’re here they might discover a new faith,” Bullock said. “But even if they don’t, it’s a good thing to show hospitality to our neighbors.

In the basement of the church, artisans were selling religious art, olive oil and vinegar and homemade Greek pastries including koulourakia, a twisted butter cookie, and tsoureki, a sweet bread traditionally made for Orthodox Easter.

Richard Christin, a member of Sts. Peter and Paul who has an art studio in Frederick, was working on a painted carving of St. Nicholas on Saturday afternoon.

Christin said that, while iconography is a tradition across Eastern Orthodoxy, each culture has its own distinct style. Greek Orthodox icons are distinguished by their bright colors, Christin said.

“I don’t really sell a lot, because I do this as a ministry,” Christin said. “But it gets people talking because they don’t expect to see it, and maybe they’ve never even seen an icon before.”

Amanda Pe?a, who recently moved to Frederick from New Jersey, said Saturday was her first time at a Greek cultural event. However, the town she moved from had a large Turkish population, and Pe?a noted the similarities between both styles of music.

Pe?a attended the Spring Greek Festival at Sts. Peter and Paul with her friend and coworker, Chris Morales, who said he looks forward to the event each year.

“It fits the Frederick vibe of everyone saying hello to one another and being really welcoming,” Pe?a said of the festival.

Her favorite thing she tried at the festival was kataife, a pastry made with shredded wheat that is soaked in honey syrup and topped with chopped walnuts.

“It definitely didn’t disappoint,” Pe?a said.