χελιδονίσματα, the swallow song
TRANSCRIPT
Since ancient times people in Greece used to say goodbye
to winter and welcome spring through the custom of
THE SWALLOW SONG .
On March 1st children holding an image of a swallow
go around the neighbourhood ,sing the swallow song andask people for treats.
Ήρθε, ήρθε χελιδόνα,Ήρθε κι άλλη μεληδόνα,
Κάθιςε και λάληςε,Και γλυκά κελάηδηςε:
«Μάρτη , Μάρτη μου καλέ,και Φλεβάρη φοβερέ,
κι αν φλεβίςεισ κι αν τςακίςεισ,καλοκαίρι θα μυρίςεισ.
Κι αν χιονίςεισ, κι αν κακίςεισ,πάλιν άνοιξη θ’ ανθίςεισ»
The song more or less goes like that:
(both in modern and ancient Greek)
Here comes the swallow
Sit and speak
And sweetly sing.
My dear March
And February bad
Whatever you do
Spring will bloom
Ηλθ΄ήλθε η χελιδώνκαλάσ ώρασ άγουςακαλούσ ενιαυτούσεπί γαςτέρι λευκάεπί νώτα μέλαινα…...
Our students made their own swallows
They gathered in the schoolyard and went out in the neighbourhood
As they were passing outside shops and houses they sang the swallow song and people gave them sweets.
They stopped at Saint Andrew’s Church and at Kalliga Square