99 HOLY FATHERS FESTIVAL 2014

This year’s 3 day festival of  the 99 Holy Fathers in Azogires had a different touch . Real live cretan music  from an 80 year old musician called Manolis Ntaountakis and his friend Mpompolakis Giorgos  ,  played with their hearts and not for their profit , something that made a huge difference. 
People danced  until the mid morning hours as if they were children  , I can say that for the first time in over 20 years I felt the blessing of the (99) Holy Fathers  and their presence amongst the worshipers  , as soon as the evening Church service finished  they all came up the, musicians were already playing they dint even stop for water .

We even had the Honor for one of Chanias finest politicians  to be in our presence ,our very own George Kontaxakis  A man who never looked at politics for his own profit but dedicated his life serving the public ,he  always cares about the people and that’s what makes him different from the rest  .

The next morning we all went down to the Monastery  to take part in one of the most holy and most mystical church ceremonies in southwest Crete , then we had everyone up n the café for coffee  The  afternoon arrived and bus after took the people away,it was time to clean up all the tables back to the people who lend them to us .

The following day the villagers gathered at the Church of the miracoulous St, John the Hermit in the Neighborhood of Koukoutsiana  , st John was the leaderof the 99  and He has been our family’s protector  for over  300 years ,afterall he did live in our neighborhood , my Father cooked steaks for everyone my uncle pavlos and his Wife Katina laid out the tables made salads and cut cheese ,we ate we drank  and started to sign Rizitika songs  traditional Cretan songs that have their origins in the deep Minoan Period of Crete  we all went home with our stomachs full and our hearts filled with  joy  for the first time in my 20 years festival experience i did not feel tired  .
That evening we had the last Norwegian Group of the year From Liliput Reisen and we had a great time dancing,   farewell to all and hope to see you next year was the last thing I said to them with a tear hiding behind my eye lids cause I will miss doing this job , for story telling is my true passion . 
The following day I had to go to Chania for a very important event in Cretes history but that’s another story for another time . I leave you all now cause  I must recover also from the heavy drinking and  3 days of  Rizitika singing  may the 99 always walk on your path of life .

GRAPE THERAPY 2014

 Grape therapy   revived once more, in Azogires  .

For many years we have been reviving   the traditions of our ancestors and since 1913   Antonis Koukoutsakis   bought his raki distillery pot

Got his alcohol license and started going from neighborhood to neighborhood sleeping next to his distillery making peoples raki and in exchange taking a small percentage of the alcohol home to his family other times to sell and other times for personal use or medicinal purposes.

Everyone knew they could get a drink in his house he was always open to guests  he played them music with his homemade Cretan lira and let them smoke from his homegrown tobacco, he was also the villages finest carpenter.

A man of multi talents and father of nine children one of them being my grandfather Eftihis , you could say we owe him our very existence  and  by reenacting  grape picking  and raki making every year for the past 100 years   we can say we honor his memory , but we went one step further 6 years ago we started to share this tradition with others who needed to get away from the everyday life of 

 the city  step out of their offices and get their hands dirty  become tired smell the earth and then grape therapy was born.

With the help of Doctor Gerard we do it every year ,   sometimes come  many and sometimes a few but they always come to smell the aromas of the crushed grapes get their feet messy and learn the secrets of wine and raki making  , a big thank you to all participants  once more and when we start distilling getting drunk  under the dark shining moon sky we will have a drink on you .

12TH INTERNATIONAL AZOGIRES CHAMPIONSHIP

Με μεγάλη επιτυχία τελέστηκε το 12^ο διεθνές τουρνουά τάβλι στον Αζωγυρε  με συμμετέχοντες από 7 διαφορετικές χώρες , που ήρθαν να τιμήσουν τη μνήμη του Αντρέα Μίλλαρ

Πρώτος νικητής ήταν ο Παναγιώτης από την Αλβανία

Δεύτερος ήταν ο Πήτερ από τον Καναδά

Και τρίτος ο Χορστ  από τη Γερμάνια

Όλα έγιναν πολλή γρήγορα  και η τελική μάχη όταν λες και ήσουν μέσα στο Κολοσσαίο  και πάλευες για την ζωή σου . το πρώτο έπαθλο ηταν  ήταν δώρο επιταγή τον 50 ευρώ από τον χορηγό μας Σουπερ μάρκετ Πετράκης  στην Παλαιοχωρα  

Ο νικητής αρνήθηκε να παραλάβει το έπαθλο και είπε υπάρχουν άνθρωποι  που το χρειάζονται πόλη περισσότερο από έμενα και το απόδωσε σε έναν ανάπηρο συμπολίτη μας    .

Ένα μεγάλο ευχάριστο στους χορηγούς  μας  Σουπερ μάρκετ Πετράκης  από την  Παλαιοχωρα και της επιχειρήσεις  Άλφα Γραμμή Κουκουτσάκης   

12^TH   INTERNATIONAL AZOGIRES BACKGAMMON CHAMPIONSHIP

With the greatest success ever ,

the championship started  on Saturday  afternoon of  the 30^th August .  All those who are loyal to the memory of Andrew Millar  were there , First Prize winner was  Panagioti from Albania Second Prize winner by just a point difference was Peter from Canada , and third prize winner was Horst from Germany .

What happened next shocked everyone First prize was a fifty euro check from the super markets Petrakis ,and the winner refused to accept the prize he said there are others who need it more than me and he gave his prize to  a person from our area who has had an accident and could not work for the time being , after actions like this one I know that there are still people in this world who care  .

A very big thank thank you  to our sponsors Supermarket Petrakis in Paleochora  and Alfa Grammh  Koukoutsakis of Azogires