Five musicians who make their home in Thessaloniki took us on a three-night journey to the memorable homelands and the mysticism of the Asia-minor amanethes.

The amanes is an unusual kind of solo-long-dragging-sad-sounding song and its main characteristic is the repetition of the Turkish exclamation aman which means mercy, woe is me.

One of these events took place in Elia, where the surroundings complemented the music, and the emotions of the people were evident, as there are many second and third generation Asia-minor refugees who reside in the village.

The second of these events took place by the little Aghios Konstantinos church in Kato Gouves, and the presence of the Archbishop of Crete was of special significance.

The third of these events took place at the Axion Estin square in Kokkini Hani where the attendance was overwhelming.

Mayor Yiorgos Nikolakakis attended all three nights and commented on the “incredible atmosphere” and how “we can learn about other cultures through the music in our township.”

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