Gavoustema
Encyclopedia
Gavoustema is the Annual Panhellenic Meeting of the Misthiotes, descendants of the inhabitants of Misthi
(Cappadocia
, today Turkey
), in Greece
. The Misthiotes refers to a group of Greek-Cappadocian people who came to Greece after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey following the Treaty of Lausanne
in 1923. Having established themselves in their new homeland of Greece the organizing committees of these descendants agreed by the end of the 1990s to arrange an annual meeting to celebrate and promote their culture. The first Annual Panhellenic Meeting was held in Mandra, Larissa (Greece) in 1997. These meetings have since then been arranged at different locations in Greece where Misthiotes (and those related to them) settled down. In reality, the Annual Panhellenic Meeting is a cultural festival with activities ranging from art, music and dance exhibitions, academic lectures (often concerning history), gastronomical tours as well as book exposition. This event has proven highly successful in many respects and has attracted more than 3000 every year. In many cases, families have found relatives they did not exist which has resulted in the illumination of their ancestry. The Gavoustema has also led to the resurrection of the Misthiotic culture which to many, especially to younger generations, has been completely unknown. As a result, the Gavoustema has spurred several individuals to engage in layman investigations or professional academic research about the history, culture and language of the Misthiotes.
The Gavoustema has been hosted by the following cities in Greece:
Misthi
Misthi also Mistí, Mysty; Misli; Misti, Greek Μισθεία, Μισθί; Μιστί; Μισθή; Μυστή; Μισθίον; Μίσθια, in Turkish Mišti, Misti, Muštilia, Konaklı , was a Greek city in the region of Cappadocia, nowadays Turkey...
(Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
, today Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
), in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. The Misthiotes refers to a group of Greek-Cappadocian people who came to Greece after the population exchange between Greece and Turkey following the Treaty of Lausanne
Treaty of Lausanne
The Treaty of Lausanne was a peace treaty signed in Lausanne, Switzerland on 24 July 1923, that settled the Anatolian and East Thracian parts of the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire. The treaty of Lausanne was ratified by the Greek government on 11 February 1924, by the Turkish government on 31...
in 1923. Having established themselves in their new homeland of Greece the organizing committees of these descendants agreed by the end of the 1990s to arrange an annual meeting to celebrate and promote their culture. The first Annual Panhellenic Meeting was held in Mandra, Larissa (Greece) in 1997. These meetings have since then been arranged at different locations in Greece where Misthiotes (and those related to them) settled down. In reality, the Annual Panhellenic Meeting is a cultural festival with activities ranging from art, music and dance exhibitions, academic lectures (often concerning history), gastronomical tours as well as book exposition. This event has proven highly successful in many respects and has attracted more than 3000 every year. In many cases, families have found relatives they did not exist which has resulted in the illumination of their ancestry. The Gavoustema has also led to the resurrection of the Misthiotic culture which to many, especially to younger generations, has been completely unknown. As a result, the Gavoustema has spurred several individuals to engage in layman investigations or professional academic research about the history, culture and language of the Misthiotes.
The Gavoustema has been hosted by the following cities in Greece:
- 1997 - Mandra, LarissaLarissaLarissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
(August) - 1998 - Xanthe (August)
- 1999 - Conitsa, Ioannena (August)
- 2000 - Kokkinochoma, KavalaKavalaKavala , is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala peripheral unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos...
(August) - 2001 - Ano Mavrolofo, Magnesia (17-19 August)
- 2002 - Xerochori, Salonica (23-24 August)
- 2003 - Neo Agioneri, Kilkis (22-24 August)
- 2004 - Alexandroupolis (6-8 August)
- 2005 - Mandra, LarissaLarissaLarissa is the capital and biggest city of the Thessaly region of Greece and capital of the Larissa regional unit. It is a principal agricultural centre and a national transportation hub, linked by road and rail with the port of Volos, the city of Thessaloniki and Athens...
(19-21 August) - 2006 - KavalaKavalaKavala , is the second largest city in northern Greece, the principal seaport of eastern Macedonia and the capital of Kavala peripheral unit. It is situated on the Bay of Kavala, across from the island of Thasos...
(August). Guest lecture will be given by prominent professor of Linguistics and Classics Mark Janse who has focused his research on Cappadocian Greek dialects. Visit Professor Mark Janse's homepage.) - 2008 - Plagia, KilkisKilkisKilkis is an industrial city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2001 there were 17,430 people living in the city proper, 24,812 people living in the municipal unit, and 56,336 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional unit of Kilkis.-Name:Kilkis is located in a...
(16-17 August)