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| Jan. 1, 2016: Kalanda singers prepare at Markella's living room before they start their visits. The 35-year-old ship held by Phaedon (left) was repaired by Kosmas and Vassilis the night before. |
Thirty
three children from Newton and neighboring suburbs and their parents went
around their communities for the 35th consecutive year on Jan. 1,
2016, to sing the New Year’s carols (Kalanda), and welcome the New Year. They raised $4,200 for the Hellenic Cardiac Fund and Communities Without Borders. As is
the custom on many Greek islands, the group carried around the blue boat constructed in 1982 that is adorned with white
stripes and Greek flags.
As in
previous years, a special effort was made to sing the carols over the phone to the
families of former Kalanda participants (such as the families of Lappas, Pothoulakis, and former consul general of
Greece in Boston Hatzimichelakis), as
well as to relatives and friends in the U.S. (such as the families Gregory and Miretta
Stephanopoulos, Mody, George and John Kefalas, Tasia ans Nikos Liapis and Dimitris Zannis) and in
Greece (such as the families of Maria and Dimitris Michalakis, Kalliopi
Sitaras, and Nikolas and Panagiota Zannis). An unsuccessful attempt was also made
to reach the former teacher of Greek School in Newton, Lilika Valaes.
Every year
the Kalanda brings together the older and younger generations of children and
their parents, thereby reaffirming old friendships and fostering new ones and
giving a sense of community, common identity and culture. The Kalanda also
provides a vehicle to raise money for the Hellenic Cardiac Fund of Boston’s
Children’s Hospital, and thus teach the young children to help those in need.
The Hellenic Cardiac Fund is a charitable organization that has assisted a
large number of Greek children with difficult health problems to receive
medical treatment at Children’s and other hospitals affiliated with the Harvard
Medical School. It is estimated that about $70,000 has been donated to
the Cardiac fund in the last 35 years.
Several of
the children who participated in the early Kalanda have finished college, have
entered successfully into their professional careers, and have built their own
families. Those with families who have stayed in the region (such as Markella
Zanni, Alexandros Georgakis and Natali Georgakis-Pauli, Eleni Delichatsiou),
brought along their children to this festive occasion.
The
Kalanda started in the house of David and Markella Humphrey/Zannis. The carolers visited seven additional houses, including those of Dimitris
Iatridis, Helen Christou, Kosmas and Marina Vrouvlianis, Hara and Kostas Travagiakis,
Metropolitan Methodios, Lefteris and Antonia Papaslis, Dimitris and Eleftheria
Papaslis. The carols were also sung in honor of the participating families of L.
Triarchou, M. Paraschos, J. Vassilakis, H. Delichatsios, M. Delichatsios,
A. Karagiorgos and V. Zannis. Mrs. Pelly Balodimos is no longer with us and we
missed visiting her house. Dr. Manolis Paraschos directed the chorus in the
absence of the regular conductor, Dr. Nikos Madias. Evangelos
Papadopoulos played the accordion. The carolers were treated to mezedes and
sweets in all the visited houses. In the Travagiakis house, Kostas Travagiakis sang Cretan mantinades composed especially for 2016. As always, a special reception was held in the houses
of Lefteris and Dimitris Papaslis that included homemade tyropita and
spanakopita.
At the end
of the festivities the children opened up the rectangular box that symbolizes
the bridge of the boat, where the donations were deposited, counted the money
and announced that they had collected or received pledges for approximately $4,200. According to tradition, children under 10 were offered a
symbolic gift of $10 each. The children then pledged to donate $3,600 to the
Hellenic Cardiac Fund, and $600 to the Communities Without Borders, a nonprofit
organization whose mission is to support the education and healthcare needs of
young children in Africa.
Despite the justified losses due to sickness (Madias,
Vlagopoulos and Stathatos families), work obligations and other reasons (John
Zannis and Mitsialis families), the Kalanda ran efficiently, lasted 4.5 hours and
the money collected or pledged was slightly less than that collected in 2015,
when more children and adults had participated.
The children
and young adults who participated in 2016 Kalanda were:
Phaidon, Daphne and Chloe Athanassopoulos
George Pothoulakis
Kostis Theoharides
Sophia Paraschos and Joe Fantony
Alexandros and Clara Georgakis, and their daughters, Christina
and Alexandra
David Humphrey and Markella Zanni and their children,
Andrew-Vassilis, Clara-Eleni and Laena
Helen Delichatsios-Pitas and her daughter, Nina
Natali Georgakis/Pauli her
husband Sam and their daughters, Alexa and Markella
Peni Vlagopoulos, Boby and their son Orion
Eleftheria
and Sophia Lambropoulou
Alexandros
and Lydia Souroufis
Alexander
and Daphne Pissios
Colette and George Stamatos
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