37th annual Kalanda singing raises record amount

Photos courtesy of Manolis Kellis

More than 50 children, young adults and their parents braved the bitter cold and raised approximately $6,000 for the Boston Children’s Hospital Hellenic Cardiac Fund (HCF) and Communities Without Borders (CWB) by singing the Greek New Year’s Kalanda (carols) on Jan. 1, 2018 in Newton and surrounding communities.

Organizer Dr. Vassilis Zannis said “The event was a great success due to the commitment of members of Sabbatoparea and the new dynamic talent that was infused this year by the presence of such families as the Efthymiou, Kellis and Valayannopoulos.” The Valayannopoulos family provided instrumental musical accompaniment as well. 

Zannis thanked the family of Dr. Markella Zannis and David Humphrey whose house served as the central gathering place of the carolers and also the families who welcomed and treated the group in their homes: Yannis and Laura Zannis, Kosmas and Marina Vrouvlianis, Stratos and Julia Efthymiou, Drs. Ourania and Nikos Madias, Hara and Kostas Travagiakis, Antonia and Lefteris Papaslis and Eleftheria and Dimitris Papaslis. 

 “We project to raise a record $6,000 in donations including pledges,” Zannis said.

For the 37th year in a row the Kalanda tradition brought together the older and younger generations of children and their parents, thereby reaffirming old friendships and fostering new ones, thus recreating a sense of community, common identity and culture, Zannis said. The money, as always, was collected in the white-and-blue paper boat constructed by the original carolers in 1982. Drs. N. Madias and M. Paraschos conducted the group. 

The following photos are courtesy of Christina Akrivou. 

Καλή Χρονιά.