PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Persephone. Now there’s a woman/goddess who can say she’s been to hell and back! Well, more accurately, to the underworld kingdom of Hades which was an altogether different destination for all ancient Hellenes after death.

She was tricked with a beautifully made flower that caught her attention… then abducted by the Olympic God, Hades.

Such was the grief, despair and rage of her mother Demeter (the goddess of the harvest, fertility and the earth) having lost her only child, she locked the planet into a permanent winter – the season of death.

This was a disaster for the other Olympic Gods (except for Hades of course) provoking Zeus to pay his brother a very persuasive visit, convincing him to let Persephone go. He did… but not before offering her pomegranate seeds for her ascent, she took six.

Unbeknown to her, however, was that the pomegranate* is the sacred fruit of life and death and eating its seeds would tether her to the underworld for six months year from then on. Persephone ascends and summer returns. Demeter is overjoyed.

The returning Persephone is somehow different-reconciled, empowered, self-possessed… sovereign. She is now a queen not only of Hades but of her own inner/under world… transformed by a dark experience. This is a story that is played out in many earthly lives also.

Welcome all to FESTIVAL HELLENIKA 2025.

We welcome our new audiences as well as those returning – it appears, we too, may have handed out our own well intended pomegranate seeds over the last 34 years.

This year’s programme promises more offerings with the transformative powers of music, philosophy, food, war, dislocation, migration, AI, comedy, art, architecture, dance, shadow theatre, gardening, poetry, passports even the firmament.

Our major event, the concert, is dedicated to the birth place of urban Greek music – PIRAEUS. The port of Athens is amongst the oldest continuously operating ports in the Mediterranean and a life changing location both in the history and the hearts of Greeks.

This entire festival emerges from the heroic and alchemical efforts of a handful of volunteers, my committee. Its appearance every year looks miraculous but it is simply a product of passion, generosity and noisy cooperation. They are, thankfully, caretakers of culture.

We are grateful to our constellation of contributors – the artists, musicians, writers, presenters and technicians that shine like stars in our skies and cast lights that inform, delight and inspire.

There are also our guardian angels and believers… our sponsors. We thank you. May you continue to flourish in our community. Lastly, all would be meaningless without you, dear audience. Thank you for your attendances. We offer you, once again, another handful of ruby pomegranate seeds so that you too could have reason to say… ‘I have been to HELLENIKA and back’.

*Pomegranate seeds are still used as part of the memorial offering, koliva.