Kalo kalokairi

Stella, a Greek friend of the blog that wrote to us recently, finished her e-mail by wishing us kalo kalokairi (kalό kalokéri). I love this phrase: in my childhood’s top 5 of wishes, it beats Happy birthday, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Kalo Pascha (for Easter)… Stella’s e-mail made me realize, that I don’t hear this wonderful phrase -that is a wish for a good summer- very often nowadays. Why is that?

At school, kalo kalokairi was a signal: the last thing you would hear before entering an official vacation zone, where it was allowed to completely forget about it for three whole months. Talking about a bliss : )  At the islands, this phrase was in everyone’s lips, from mid May to early June. Especially for the regular summer visitors of the islands, it was another way to say welcome, nice to see you after all these months… I remember neighbors passing by our house, shouting (the Greek way) to my parents that sat at the balcony: KALO KALOKAIIIRIII!

Now, technology helps us keep in touch with classmates and neighbors easily. Tablets and mobiles are keeping us connected in such a way, that even our seasonal acquaintances are no longer seasonal. I should know; Kalo kalokairi is not so connected with the weather, or with the wish for a pleasant upcoming summer. It is actually connected with a deeper need to slow down; to get away; to meet the people that know who we are off work; to set boundaries.

Kalo kalokairi is all about the mood. Like the first slice of watermelon and the first swim of the year, it is the ticket for all access to a Greek summer reverie.