Traditional Cretans often go around their business as if they were posing or trying to enhance their masculinity through their roots. That's why they wear "stivania" (leather Cretan boots), turbans and black shirts, which are considered tokens of their Cretan character.

Propounding their masculinity

In Crete, masculinity is viewed as extremely important and is visible all around the island. For Cretan men, masculinity is not just a part of them they keep bottled up inside, but they feel the urge to show the rest of the world. It is the source where feelings of territorial independence and property, denial any kind of control, restriction of personal freedom and distrust come from.

From listening to discussions in men’s haunts around the island, one would draw the conclusion that the relationship between men and state is at any time negotiable. Cretans often brag that their island is “a free part of Greece” and hold unwritten laws at the same standard as those imposed by the Greek State. They don’t complain to the police for no reason and never ask for charity.

Around Greece, people understandably complain about the hydrocephalus Athenian state, which absorbs disproportionate funds and resources for its size. It’s the same in Crete, but here, people don’t whine nor grumble. They are disappointed in the government but they’d rather keep authorities at a distance rather and begging for its favour.

Expressing themselves ambiguously

Communication between men in Crete during social gathering, follows unwritten codes of behaviour, and occurs in parallel levels. They almost never use direct speech, and they express themselves ambiguously, leaving their phrases open to interpretation. At the same time, gestures and grimaces play a distinctive part in the conversation.

Denial and the need to challenge anything deemed conventional is rooted deep inside them. Cretans also tend to overdramatise their identities. They appreciate and respect the rest of the Greeks but they often refer to them as “strangers”, while Cretans are “our people”. They are theatrical, a behaviour which fades outside the island. Special communication codes have also faded in the large cities of Crete, where behaviours seem to have homogenised.

The Cretan behaviour is similar to a plant that thrives in one and only place. When Cretans are away from their physical space, they don't show it off, because they feel like being on a theatrical stage without the scenery nor the susceptible audience. They don't want to seem different from other people or provoke laughter with their costumes and characteristic speech patterns. They have a perfect sense of humour, but they would never allow themselves to be mocked by anyone.
TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com     

ΠΕΡΙΣΣΟΤΕΡΕΣ ΦΩΤΟΓΡΑΦΙΕΣ

They often pose in a theatrical way.

Unconventionally and often delinquently obsessed with the use of weapons.

They have rebelled against all the conquerors without exception.

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