“The spruce we burned in the fireplace gave out sparks. That's why we carpeted our wintry room with “saismata” (thick cloths made of goat fur) -they don't catch fire if a spark falls on them. The grandparents slept on a high mattress in the corner of the room and on low mattresses on the floor next to them were the beds of the grandchildren. The married couple would sleep in the bedroom with the baby. When it grew up it moved to the winter room, so that the next baby would take its place next to its parents”.

Trunks and chests

Athena Kontopoulou, from Stemnitsa of Gortynia, maintains a house which is furnished and decorated with the exact same objects her ancestors used a long time ago. "Each house had a loom and when a girl was born, they started weaving her trousseau. If they had a boy, they would see it as chance for rest. But boys had their troubles as well because they would have to remain single if their sisters did not wed.

There was a trunk in the cellar in which they used to put the flour in, and they would knead the bread in a trough above it. They kept the sweets locked away in a trunk in the bedroom, next to the “yiuko” (a place where clothes were neatly folded in) so that the children would not eat them. The children, however, always found a way to open the trunk, even if that meant they would have to unscrew the hinges from its cap."

The houses in Stemnitsa are full of trunks and chests. The trunks have clasps of metal, while the chests are made of plain wood. Some of them are used for conserving legumes, others for pasta and bread. They are also used for storing clothes, leaving fabrics smelling of wood.

Flawless housewives

Stemnitsa has an amazing folklore museum, in which Athena volunteers. She has even offered the museum some things to exhibit. Although her home looks like the museum, it is much charming as completely functional and habitable.

No matter how unexpectedly someone visits the house, they will always find it clean and in perfect order. In order for houses like this to be maintained, being a good housewife is not good enough; strong personalities are necessary. Athena is like that, just like most women in Stemnitsa, who can’t tolerate flaws anywhere around them.
TEXT-PHOTOS: GEORGE ZAFEIROPOULOS
SOURCE: www.greecewithin.com

MORE PHOTOS

A nest-like bedroom.

Embroideries with wise quotes hanging on the walls.

Stemnitsa, unique well-preserved village of Maenalus.

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