The main element of the modern Greek nightlife is Bouzoukia. Bouzouki is a stringed musical instrument that produces a typical greek sound! Sorry but I cant describe it otherway! Bouzoukia is the nightplace where there is a small orchestra playing and a dancing floor. Discover why Greeks are so excited about it.
The music they play in there is rather a bad version of arabic noise, not to say rattle, than what we call good old greek songs. But there’s a a whole thesis document behind this underculture and primitive way of entertainment.
Briefly the story begins from the old tavernas, small restaurants where people were gathering to eat, drink, listen to music and dance. In these tavernas, they used to be real musicians and singers. Nowdays this type of amusement has decayed into bouzoukia. They pick up some singers made by tv-factories like star academy and other realities, they put them sing and they dance. Wine has been replaced by whiskey or vodka, steaks have been replaced by peanuts and almonds. And the music is modern greek .. shit!
Take my advise and go to such a place. Since you are foreigners, you probably will have a nice time, as the performance will look like an ethnic bazaar to you.
Things to be prepared about :
There are girls around the place who hold some plates full of carnation-buds and they sell each plate for about 15euros. When you buy some you can start the flower-throwing. Throwing a bud to a girl means, “I like you”. If she doesn’t correspond throw to another one. You have to throw it, not give it. Do not throw on girls who are accompanied by boys, misunderstandings may rise up. If she corresponds then buy her a drink, call her to dance, tell her that you have a really expensive car and you want her to jump in or that you own five houses around the globe or even that you are the Prince of Zamounta (kidding). Just try not to overdo it. Hehe! Greek girls love those who show off. Do not let yourself be mistaken!
I mean to show off your money and wealth. If you are a girl, you can also throw some flowers. The most usual though is to have them be thrown on you. Either you like the guy and you flirt with him or you don’t like him and you ignore him. Just like you do in a chartroom! Oh! You can also throw them to the singer!
Most of the times you need to reserve your table. Prices are from 60 to 250 euros for one bottle of alcohol, depending on in which place you go and what day it is.
Dancing is quite simple, you put the hands on air and do a little “menear”, las latinoamericanas me entenden! Menear is the spanish word for hips-moving. This hips-dance is known as tsifteteli. There is also zeimpekiko and hasaposerviko. We will sometime write more extensively about these dances but briefly in hasaposerviko you grab each other from the shoulders, form a circle and move your feet as the others do. In zeimpekiko you have to dance alone. You open widely your hands, you look on the floor (it is a dance for those who are sad) and you move your feet like others do. Check out my links in this page to see what I mean!
Drink a lot, but then do not drive!
The best bouzoukia places are in Thessaloniki and in Athens. Islands don’t really have much to show. In islands there are tavernas (most of the times with no live music) and nightclubs with international hits (british, american, spanish etc) and some greek music. If you are in one of the two big cities and Vasilis Karas is on stage try not to miss him. He along with Terzis Pashalis, are (in my opinion) the best ones! In a later article I will write about tsipouradika, tavernas and kutukia, the real places to have fun!
These three are the traditional greek nightlife.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIsLqJuDQ74
[tags]bouzoukia, greek nightlife, greek music[/tabs]
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