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When we announced that the festival would take place on the 7th
of April a year ago, we were insecure about the weather. However, when
the festival was about to take place, a miracle happened. On the holly
week, it was very cold at Anatoli (the place where the festival takes
place). |
The week following Easter, when the preparations were going on, the
weather was good enough. On Saturday the 14th, when the
festival took place, it was like summer. Then, on Monday the 16th
when we were leaving, it was raining all over Greece.
<<Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the 7th Pan-Hellenic
festival of exchange of local varieties. This year- for the third
continuous year -this festival takes place at the holly monastery of I.M.
Timiou Prodromou here at Anatoli. This year the festival has a European
character as our key speaker is the farmer Mr. Zozef Holzer from Austria.
Also, in our meeting, Mr. Turbian is present as a representative of the
Swedish organization <<Sesame>>, an organization equivalent to Peliti.
It was someway like that that the opening of this year’s festival
happened. A festival that gave a lot to all of us who had the joy to be
there.
Afterwards, the sisters of the monastery chanted the <<Jesus Rised>>
and the hymn of the Holly Spirit and then a minute of silence followed
dedicated to international peace.
Then, the representative of the I.M.
Demetriados p. Nektarios gave his greetings.
After that, the actions of Peliti were presented. We paid special
tribute to the presentations of the festivities of the 7th of
April, a day that is dedicated from Peliti to the local varieties.
The first speaker was the co-ordinator of the demonstrations at
Egina mr. Aris Pavlos. The festivities took place for the second time in
Egina on the 1st of April in co-operation with the <<society
of the active citizens of Egina>>, citizens of Egina and Elementary
schools. Mr. Pavlos told us that such a great response from the people of
Egina to the event was not expected.
The next speaker, teacher Mr. N. Dombazis
talked about the festivities that they were preparing at Komotini. The
festivities for the 7th of April started in Komotini in 2002
and this year, half of the Elementary schools of the prefecture of
Komotini participated in the festivities distributing at least 1500 plants
from local varieties and hundreds of little packets with seeds.
Afterwards Mr. Panagiotis Sainatoudis informed the participants on
the <<manifesto for the future of the seeds>>. This manifesto was
distributed at the international meeting of the communities of nutrition
that took place at Turin in Italy. The manifesto refers to the
cultivator’s right to keep his seed and exchange it for free.
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The following speaker was Mr. Josef
Holzer. Mr. Holzer arrived at
the monastery on Wednesday the 11th of April with his son Mr.
Josef Andreas Holzer. On Wednesday evening, Mr. Holzer gave us a first
briefing about his job and the programs that are materialized all over
the world. |
On Thursday morning, he was taken on a
tour around the monastery and at noon started the construction of hills.
Mr Holzer suggests the creation of hills and the cultivation of the
vegetables there. He sows a great mixture of vegetable seeds and observes
which of them do better. Around the hills he sows the cereals. The sowing
took place on Sunday noon of the
15th of April. As the sisters of the monastery informed us, a
lot of seeds that we sowed have sprouted.
Mr. Holzer in his speech, on the day of the festival, told us a lot
of things, but the most impressive was that he cultivates lemons on the
Alpes, at an altitude of 1000 metres. His farm, that occupies an area of
125 acres, is located on 1000-1500 m high. Also, an important thing was
that the mayor of the municipality of Lakeria Mr. Kiriakos Patsas, attened
all of Mr. Holzer’s speech and on Sunday asked him his opinion about how
some important problems of the municipality will be solved, like the issue
of the water. Mr. Holzer´s speech was the first presentation in Greece
about the subject of Permaculture agriculture and the beginning of a new
page in Greek agriculture. If you want more information on the way he
cultivates, you may visit the sight
www.krameterhof.at
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Apart from Mr. Holzer, we had another man from abroad, Mr. Turbian from
Sweden. Mr. Turbian is responsible for the preservation of the tomato
varieties of the Sesame organization. An interesting thing that he told
us was that every year a list of the members of the organization and the
varieties they hold is being published. |
Whoever
wants seeds can send an envelope- containing another envelope with his
personal information and a stamp- and ask for the varieties that he wants.
So they send him back the seeds that he asks for without any extra charge.
Mr. Turbian said that he hasn't seen such an event for the exchange of
seeds, like this one of Peliti ,anywhere else in the world.
Mr. Rikos Thanopoulos, the representative of the Ministry of the
Rural Development and Provisions, was present in the festivities and
talked about <<Action for the local varieties that are in danger from
genetic erosion>>. This year, sometime before the end of the festival, a
thematic meeting took place from Mr. Thanopoulos about the subject of the
financial reinforcement of the local varieties.
During our festivities, Mr. Dimitris Dimos refered to the extinction of
the native rural animals. He told us that a million oxen were extinct or
butchered in 50 years on Greek land.
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After the speeches, the exchange of the local varieties among the
farmers took place. This year for the first time we had two
stockbreeders that brought hens. The participation of the farmers this
year surpassed every expectation. Sixty farmers brought seeds and plants
from all over the country. |
The moment of the exchange is the <<Achilles’ heel>> of the
festival because it can only be described in one word as <<panic>>. Then
seeds were distributed to everyone else that was present at the festival.
At the same time food was offered. This year we cooked five cauldrons with
beans and chickpeas, all coming from traditional varieties and organic
products. Also we enjoyed cheese, eggs, olives, lettuces and bread made
from traditional wheat. All of the products were an offer of the
co-operating farmers and over one thousand people were fed.
Also, all the cutlery and crockery that we use is metallic in order to
produce the least rubbish possible.
In the end, a separation of the rubbish takes place in organic, slops for
the pigs, rubbish (plastics, papers etc.), and cigarette ends. So we
manage to produce as little rubbish as we can and to leave the place of
the festivity clean.
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This year –as any other year before- the outcome was the best possible.
The volunteers overcame themselves on many occasions, in order to
accomplish their duties. We counted 50 volunteers, but definitely there
were more. |
The sisters of the monastery, willing as always, were assisting us
in whatever we needed. Many times I had thought that if I was in their
place, I would be much stricter with some people. Their tolerance, their
love and their acceptance of the different, were the three <<perfumes>>
that they wore and the whole monastery was smelling sweetly.
It is worth noting their great contribution, not only by giving
shelter to the festival but also by working all year round saving seeds
and informing the visitors of the monastery about the importance of seeds.
We feel that the festival was successful as it brought together people
searching for local seeds. And if someone didn't manage to take seeds this
year, at least a door has opened.
The 8th Hellenic festival of exchange of local seeds will take
place next year on Saturday the 3rd of May 2008 at the same place, I.M.
Timiou Prodromou at Anatoli.
For Peliti
Panagiotis Sainatoudis
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