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August 14, 2008
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Weekend of festivals The Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Manchester will hold it annual Greekfest on Saturday, Aug. 16 and Sunday, Aug. 17. The event will feature lots of food, live Greek music, and fun for the entire Manchester community, whether you’re Greek or not. The church has held a special feast day around Aug. 15 each year since it was founded in 1936. This day follows a 15-day religious period of fasting and special worship services in celebration of the Virgin Mary. In the church’s early days, the congregation had a picnic for feast day. In 1991, they decided to hold a two-day festival instead and open it to the public. “It’s a very happy atmosphere,” committee member Sophia Annas said. “We enjoy sharing our culture, heritage and faith. There has been such a growth in popularity of Greek music and food.” Preparations begin days in advance. Volunteers will prepare a variety of food, including 1,200 pounds of lamb, 1,000 kourambiethes (butter cookies covered with powdered sugar), 270 dozen koulourakia (twisted butter cookies with sesame seeds), and 65 large trays of spinach peta (spinach pie). Just one peta tray contains three pound of filo dough, four and a half pounds of spinach, three pounds of feta cheese, a dozen eggs, one large onion and about one pound of butter. “We are lucky that in our parish there are lots of people who own or work in restaurants. We cut and marinate the lamb during the week. A baking schedule is made for the other items. Everything is cooked on site,” Annas said. The menu will feature dinners of barbecue lamb ($12), roast chicken ($10), pastichio, a lasagna-like dish of macaroni, meat sauce, and white sauce ($8), meatballs with sauce ($8), spinach peta ($4.50) and stuffed grape leaves ($8). Each dinner comes with Greek salad, rice and a roll, and the entrees are also available a la carte. Besides the dinners, there will also be pocket sandwiches of lamb ($6), vegetable ($4), and a gyro ($6), plus a Greek sausage on a roll ($5). And don’t forget the desserts, such as baklava, kataifi (similar to baklava, but made with shredded wheat instead of filo), kourambiethes, koulourakia, loukoumathes (fried dough puffs), finikia and rice pudding. Along with the terrific food, there will be church tours, raffles, and vendors selling imported Greek crafts, jewelry and religious items. There will also be a live Greek band both days. Annas said that people will often get up and dance to the music. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free. Last year, Annas said, about 4,000 people attended, though no one kept official count. “A lot of people come back every year — Greek and non-Greek,” Annas said. Fiesta en Nueva Hampshire A Latin vibe will take over Veteran’s Park at the ninth Annual Latino Festival on Saturday, Aug. 16. The event is sponsored by the nonprofit Latinos Unidos de New Hampshire, an all-volunteer group established to help support and spread awareness about the state’s Latino population. “The festival started because a group of community members wanted to educate people about the different Latino cultures,” committee member Wanda Castillo-Diaz explained. “Even though we speak one language, we are all very different.” The proceeds from the day will go to the organization’s scholarship fund to help Latino students attend college. This year they gave out $7,000 in scholarships. Castillo-Diaz said that between 5,000 and 8,000 people have attended the festival in the past three years. The day starts off with a parade down Elm Street at 11 a.m. Music and floats will be part of the parade. “People dress in costumes,” she said. “I know that the floats in the parade from Columbia and Mexico will have people in costumes.” Food takes center stage at the festival, made by a combination of various restaurants and individuals. Guests can take a culinary tour of the Latin countries such as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Columbia, and Mexico. Castillo-Diaz said the vendors’ offerings are still being finalized, but she noted some of the food highlights: And at least one booth usually serves empanadas — a meat or cheese filled pastry that can vary in appearance and flavor depending on which Latin American cuisine is creating it. There will also be lots of Latino music. The sounds will range from traditional to dance and popular selections. “People in the park hear the music and they dance,” Castillo-Diaz said. Craft vendors will sell items from the represented countries, and there will be table displays from different organizations with information about their services. Since it is a family event, balloons and face painting will also be part of the fun. “Children have a lot of fun and get to learn about the different cultures,” Castillo-Diaz said. The festival will run from noon to 8 p.m. in the park. To learn more about Latinos Unidos de New Hampshire, visit their Web site, www.latinosunidosnh.org. “Come and have fun,” Castillo-Diaz said. “It is not only for Hispanics. We have open arms for everyone to come and learn about our culture.” Time for a Mahrajan Our Lady of the Cedars Melkite Greek Catholic church will offerf specialties from Lebanon and the Middle East at its annual Mahrajan on Saturday, Aug. 16, and Sunday, Aug. 17. Father Thomas Steinmetz, a Manchester native, said the church has held the festival for 35 years. It was once just a small Sunday afternoon parish celebration, but it was soon expanded to a two-day open-to-the-public event as a way for the community to experience the church’s culture and beliefs. “We have all kinds of Lebanese-style food and Middle Eastern food, plus hamburgers, hot dogs, and ice cream,” Father Steinmetz said. “It’s a blast.” The Mahrajan (the Arabic word for festival) marks the yearly feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, the patronal feast of the parish. It follows a two-week sacred period of prayer, fasting and good works devoted to Mary, the mother of Jesus. The church itself is Eastern Catholic, which means it is under the authority of the Pope, unlike Orthodox churches. Featured foods will include lamb, beef and chicken kabobs, falafel (seasoned ground chickpeas shaped into balls and deep-fried) and tabbouleh (a salad of bulgur wheat mixed with chopped tomatoes, onion, parsley, mint, olive oil and lemon juice.) There will also be a pastry table with traditional Middle Eastern desserts. The congregation prepares the food and runs the entire festival. Father Steinmetz’s favorite dish is the lamb kabobs. “They’re fantastic,” he said, and then noted that the festival is a great way for the public to try these regional specialties. “The food is much cheaper here than in a restaurant.” There will also be Arabic music and dancing, a wine tasting with varieties from Lebanon and other world regions, a penny sale, and religious artifacts for sale. People are free to tour the church. For the kids, there will be lots of games and an inflatable slide. The proceeds go to the church’s building fund. This year the money is earmarked to help with mortgage payments. Admission and parking are free. Father Steinmetz estimated that about 2,000 people attend each year and guests may spend as much or as little as the wish. “If people just want to come in and enjoy the music, that’s fine with us,” he said. “Of course we want to make money for the church, but we are happy to put on the festival for the city’s people to come and have a fun day and learn something about the parish. Just come and have a good time.”
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Greekfest 2008 Eat greek Latino Fest Mahrajan
7/31/2008 Red and juicy, from vine to table
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