Dreams come alive in the Cyclades

Twenty-three women of Aperathou and former Community Leader Manolis Glezos took the initiative to set up “The women’s Association of Traditional Art” in 1987. It is still successfully providing traditional art and sweets for its visitors. The aim of this “Association” is to give the people who visit the exhibition the chance to enjoy all the traditional art work is part of the Aperinthian culture. The hand-woven material made on the original loom, the homemade sweets, embroideries and other handi-crafts are just a few of the wonderful items on display. Here, one can escape from today’s “industriallized” world and go back to the world of home-made and hand-made products, which are so hard not to phase-out.

In Aperathou, the traditional cloth is woven on a loom with great enthusiasm and love. The women working on the loom work with great pride, out of respect towards their ancestors who passed on them, this technique practised centuries ago, but which is still part of their culture today. The weavers sprit and soul are indelibly marked on these pieces of cloth. If you try hard enough, you might even hear the singing of the women because the creation of these Works of art are of course accompanied by rhe “Aperathitissa’s” singing of folk songs.

You will find hard-women cloth used for decoration or just practical use: Curtains, tablecloths, pillow cases, wallcoverings and diferrent varieties of bags. These are also beautifully painted bottles and pebbles and the unique home-made jelly sweets made out of quince, grapes, walnuts and cherries.

A Perathou is a mountain village poor in natural resources, but rich in culture and tradition. Its people mine emery, breed livestock and farm its few stretches of fertile land as a living. The women of this village are the head of the household. They also have a great influence on their children’s education and well-being. In their  spare time they site in their “argalio”(which is what a loom is called in their language) and weave away, leaving their emotions and imagination play their part. These talented women draw on pebbles and bottles and can even make delicious home-made jelly sweets whose ingredients are found in the vicinity of their homes. You can come to our exhibition, which is opposite the Church “Panagia of Aperathitissa”. All our home-made sweets and handi-crafts are on display and of course you can purchase whatever your heart may desire. You can ever place orders with a downpayment. The telephone number is: 22850 61436