A significant cultural initiative is underway in Ikaria, where the Cultural Association “Antilaloi”, with the support of the North Aegean Region, is proceeding with the creation of an extensive collection of recordings of the Ikarian folk music tradition entitled “Dyósme mou triklone dyósme”. This action constitutes one of the most comprehensive efforts to systematically document the musical heritage of the island, which to this day has been transmitted mainly orally.
The collection is based on long-term research, on-site recording and collaboration with local musicians, dancers, researchers and cultural institutions. The aim is to capture and highlight the songs and musical forms that make up the living tradition of Ikaria: from the dance motifs of the festivals and the well-known Ikariotiko, to rarer songs of carnival, wedding, Christmas and improvised rhymes, something like a mantinada or improvised couplet, which are part of the everyday expression of the Ikarians.
The work is accompanied by a multi-page insert, in printed and digital form, which will function as a complete guide to the collection. The insert will include historical and folklore context, lyrics, photographs, musical transcriptions, structural analysis of the motifs and oral testimonies of the people who keep the tradition alive. The recording attempts to capture not only the musical material, but also the cultural background in which it was born: the festivals, the local codes, the social function of music on the island.
The action is part of the strategy of the North Aegean Region for the preservation of intangible cultural heritage and addresses the risk of losing valuable material that has not been systematically recorded to date. The documentation of musical tradition is an essential cultural and educational act: it strengthens intergenerational transmission, offers teaching tools to schools and cultural institutions and gives new generations the opportunity to get to know the map of their local identity.
At the same time, the collection is expected to strengthen Ikaria’s position in experience tourism, highlighting the cultural specificity of the island to visitors seeking authenticity and local musical traditions. The material can be used in actions, workshops, festivals and international presentations, acting as an ambassador of the island’s musical culture and strengthening the connection of the Ikarian diaspora with their cultural heritage.
This is a project with substantial cultural and social value, which aspires to become a point of reference for the documentation, preservation and dissemination of the Ikarian musical tradition, a “memory box” that will connect the past with the future of the community.
