Actor Chris Charonis entertains the audience in a Greek mythology play produced by youth members of the Holy Cross Church titled “Echoes of Gold.” This play follows the journey of greedy King Midas, who wishes for everything he touches to turn to gold, accidentally turning his daughter into gold, emphasizing the importance of family and friends over earthly possessions. “I love performing for my church in the festival and entertaining the people going,” said Jared So’oto, the actor for King Midas.
The 52nd annual Belmont Greek Festival celebrated Greek culture with traditional dances, songs, food, and more.
The event was held on Saturday and Sunday of Labor Day weekend at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Holy Cross in Belmont, packing each day with 10 hours of entertainment for family and friends to enjoy.
A big portion of the festival was centered around sharing food. To prepare for the many pastries sold, a lot of planning went into the festival.
At the festival’s outdoor sweets booth, Gigi Tsiglieris was among the many Holy Cross Church youth volunteers selling eight different desserts.
“Members of the community come in two to three weeks before the festival and make the pastries, many of which are older, who have been coming for years,” Tsiglieris said.
According to John Adractas, who helped with grilling the meats, other foods such as sausages, pork, lamb, and chicken kebabs were prepared months in advance to be quickly grilled for the event.
“It’s all cooked to order,” Adractas said, “Each round we cook 40-50 of each thing. And you’re doing that for at least 10 hours, so between 500 to 1000 of each type.”
In Greek culture, while there are delicacies, a meal with friends and family is much more than just the food.
“My favorite part about the Greek Festival is the fellowship with the community because we all get together, bond over food, and have fun,” Tsiglieris said.
The festival also provided constant Greek music played by the Mythos Band, whose singers sang alongside instruments such as the Greek bouzouki, bass, guitar, keyboard, and drums.
While attendees were listening, they could also enjoy shopping at the many pop-up shops, selling artisan crafts made locally as well as items imported from Greece.
“My pottery is very influenced by my Greek heritage, so for me, the festival is a way to share my art and be a part of the Greek cultural experience,” said Marianna Gardenhire, a ceramics artist from Sonoma County.
Other performances included Greek folk dances in the afternoon and evening featuring the Holy Cross Church’s dance groups. Three groups performed, with performers from first grade to the college and adult group.
Between Saturday and Sunday, four productions of “Echoes of Gold: Mythical Tales of Love and Greed” were held at the amphitheater. This mythology play was performed by elementary and middle school youth from the Holy Cross Church.
“I love performing for my church and I love entertaining the people,” said Jared So’oto, a third-year performer and actor who played King Midas.
Other local artists performed at the festival, including the award-winning children’s artist Andy Z, as well as the Aurora Mandolin Orchestra, one of the oldest orchestras of its kind in Northern California.
On Sunday, the Holy Cross Chorus performed six pieces of traditional Byzantine music from the Greek Orthodox Church. Each piece performed by the choir was introduced with an origin story by their pastor, Father Peter Salmas.
For the first time, a beer garden was added to get more people to come to the festival and try beer and wine imported from Greece.
“This is a way of getting younger people to come,” said Chris Mattis, one of the people in charge of the beer garden. “We’re hoping that the beer garden is a way for the younger Greeks to come and help out at the festival and celebrate together.”
Overall, the event allowed the community to celebrate the joys of being together in different ways.
“The best part of the festival is the idea of everyone coming together around great food, dance, and community,” Adractas said. “There’s something that transcends people in that whether someone’s Greek or not Greek, it can still be enjoyed by every family.”
A group of people join in arms as they dance to the music played by the Mythos Band. The Mythos Band played throughout the entire day of the festival, allowing attendees to enjoy the music during their stay. If the music was good enough, people would occasionally go to the front and dance to the songs.
