THE VILLAGE AVDELA IN PINDUS RANGE
The village of Avdela
is situated in the Northern Pindus range, at an altitude of 1,350 metres, and
is surrounded on three sides by mountain peaks. The highest of these is Vasilitsa,
to the east, followed by Aoos (Avgo), Smolikas and Orliakas. The only opening
is to the south, where the Aliakmon river winds its way . The scenery around
Avdela is majestic, and the natural
environment rich and varied. A number of learned visitors have
called Avdela and its neighbouring villages of Perivoli, Samarina and Smixi
"the four Alpine resorts of the Pindus range". This is no
exaggeration: dense, virgin forests of pine and beech, small rivers, sparkling
springs, picturesque and lovely valleys, luxuriant ravines, and lush pastures
embrace this mountain paradise. Each has a famed beauty spot: Samarina is
renowned for its Kiourisa, Perivoli for its Valea Dounekata, Smixi for its
Giletti and Avdela for Mouzzielou and Souliatou.
"Amid the
universal beauty of the Pindus, I remember, in particular, the forest of
Souliatou", wrote Stratis Doukas.
"Walking through
it you feel as though you were at the bottom of the sea. You can see nothing
but the tops of the lofty pine
trees high overhead, swaying in the mountain breeze and filling
the forest with their shivering hum".
The village of Avdela
and its neighbours belong to the Helleno-Vlach area of the Pindus range, which
extends far beyond
Western Macedonia into Epirus and Thessaly, as well as into what
is now the national territory of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria and
Albania.
Under the Turkish
occupation, Avdela belonged administratively to the vilayet of Monastir, the
sanjak of Servia and the kasa of Grevena. In 1910 it had 1,280 Greek
inhabitants and 100 "Romanisers". (1)
The Vlachs of Avdela
had always been deeply and sincerely Greek in their national consciousness and
Orthodox in their
faith. Before the upsurge of Romanian propaganda, around 1860,
there had never been any serious incidences of ethnic dispute. Quite the
contrary in fact: the Vlachs in general, and the people of Avdela in
particular, had always distinguished themselves in times of national crisis,
despite the heavy pressure exerted on the area by successive invaders with an
eye to its
strategic location.
The presence of
Avdela on the stage of modern history has been documented since the late
Byzantine period:
-When Thessaloniki was beseiged by Murat II in 1420, present among
its defenders were Vlachs from Avdela and other places in the mountains of the
Pindus range.
-In 1453, during the seige of Constantinople, a mounted troop of
2,000 Vlachs, including men from Avdela, took part in the last stand of the
Byzantine capital against the Turks, under the leadership of the famous general
Justinian.
Once they had
occupied the Pindus, the Turks recognized the old Byzantine privilege of the
Vlach shepherd captains of safeguarding the mountain passes in their districts.
These were the Armatoles, who first appeared in 1537 and were subsequently to
play such an important role in the Greek Revolution of 1821.
-Between 1500 and 1611, Avdela enjoyed a lengthy period of
prosperity , which finally ended with the defeat of a local uprising under
Dionysius, Bishop of Trika1a ( called "The Charlatan") who was from
Avdela.
-In 1854, some shepherds from Avdela joined with others from the
surrounding villages and organized, in the vi11age of Karpero, a small uprising
against the Turkish authorities.
It failed because of a
lack of communication among the organizers.
-In 1818, the Avdelite insurgent leader Nikotsaras led an uprising
in Zihni, in the prefecture of Serres, and with a band of600 young men,
descendants of settlers from Avdela, Fourka and the Albano- Vlach villages,
hastened to support Karageorge
of Serbia.
-Many Avdelites who had moved to Chalcidice fought in the forces
of Emmanouil Pappas, the insurgent chieftain from Serres, in the uprising in
that district.
-Among the defenders of Mesolonghi, the seige of which ended with
the heroic sortie of all the men, women and children within its walls, there
were also men from Avdela: Bresios, Asteris Bezas and "Kapetan
Aramos". Among those defending the town was a Vlach from Metsovo,
Anastasios Michaloglou Manakis, a direct ancestor of the Manakis brothers.
-In 1877-1878, the years of the Russo-Turkish War and the Treaty
of San Stefano, the Avdelites of Veria, led by their fellow-countryman Pavlos Badralexis,
proclaimed the Kolindros Uprising, which had a tremendous impact in the region
of the Aliakmon river .
The Greek governments
of that period, under the influence of the English, maintained a superficial
neutrality but, in a limited
fashion and in secret, did in fact support the Struggle. The
Kolindros Uprising failed because of the signing of the peace treaty between
Russia and Turkey on March 3, 1878.
The leader of this
insurrection, Pavlos Badralexis, fled to Athens where he lived for eighteen
years as a pensioner of the Greek state. He was pardoned by the Turkish
authorities in 1896 and returned to Avdela. He died at a great age in Veria in
1911. He was photographed by Miltos Manakis.
Avdela also took part
in the disastrous conflict between Greece and Turkey in 1897. At the time, the
armed Greek bands which had just been formed in the Kalambaka district, were
dissolved by their new leaders, Pavlos Melas, Konstantinos Mazarakis and
Christos Fotiadis. These bands later returned to Greek territory , led by the
Helleno- Vlach captains Zermas, Kaloyiros (2), Tzortzias, Spanos, Vrakas,
Arkoudas and Lazos.
The people of Avdela
were herdsmen like in all the Vlach villages in the area. The lush pastures of
the Pindus were particularly favourable to this occupation. These villages, all
built fairly high up in the mountains, were generally inhabited only in summer;
the harsh winter weather emptied them. The flocks and herds were generally
moved from their summer pastures to their winter quarters at the end of
October, usually right after the feast of Saint Dimitrios (October 26). Endless
caravans of men, beasts and baggage would take the long road down to the
plains. This migration was reversed in spring, after the Feast of Saint George
(April23).
Bibliography
(1)
Pan.
Sinodinos: “The Vilayer of Thessaloniki and Monastir”, 1910.
(2) Kaloyiros, from Avdela, later switched to
the Romanising faction.
The text is taken from the book “The Manakis Brothers: The Greek
pioneers of the Balkanic Cinema”, by Christos K. Christodoulou, Organization
for the cultural capital of Europe Thessaloniki 1997, p. 18 – 19.
Pictures of Avdela.
Avdela at the beginning of the 20th
century.
Avdela
before the firing of
Avdela after the firing of
1905.
1905. You can see Miltos
Manakias
(one of the first
cinematographers
in Balkans
at
the beginning of the 20th
century)
who points his birth
village.
Avdela during the decade 1920 - 1930.
Avdela
6 August 1928
at the
chapel of Saint Sotira.
Avdela during the decades 1940 - 1960.
Avdela during the decade 1970 - 1980.
Avdela at the end of the 20th century.
Folklore elements from the traditional life at Avdela.
Avdela,
May 1905: Avdela
1905: The great Women
from Avdela
the
first Balkan film dance
at Boubouania, from´ dance
at Boubouania,
“The
Weavers” of Manakias
brothers’ film from
the film of
Manakias
brothers. “Ethos
and ways of Mace- Manakias
brothers:
donia”. “Ethos
and ways
of
Macedonia”
(Of course, we mean the unique Greek Macedonia.)
The
fair of Saint Sotira
Avdela 1912: People from
from
the film of Manakias
Avdela at the fair of Virgin
brothers:
“Ethos and ways Mary,
outside the church of
of
Macedonia”. Saint Athanasios of Avdela.
(Of course we mean the unique greek Macedonia.)
People
from Avdela
From my childhood…
on
their way to
the
winter quarters
from
Avdela.
Men
from Avdela wearing their Men
from Avdela wearing their
traditional
suits at the fair of traditional
suits at the fair of
Virgin
Mary (15 August). Virgin
Mary (15 August).
My
father
Dimitrios
Ath.
Siafarikas.
(1914-1996)
Landscapes from Avdela.