A little about me:
My name is Themi Klapakis and I was born In a small village called “Veni” in Rethymno.
Throughout my childhood years I often went to glentia where mantinades, Xoroi and traditional instruments was a must.
As a child I was always leaning towards Cretan Lyra, but what attracted me the most, was the beautiful rhymes often accompanied by the
music.
To have that ability between two people to just sit there across from each other and rant with Mantinades was amazing to me. I told myself then that I wanted to be able to do that, and like I soon discovered it was not all that difficult…
A few years later, and while I was attending some classes in the city of Heraklion, I found myself sitting in the beautiful port, just wondering and
looking at the ocean waves beating against the shore. It was then, the first mantinada I ever wrote, came to my head just like that…
“Οπως αφριζει η θαλασσα
στα βραχια και χτυπαει
αφριζει και η καρδουλα μου
και σαν το κυμα παει
Και κολυμπάει βιαστικά
και παει στην αθηνα,
παει κοντα τση να βρεθει
και εκει να γινει κυμα’’
I was only 13 years old at the time…
Right then and there I knew I was able to do what I had witnessed a handful of people doing many times in the xwrio..
Fast forward 2 years at the age of 15, my father took the decision to relocate the whole family from Crete to New York.
-Wow.. just like that I had to say goodbye to everything and everyone I knew-
Friends, relatives, people I loved, were soon to become distant memories…
Can you imagine it?
can you imagine what was going on in the mind of a 15yr old after hearing that?
I sat down and cried but I knew it was hopeless. My father had taken his decision and we were to follow him through with it.
I was an emotional wreck but somehow the following came to my head:
Μην κλαις παραπονιαρικα..
σηκωσε το κεφαλι.,
και εκια που πας απτην αρχη
να ξεκινησεις παλι
καθε αρχη και δυσκολη
μα θα τα καταφερεις,
γιατι τσι κρητης εθιμα
οπου βρεθεις θα φερεις΄
εινε το αντιο δυσκολο
και ομως θα το μπορεσεις
και θα ερθει παλι η στιγμη
πισω να επιστρεψεις.
It was December 13th 1997 and at 15yrs old I got on the plane, along with my mother, brothers and sister and we started the long voyage to a new home. I would never forget when the plane took off… my heart was pounding, tears were running down my cheeks and one song kept repeating in my head:
“μαυρη μοιρα το εχει γραψει,
να μακρυνω να χαθω
και να ζω μακρυα απτην Κρητη
και απο εκεινους που αγαπω“
My mother wiped my tears and told me don’t worry everything will be ok, we have each other. I hugged her and tried to calm myself down..
Through out the long trip, many thoughts were circulating in my brain:
Am I ever going to see my friends again?
Am I going to like it
there?
What does New York look like?
Is it as nice as Crete?
Are the people nice there?
Of course as it was natural to me by now, mantinades started to form:
Το μισευγο μην τονε κλαις
και ντρετα να κοιταζεις
δεν εινε πραμα αντρικο
δακρυ καυμου να βγαζεις
την μανα σου τα αδερφια σου
στο πλαι σου θα τσι ‘χεις
κι φτανει αυτο.. τα δυσκολα,
να τα ποδοπατησεις
Μην κλαις και παντα κρατα την
ψηλα την κεφαλη σου
και εκια που πας να μην ξεχνας
φιλους και συγγενεις σου
At some point after 9 hours or so, the pilot announced over the intercom, the plane will soon be starting to descent to New York..
It was December 13th 1997 at around 4pm eastern time. I looked outside the window and I saw lights...Lots and lots of lights..
Wow I said to myself where am I? --This is a big xwrio--
The plane landed and the doors opened shortly after.. brrrrrrrr I was freezing as I started to walk through the airport.
Somewhere in the big crowds of people I saw my cousin, my older brother and my father waiting for our arrival.
I was so glad to see my brother, 6 months had gone by since the last time I saw him.
I gave him a hug as I did for my father and cousin. We started to walk towards the car oh boy what a
surprise… when we left Greece it was a beautiful day and all I was wearing was a short sleeve shirt.
Surprise surprise.. there was at least a foot of snow in Νew York on that day and far below freezing temperatures.
Welcome to New York…
Οφου και που ευρεθηκα
στο παγερο τον τοπο
και με κοιτουν περιεργα
τα ματια των ανθρωπων...
At the time I did not want to come here and it took me a while to adjust. but if you ask me now after meeting a bunch
of wonderful people, many glentia and parees with Cretans and others alike, I can assure you my opinion is different than what it was back then..
I hope you enjoy the mantinades I will be constantly uploading.. I'm open to suggestions and if there is something,
you would like me to turn into a Mantinada let me know and I will get it done.
Thank you for the support
Themis Klapakis
My name is Themi Klapakis and I was born In a small village called “Veni” in Rethymno.
Throughout my childhood years I often went to glentia where mantinades, Xoroi and traditional instruments was a must.
As a child I was always leaning towards Cretan Lyra, but what attracted me the most, was the beautiful rhymes often accompanied by the
music.
To have that ability between two people to just sit there across from each other and rant with Mantinades was amazing to me. I told myself then that I wanted to be able to do that, and like I soon discovered it was not all that difficult…
A few years later, and while I was attending some classes in the city of Heraklion, I found myself sitting in the beautiful port, just wondering and
looking at the ocean waves beating against the shore. It was then, the first mantinada I ever wrote, came to my head just like that…
“Οπως αφριζει η θαλασσα
στα βραχια και χτυπαει
αφριζει και η καρδουλα μου
και σαν το κυμα παει
Και κολυμπάει βιαστικά
και παει στην αθηνα,
παει κοντα τση να βρεθει
και εκει να γινει κυμα’’
I was only 13 years old at the time…
Right then and there I knew I was able to do what I had witnessed a handful of people doing many times in the xwrio..
Fast forward 2 years at the age of 15, my father took the decision to relocate the whole family from Crete to New York.
-Wow.. just like that I had to say goodbye to everything and everyone I knew-
Friends, relatives, people I loved, were soon to become distant memories…
Can you imagine it?
can you imagine what was going on in the mind of a 15yr old after hearing that?
I sat down and cried but I knew it was hopeless. My father had taken his decision and we were to follow him through with it.
I was an emotional wreck but somehow the following came to my head:
Μην κλαις παραπονιαρικα..
σηκωσε το κεφαλι.,
και εκια που πας απτην αρχη
να ξεκινησεις παλι
καθε αρχη και δυσκολη
μα θα τα καταφερεις,
γιατι τσι κρητης εθιμα
οπου βρεθεις θα φερεις΄
εινε το αντιο δυσκολο
και ομως θα το μπορεσεις
και θα ερθει παλι η στιγμη
πισω να επιστρεψεις.
It was December 13th 1997 and at 15yrs old I got on the plane, along with my mother, brothers and sister and we started the long voyage to a new home. I would never forget when the plane took off… my heart was pounding, tears were running down my cheeks and one song kept repeating in my head:
“μαυρη μοιρα το εχει γραψει,
να μακρυνω να χαθω
και να ζω μακρυα απτην Κρητη
και απο εκεινους που αγαπω“
My mother wiped my tears and told me don’t worry everything will be ok, we have each other. I hugged her and tried to calm myself down..
Through out the long trip, many thoughts were circulating in my brain:
Am I ever going to see my friends again?
Am I going to like it
there?
What does New York look like?
Is it as nice as Crete?
Are the people nice there?
Of course as it was natural to me by now, mantinades started to form:
Το μισευγο μην τονε κλαις
και ντρετα να κοιταζεις
δεν εινε πραμα αντρικο
δακρυ καυμου να βγαζεις
την μανα σου τα αδερφια σου
στο πλαι σου θα τσι ‘χεις
κι φτανει αυτο.. τα δυσκολα,
να τα ποδοπατησεις
Μην κλαις και παντα κρατα την
ψηλα την κεφαλη σου
και εκια που πας να μην ξεχνας
φιλους και συγγενεις σου
At some point after 9 hours or so, the pilot announced over the intercom, the plane will soon be starting to descent to New York..
It was December 13th 1997 at around 4pm eastern time. I looked outside the window and I saw lights...Lots and lots of lights..
Wow I said to myself where am I? --This is a big xwrio--
The plane landed and the doors opened shortly after.. brrrrrrrr I was freezing as I started to walk through the airport.
Somewhere in the big crowds of people I saw my cousin, my older brother and my father waiting for our arrival.
I was so glad to see my brother, 6 months had gone by since the last time I saw him.
I gave him a hug as I did for my father and cousin. We started to walk towards the car oh boy what a
surprise… when we left Greece it was a beautiful day and all I was wearing was a short sleeve shirt.
Surprise surprise.. there was at least a foot of snow in Νew York on that day and far below freezing temperatures.
Welcome to New York…
Οφου και που ευρεθηκα
στο παγερο τον τοπο
και με κοιτουν περιεργα
τα ματια των ανθρωπων...
At the time I did not want to come here and it took me a while to adjust. but if you ask me now after meeting a bunch
of wonderful people, many glentia and parees with Cretans and others alike, I can assure you my opinion is different than what it was back then..
I hope you enjoy the mantinades I will be constantly uploading.. I'm open to suggestions and if there is something,
you would like me to turn into a Mantinada let me know and I will get it done.
Thank you for the support
Themis Klapakis
