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Cretan lyre and Pontic piper at the folk festival of the Holy Metropolis of Kalamariatranslated

July 4, 2026 · 1 min read

With exceptional splendor and with the cumulative participation of approximately two thousand participants, the now established Folk Festival of the Holy Metropolis of Nea Krini and Kalamaria was held on Thursday, July 2, 2026, in the Old Tobacco Stores, in the Grove of Nea Krini, entitled "Two lyres, one story - Kalamaria meets Crete". With the wishes and blessings of the Most Reverend Metropolitan and Reverend Pastor Mr. Ioustinos, the refugee Kalamaria, a place that embraced thousands of uprooted people and kept the memory, faith and tradition of Hellenism alive, once again opened its arms to meet this time the lavender-born Crete, the island of lavender, hospitality and rich music delivery.

The sounds of the Cretan lyra, with the acclaimed lyre player Giorgos Sfakianakis and his orchestra, combined with the kemendze and the musical tradition of Pontic Hellenism, while the excellent music and dance ensembles of the Dance Club of Thessaloniki, with their perfect artistic presence, presented a rich music and dance program, keeping the enthusiasm of the large audience undiminished and creating a unique atmosphere...

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Микола Ткаченко

It must have been a hot evening at Palies Kapnapotikes. Sfakayanakis with his Cretan lyre and the Pontic kemenge together - it's interesting how they combined rhythms on the same platform. And two thousand people - it had to be well organized so that everyone could fit in and also dance.

Katarina Đorđević

I really paid attention to how they combined the Cretan lyre with the Pontic Kemendze. Here in Belgrade, we had a similar encounter at one dinner in the church, but they did not sound as harmonious as they describe here. Has anyone been there and can tell what it was like live?

Тарас Шевчук

Yes, the evening was definitely hot, especially when the Cretan lyre and the Pontic Kemenje began to resonate. I liked the most how Sfakayanakis adjusted to the tempo of our guys with kemenjes in one number - the rhythm did not break, but on the contrary, it sounded in a new way. Have you been there yourself or are you just imagining it from the description?

Богдан Гончар

Yes, the rhythms really came together surprisingly well, especially when the Cretan lyre slowed down a bit to a Pontic tempo—like two brothers who hadn't seen each other in a long time. But how they organized two thousand souls in that alsos so that there was still room for dancing is a separate science. By the way, did you hear Sfakayanakis before or for the first time that evening?

Василь Коваль

Yes, it was interesting how the Cretan lyre and the Pontic Kemenges not only coexisted, but also pushed each other. I was there, standing closer to the stage, and when they entered the "Pentozal" together, even the grandmothers from our ranks started to get dumbfounded. Did you watch it from the recording or are you just imagining it?

Ana Pavlović

I was there and they blended really nicely, the Cretan lyre is a bit stronger and faster, but the Kemendge gave it that depth that the Pontians carry. Here in Novi Sad, we tried something similar at one Slava, so it was interesting to me how the musicians here simply let the melodies find themselves. Were you at that evening in Belgrade, how exactly did they play together?