What a crowd; traditional islanders’ dance – picture credits John Kotsanis
EVAT, the Union of Vrontadoussians of Attika celebrated in traditional style its annual summer dinner and dance at the Aegean Dream Hotel at Karfas Beach– one of Chios’ best known internationally tourist resorts.
Over 100 members and friends of EVAT attended, a great support for the nearly six plus decades old club with its well known charitable work,  a very well organised event by its president Ioanna Ballis and  EVAT’s events team.
Vrontados, is not just the cradle of shipping in Chios but far beyond that. It is not just the Easter’s Fireworks which attracts thousands of visitors every year* putting Vrontados on the spotlight; Vrontados according to tradition was the place that Homer** landed from the Anatolian coast to teach at the shrine of Goddess Kybele, what is called Homer’s Stone. The Vrontadoussians, one way or another they are not just connected with the see – their life is interwoven with the sea! Fishermen or sailors and master mariners to shipowners they also continue to marvel in seafaring. It is this seafaring knowledge that brought over Christopher Columbus during the Genovese occupation of the island and in particular around 1475 to recruit the crew, gather information on sailing and seamanship including navigational charts for the epic journey which led in finding the New World.
Vrontados’s memorial for the Unknown seafarer – a respectful statue by Apergis opposite the old Mayor’s Municipality Building and the Andreadis’ Nautical High School and Lyceum, testifies the honour for hundreds of seafarers lost at sea in peace and at war.
Coincidentally today both the President of the UGS*** and the Chairman of the GSCC**** come from Vrontados; many successful also listed and non-listed shipping entities originate / emanate from Vrontados!
* This year the centuries old custom was prohibited by the current Greek coalition regime; Â s h a m e !
** Seven Greek Cities in Antiquity claim he was theirs…
*** Union of Greek Shipowners
**** Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee
