Kataligariou cultural association honors women with two culture evenings at Palaiochora hill
The Kataligariou Cultural Association completed a two-day cultural program on September 9 and 10 at the historic Palaiochora hill, an event dedicated to women and their contribution to culture over time.
This year’s program had originally been scheduled for July but was postponed due to adverse weather conditions. It continued an initiative the association has run for the past three years, aimed at preserving, promoting and reconnecting the historic Palaiochora site with the region’s cultural life. The two evenings were organized jointly with the Region of Crete and the Municipality of Archanes-Asterousia, with support from the Ephorate of Antiquities of Heraklion and medical coverage provided by Filios Zeus.
Guided tour and musical narration
The first evening opened with a guided tour of the monuments on the hill, led by archaeologists Eleni Kanaki and Georgia Moschovi, giving attendees the chance to learn more about the history and monuments of a site the association describes as having particular historical and cultural value.
This was followed by the musical-narrative performance “Stin Askianiada tou Erota,” featuring poetry by Stavros Tzanis, narration by Nikos Sfinias, and polyphonic performances by the women’s vocal ensemble Anemi, accompanied by musician Kostis Kyritsakis. According to the association, the combination of four-part harmony, spoken word and staging evoked the Venetian era and Cretan tradition, connecting the performance with the historical character of the site.
Second evening dedicated to women’s role in culture
The second evening, titled “Genos Thilykou” (“The Female Gender”), featured the Vamos Orchestra in a musical program highlighting different aspects of women’s presence and their role over time in literature, the arts and society. Artistic direction and orchestrations were by Thanasis Papathanasiou, with performances by Alexia Katsanevaki and Efi Papadopoulou.
The September 10 event was included in the Parallel Action of the Crete Festival “Women – Cultural Heritage – Creation. Honoring the past – Inspiring the future,” linking the local cultural program to a wider initiative dedicated to women’s contribution to cultural heritage and contemporary creation.
Representatives of local government, figures from the cultural and archaeological community, as well as area residents and friends of the association, attended the two evenings, according to the organizers.
Despite the schedule change that moved the events from July to September, the association said the two evenings served as a meaningful cultural gathering at Palaiochora, reinforcing the importance of continuing the initiative and promoting the historic hill. Readers can find more events in Crete and cultural programs, including the Anaireseis festival recently held in Heraklion and the upcoming International Sculpture Symposium in Heraklion.
