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Pancretan Association of America
FLUSHING – The Spirit of Liberty, Hellenism, and the great Greek Island of Crete, spiced by the humor of renowned Greek-American writer Harry Mark Petrakis who was honored along with Greek parliamentarian and former foreign minister and mayor of Athens, Dora Bakoyiannis, filled the penthouse ballroom of the Terrace on the Park on December 6.
The Awards Gala of the Pancretan Association of America (PAA) was a commemoration of the centennial of the Union of Crete with Greece in 1913. Emannuel Velivasakis was the Centennial Events Chairman and the MC of the gala that gathered Cretans – including five tables of young people – and friends of Crete.
By Nancy Biska & Georgia Kokinidou, ΚΡΗΤΗ Magazine, October 2013
Celebrations with a series of cultural events in New York City on December 5 – 8, 2013 are being organized by the Pancretan Association of America and the Cultural & Education Committee
of the NY&NJ local chapters, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Union of Crete with Greece (1913-2013).
The celebrations of this historical milestone for Crete and Greece will start by organizing a United Nations Symposium entitled “The Cretan Diet: 100 years of Crete’s contribution in Better Nutrition and Healthy Living.” (December 5, afternoon). The Symposium’s purpose is to promote the traditional Cretan diet as a model of the Mediterranean Diet, as well as a way of living for maintaining health and longevity. At the same time, the Symposium will promote the rich and excellent quality of the agricultural products of Crete.
280 Artifacts and works of art that reveal the history of the luminous Minoan culture of Crete to the metropolis of USA, New York
By Nancy Biska, ΚΡΗΤΗ Magazine, April 2008
The interest of the American Press and hundreds of visitors daily is focused on the artifacts of the Minoan Civilization which are exhibited at the “Alexander Onassis” Foundation at the Olympic Tower in Manhattan, New York. The exhibition was co-organized by the “Alexander S. Onassis” Public Benefit Foundation in USA, the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and the Archaeological museums of Crete, with the cooperation of the Pancretan Association of America. Continue Reading
By Nancy Biska, ΚΡΗΤΗ Magazine
“Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food” — Hippocrates
Homer called olive oil the “liquid gold”. Nothing is more characteristic of Crete than the millions of olive trees that grow in valleys and mountainous areas. According to archaeological findings, Cretans have been cultivating the olive tree and have been using olive oil since 3500 B.C. during the early Minoan period.
In ancient Greece the olive tree has been the symbol of wisdom and peace. It was the sacred tree of goddess Athena and Athens, the capital of Greece. Also, at the Ancient Olympic Games, winners were presented with a simple olive tree branch which was cut with a gold-handled knife from a wild olive tree. The Greeks believed that the vitality of the sacred tree was transmitted to the recipient through the branch.
