With more than 3,000 islands, Greece is in the sixteenth spot among the countries with the most islands in the world. One of these unique islands is Chios Island, which is located in the Aegean Sea and is the fifth-biggest island in Greece. It is separated from Turkey through the Chios channel. It is remarkable for its mastic cultivation and is therefore also called “Mastic Island.” Mastic is the resin that gets extracted by the Mastic tree that can only be found on Chios. That is why the raisin also has the epithet “Tears of Chios.” Furthermore, it is known for its many churches and monasteries, like Nea Moni (Greek: Νέα Μονή, which can be translated to “New Monastery”). Nea Moni has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Since the inhabitants of Chios appreciate the very eventful past of their island, it is important for them to preserve their cultural traits and heritage. In September of 2016, the Association for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage of Chios, the “Dancing Chians,” arranged, in cooperation with “Plegma,”  a non-profit organisation, the Festival of Traditional Dances. The objective of this festival is to secure the perpetuation of its valuable cultural message and legacy. This festival gave the people of Chios, as well as people interested in dance and cultural preservation, the opportunity to marvel at the Greek dance groups that are rich in tradition. Moreover, tours that were led by a guide took place all over the island, where one could admire the unique mastic trees.

Since Chios has been occupied by the Ottomen, there are a lot of cultural remains, including the traditional dances of Chios, that have been influenced by this period too. There are folk dances like the “Syrtos,” which is a very famous dance, but also the “Thetos,” which gets danced on traditional festivals. However, one very typical dance of Chios is the “Pyrgousikos.” It is a rather fast-paced, jovial, and vivid dance that gets performed by a group of three dancers. The regional custom dictates that one woman dances with one man on both sides of her in a V position.
Another dance that originates from Chios Island is the “Tripatos.” It gets performed by multiple dancers who take three steps forward and then three steps back. This sequence of steps is followed by a finishing turn. It comes from the town of Nenita, which is located in the former municipality of Chios, Ionia. It is situated in the southeastern part of the island.

In conclusion, in this fast-paced world, it is of great importance that we as a society value our traditions just as much as the progress that we achieve, if not even more. Because traditions and customs are what brought us to the point where we are today. With the example that Chios Island provides us, with all its traditional heritage and its historical values, one can really understand that the meaning behind traditional dances is not only of a physical nature but especially important to not be forgotten.

Sources:
https://www.laenderdaten.info/inseln-nach-land.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chios
https://www.greeka.com/eastern-aegean/chios/news/events/traditional-dance-festival-on-chios-island/
https://www.allovergreece.com/Event/Descr/49/310/en
https://www.chios.gr/en/blog/item/137-chios-folk-music
https://www.broekmans.com/en/bladmuziek/tripatos-danse-chantee-medium-voice-piano-195609
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nenita