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Part Two

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Modernisation is a sign of the times from which most of us are unable to break free. Our customs and behaviours change to facilitate the advancements happening around us and for each leap forward that technology takes we ought to take two in order to remain relevant. Far away from this need for newness, in the mountainous north of Greece, reside the Pomaks, a tribe of Turko-Slavic Muslims whose connection to the past remains unsullied. The Pomaks stand against the pressure to move forward and that has led to the preservation of one of the most beguiling traditions, the Pomak wedding.

A traditional Pomak wedding ceremony will last approximately two days as both the bride and the groom have to follow a series of ceremonial rituals in order for their wedding to become official. On the first day, the bride will showcase her dowry outside her house for all the residents of the village to admire. Resting inside their plastic wrapping, the pots and pans of the bride are pilled up next to plastic bouquets and Plasma TVs showcasing the wealth of her family. Passers-by will then evaluate the effort put into creating the dowry. At nightfall, a village elder woman will come to see the bride and decorate her hands and nails with henna paint.

On the second day, a feast is held at the bride’s house. Friends and relatives are gathered together, and the bride’s side makes sure to gift the parents-in-law with the priciest dowry items as a display of generosity. In the meantime, the groom is on his way to the bride’s house together with the rest of the village, moving forward in a line while also swaying to the rhythm of live music. When the parade reaches the house of the bride, they present her with her wedding gown which then cues the bride to proceed with the most remarkable wedding tradition.

As she lays down in a room filled solely with women, the bride will close her eyes and let the elderly women of the village cover her face with a viscous white cream, spreading it all over her facial features. The same women will then adhere various tiny sequins creating elaborate multicoloured designs, usually forming floral patterns. The beauty of the Pomak bride is a sight to behold, and while keeping her eyes firmly shut, she will be led to the main room of the house to greet her future husband. Holding hands, they will then be escorted to the groom’s house where the Imam will officiate their union.

The origins of the Pomak weddings and their complex ceremonies is not yet known. Anthropologists speculate that many Pomak customs are variations of Turkish and Bulgarian ceremonies joined with Islamic traditions, albeit the bridal face decoration has no known roots.

Part Three

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NO LIMITS NGO INFO SHEET

WHO ARE WE?

NO LIMITS is a Non-Profit organisation based in Athens. Our organisation was founded in 2003 by Maria Glaraki, a child psychologist, and its main focus is breaking the generational trauma faced by children of immigrants and poor families. We aim at empowering Greek youth, helping their voices be heard on the streets, in parliamentary houses and in the academic sector, providing them with the tools necessary to overcome any hardship they might face.

OUR ACTIONS

We hold monthly meetings with youths all over the country and discuss the appropriate approaches that will bring them closer to their aspirations. The youth under our care have access to academic aid, psychological support and funding while also being granted immediate access to our volunteers in cases of emergency. Our volunteer educators have helped more than 12,000 at-risk students enter universities and an astounding 70% of them have managed to build a career while also returning to our organisation, this time as volunteers.

OUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Since 2003, NO LIMITS has carried out more than 234 youth empowerment projects and, by the year 2033, we aim for that number to be doubled. Our short-term goal is to expand our reach to the neighbouring countries and bring our youths in contact with people belonging to the same age groups in Albania, Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia. Our objective will be to allow youths to empower one another and to build an international support system which will assist them in sharing experiences and past trauma, one of the basic steps of the process of healing.

WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN US

As our organisation is branching out to new countries, our need for helping hands grows bigger. We are seeking people who are passionate about our cause and want to get involved with troubled youths and share experiences. Our ideal volunteer is one who is not afraid of a challenge, is willing to attend weekly meetings with our organisation and to build trust with the youths and other volunteers. All of our volunteers will be provided with crisis management training by our organisation and will be offered support by trained professionals during their working hours.

Interested in joining us? Go to nolimits.ngo.gr and fill in the volunteer form.

Part Four

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The whole world was moved by the news that the 52 HERTZ whale, popularly known as the “loneliest whale in the world” had found a friend. On October 14, 2022, Marine Life Biologists reported hearing two 52 HERTZ calls within ten minutes of each other just off the northern coast of California. This news became a worldwide sensation spreading a message of optimism and joy across marine life enthusiasts and, not so surprisingly, linguists across the world.

What made the 52 HERTZ whale known to the public in the first place, was the unique frequency in which he “spoke”. According to scientists specialising in the species, whales are much like humans when it comes to their methods of communication. More specifically, each whale’s calling frequency differentiates from others based on where in the world that whale lives. Just like us, whales inhabiting one specific ocean have their own language and according to the part of the ocean in which they reside, their own dialect, setting them apart from similar species living in different geographical locations.

The 52 HERTZ whale’s calling was first discovered by a team of the Woods Hall Oceanographic Institution 3 decades ago and it became the epicentre of their focus since his calling seemed to be in a greatly higher pitch than other similar species. Over the years, further studies carried out in the area were unable to locate similar calls apart from those coming from this unique beast. The whale was roaming the Californian waters all alone for 30 years until it finally found a partner and the news created the need for further discussion about how language is not just a human trait.

The part of this discovery which mostly left biologists and scientists astounded was how quickly the news of this new encounter was spread online and the massive response of people who were not only already aware of the 52 HERTZ whale but were so emotionally invested in its social wellbeing. On the day of the release of the team’s findings thousands of posts flooded social media platforms and the 52 HERTZ WHALE hashtag trended on Twitter. Not only did he become a symbol of hope for the public, but also a sign for specialists that their work does not go unnoticed from people not in the field.

For eons, we have put great focus on the linguistic variances and parallels among human-spoken tongues but few among us are aware that language is not solely a human trait. Realising that language is one more thing that we and the animal kingdom have in common has certainly sparked interest for further research to be carried out and to allow supplementary information to be put up on the net for people to absorb and, why not, even relate to.