The Horio: Greek Life in Tarpon Springs
Online Exhibition and Artist Statement
by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas
I grew up in this little old town of Tarpon Springs, a place where being Greek was the center of everything. My mother made sure of it, and so did all the mothers. So much so, that after I went to college, I took the next logical step (in my mind) and moved to Greece. The seed that had been planted in me and grew in Tarpon Springs blossomed. It felt like home. Ten years later I came back, as we all do, to the horio (village), right here in the USA.
It wasn't until I returned that I saw it all, smelled it all, listened to it all...realized it all. The majesty of our liturgical life, the intricacy of our costume, the textures, the colors. The sounds our music, our song, our language. The characteristics of our people's faces—it is all beautiful to me. The smell of incense burning, koulourakia baking….even the smell of a warehouse full of sponge. Most people might want to hold their nose at that one, but to me that smells like home; to me, that smell brings tears to my eyes.
When I watch our children dancing together, singing together, learning together, I see them bonding as we did as children. That's when I know that we have to preserve this. Generations are passing, fewer and fewer seeds are being planted and fed with enough soil to keep them alive. Our sponge industry, which brought us here in the first place, is dying. Our businesses are struggling.
These photographs are as much about capturing what is left of what we had, as they are a call to stop and look at what we have. Especially in a time when our Motherland is holding on by a thread, we have to stay alive so that she can stay alive. We need to plant more seeds so that we can always say there's no place like Tarpon Springs, there's no place like our horio, there's no place like home!
Independence Day. Marios Lekkas waving a flag at the Greek Independence Day parade, March 24, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Anestis and Anastasios Karistinos. Two generations of sponge divers working to keep the industry alive. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Sponge Playground. Athos Karistinos runs through the massive sponge harvest brought in by his papou, Anastasios Karistinos. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Clipping Sponge. Michalis Halikos at Lori’s Soap and Sponge Market’s warehouse. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
The Last Diving Helmet Maker. Nicholas Toth working on a helmet, an art that he learned from his papou Antonios Lerios. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
A Greek Orthodox Wedding. Fr. Vasileios performing the wedding ceremony for Pete and Renee Korfiatis at St. Nicholas Cathedral. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Myrofori. During the Good Friday Liturgy at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, young girls representing the myrrh bearers at Christ’s tomb circle the kavouklion. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Father and Daughter. Fr. Vasileios Tsourlis holds his daughter Eleni’s hands during her baptism. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Hand in Hand. A young mother with her child attending feast day services at St. Michael’s Shrine, November 8, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Blessing. Father Gregory blesses Goldie Tsalichis Parr on St. Michael's Day, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Prosforo. Katerina Zaronias making prosforo, the bread used in the Sunday Liturgy at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Prayers for the Souls. Maria Zoidis burns incense as she prays for the souls of her loved ones at Cycadia
Cemetery. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Kandilia. A woman lighting candles and saying a prayer at St. Michael’s Shrine, November 8, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Greek School. Kyria Roula stands at the front of her class at St. Nicholas’ Greek School. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Xenitia. George Kouskoutis playing toumberleki at the Xenitia Concert held at the Kalymnian House, November 11, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Together We Dance. Yiannis Korfias and Efthymia Trikilis performing at the Epiphany glendi at the Spanos Community Center, January 6, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Kalymniko Spiti. Mikés Kambourakis dancing with Theodora Kambourakis at the Xenitia Concert at the Kalymnian House, November 11, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Irene. Irene Karavokiros dancing at the Pan-Kalymnian Convention Banquet, January 4, 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Dancing in the Moonlight. Dancers at St. Nicholas Cathedral’s annual Food & Wine Festival, November 2012. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Dancing the tsiftetelli at Zorba's. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Making Fila. Kalymnian women stuff grape leaves for a community event. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Mama Maria and Son. Mikés Kousiotis working alongside his mother at their traditional Greek restaurant, Mama Maria’s. 2013. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.
Sponge Baby. Newborn Aris Karistinos lays in a sponge harvested by his papou, Anastasios Karistinos. Photo by Eleni Christopoulos-Lekkas.