HAPPY NEW YEAR!

“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant trees; if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.” - Confucius

Nikiphoros Lytras (Greek: Νικηφόρος Λύτρας; 1832, Pyrgos, Tinos – June 13, 1904, Athens) was a nineteenth century Greek painter. He was born on Tinos Island, and trained in Athens at the School of Arts. In 1860 he won a scholarship to Royal Academy of Fine Arts of Munich. After completing these studies, he became a professor at the School of Arts in 1866, a position he held for the rest of his life. He remained faithful to the precepts and principles of the academicism of Munich, while paying greatest attention both to ethographic themes and portraiture. His most famous portrait was of the royal couple, Otto and Amalia, and his most well-known landscape a depiction of the region of Lavrio.

In this well-known genre of painting of his, the “Calanda” (= carol singing) he depicts a household scene with great humour and many touching elements. The young singers could singing Christmas or New Year’s carols. Let’s pretend is the traditional Greek New Year’s carol, widely sung by children who still go a-carolling on New Year’s Day:

New Year's Carol

Start of the month and start of the year,

My tall rosemary bush!

And start of the year, a good year,

In church, in church with the holy throne!

Start of the year, when Christ came

Most holy and spiritual;

To walk on earth

And to make our heart good.

St Basil is coming

And welcomes all of us,

He comes from Caesarea,

And you milady are noble woman!

He holds an icon and writing paper,

Sugar candy and a baked cake.

The writing paper and the ink,

Look at me the young brave lad!

The ink wrote on the paper,

My fortune all it wrote,

And the paper talked to me,

My white St Basil!

This post is part of the Psalm Sunday meme.