YourHolidays - Fun Facts about Greece

We have some interesting and fun facts about Greece you might not know.

- Greece has 18 UNESCO World Heritage sites.

- The capital of Greece is names after the goddess Athens. Athena is the Goddess of wisdom and warfare – and the Patron of Athens. According to Greek Mythology, Athena and Poseidon fought over the right to name the city, and the Greeks chose Athena to be the Patron of Athens. Both gods offered the people a gift, with Athena gifting an olive tree and Poseidon offering water, but the people chose the olive tree as it was of a higher value since it could provide oil, food, and wood.

- The first Olympic Games took place in Greece. The games happened more than 2600 years ago in 776 B.C. in Olympia. The tradition of the games lasted until 393 A.D. and did not return until the first Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, in 1896.

- Greece is the place where Democracy was born.

- The Greek language is considered to be one of the oldest written languages still in use today. Based on archaeological findings, it’s believed to have been used continuously for over 5,000 years. Greek has also had a huge influence on English and other Latin-based languages.

- Many houses in the Greek Isles are white-washed with blue doors and roofs, that colour is believed to keep evil spirits away.

- The evil eye is a common Greek superstition, also known as mati, the evil eye is believed to be negative energy, such as jealousy or hostility, and it can cause several bad things, such as headaches, weakness, and bad luck. To protect against the harmful energies of the evil eye, Greeks wear a mati pendant, a blue and white eye charm that dates back to the 6th century BC.

- Greece is made up of up to 6000 islets and islands, most of which are unhabited. 

- It may be unsurprising to know that Greece is one of the largest producers of Olives, however, it's pipped to first place by Spain and Italy.

The Greek language is a funny thing when translated to Engligh directly. 

Akou na deis translates to 'Hear to look' but what it really means is 'Pay close attention. Great advice for anyone translating Greek to English on holiday!'