My proud Kasos, jewel of the Aegean

At the end of the barren line, a rocky cliff, covered in thyme and sage

I wanted to be the sky, my God, in this creation

so that no cloud, Kasos, could cover you!

We arrived in Kasos after a 15-hour night journey from Piraeus. Few passengers disembarked with us, as Kasos is a relatively unknown destination. We visited the island that continues to express itself through mantinades, so mantinades will be the warp and weft of this article.

Kasos sails alone in the sea,
and whoever passes by she greets them, even if she doesn’t know them.

Kasos is the southernmost of the Dodecanese, between Crete and Karpathos. It is a small island, with an area of just 66.4 square kilometers and a coastline of 59 kilometers. It is surrounded by islands, the “Kassian Islands” of antiquity. “Pano Gi” (Upper Land) is the name given to the inland area on the Argos plateau, “Kato Gi” (Lower Land) to the villages, “Mesa or Pera Gi” is the land dominated by sheepfolds, the so-called mitata of the shepherds. The island is small, but the seas that surround it are vast: the Carpathian, Egyptian, Libyan, and Cretan. The waves of the four seas have shaped the rocky body of Kasos, but also its people, as the place always determines its inhabitants. Islanders, sailors, shipowners, even pirates, hardened, salt-covered, rub their skin and salt comes out. Since time immemorial. Since the Trojan War. Homer is our irrefutable witness, as in the list of ships in the Iliad (II, 676-680) he mentions the thirty ships with island crews, including those from Kasos, which took part in the Trojan War.

Dry stone walls which tame the landscape, terraces and scaffolding, true works of art, humble and human, created out of necessity. They are straight lines that whip the landscape, taming the barren and sloping terrain, the triumph of man who struggles against nature, so wild that it makes life difficult. And man, inventive and persistent, carves reservoirs into the scorched rock, the “lassies” for the animals and troughs outside the mitata.

From yesterday to today

It is believed that the Phoenician root Kas-, meaning foam, sea foam, gave the island its name, thus proving its connection with the Phoenicians. The geographer Strabo calls it Astravē. The oldest settlements on Kasos were of Minoan and Mycenaean origin, while in classical times Kasos faithfully followed neighboring Karpathos and participated in the Delian League. During the Roman and early Christian periods, the island’s settlements appear to have moved to the coast around the bay of Emporios, while in 1207 the island was captured by the Venetians of Crete. The Hospitaller Knights, who took over the Dodecanese after the Crusades, ceded Kasos and Karpathos to the Venetian Cornaro family in 1306, until they changed hands again when Hayreddin Barbarossa conquered them for the Ottoman Empire in 1537.

The Holocaust

History is omnipresent on the island. The elders say that when they were young, they used to play Turks and Greeks. The locals recount the history of Kasos in mantinades, songs about the island’s burning by the Egyptian fleet, and lyre players still sing about the passions of Kasos today. But the monuments force you to stop, bend down, and listen. “Every land is the tomb of great men. The people of Kasos to their heroic ancestors.” This is the inscription on the monument at Antipératos, where the Egyptians landed.

A thousand times you may bow down, Hussein, a thousand times you may sell us out,
we will not fear the sword of the Turk.

“Kasos was also swept away by the divine fire of freedom” on May 1, 1821, the first of the Dodecanese that declared the revolution with Markos Malliarakis as its leader. Its contribution to the struggle was decisive, as it provided the then provisional Greek government with fully equipped and manned sailing ships, such as the “Themistoklis,” Miaoulis’ flagship. The actions of the people of Kasos served the interests of the Cretan struggle, as Kasos functioned as the maritime power of Crete and a supply base for the Cretans. The people of Sfakia wrote in a letter to the people of Hydra on June 15, 1821: “…we have no other help at present, except our kind and god-loving brothers from the blessed island of Kasos.” It was only a matter of time, therefore, before the Ottomans set out to destroy Kasos.

Indeed, the Egyptian fleet appeared in May 1824, led by Admiral Ismail Gibraltar, in a Kasos exhausted by the struggle and defenseless. Shortly afterwards, on May 28, 1824, Hussein Bey’s hordes poured into Antipera, most likely after the betrayal of one of the island’s inhabitants.

Fierce battles took place in the village of Agia Marina, with Markos Malliarakis and his men putting up strong resistance. After 24 hours of slaughter and violence, it is estimated that 800 Kasian residents were slaughtered, while 900 women and children were captured and sent to the slave markets of Alexandria and Constantinople.

They slaughter the old men and women and all the young men
the girls and babies in the fleet they barge them
slaves to sell them in the parts of Barbaria.

With the destruction of Kasos, the population was decimated, while the survivors fled to neighboring islands, from where they returned in 1840, building Fry. Although the Dodecanese remained outside the borders of the new Greek state, the people of Kasos sent representatives to all the National Assemblies until 1863.

Kasos and Egypt

Kasos has a long and close relationship with Egypt. The year 1859 was a milestone not only for Egyptian history but also for global shipping and trade, as it marked the beginning of the construction of the Suez Canal. It was at this time that 5,000 people from Kasos emigrated to Egypt. The early years were very difficult and conditions were harsh, as the area was desert, marshy, and wild, while the workers, “drinking the unclean water of the Nile, were exposed to various epidemics.” Following strikes by the workers, the canal company increased wages and granted the people of Kasos plots of land in the area called “Chorafa” to build their homes, schools, and churches.

Gradually, they brought their families to the three neighboring cities of Port Said, Suez, and Ismailia, where the Kasian dialect and music could be heard. It is no coincidence that in 1928, the Dodecanese community of Egypt in Port Said made an effort to record the musical tunes of Kasos, over 63 in total, a fact that aroused the interest of Manolis Kalomiris. Even the population drain from the island for the construction of the Suez Canal, under the supervision of French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps, was expressed through mantinades.

Here comes De Lesseps, I’m going to convict him,
who settled the desert and devastated Kasos.

Italian rule

A new period for the island began in 1912, when the Dodecanese was occupied by the Italians. From the outset, the people of Kasos took part in the Dodecanese struggle for the incorporation of the islands into Greece. The oppressive policies of the Italian administration, combined with the decline of shipping and sponge fishing in the 1940s, led to a large wave of emigration, mainly to America. New York, the Bronx, working as dishwashers. Kasians slowly getting back on their feet and making progress, expatriates melting away with nostalgia.

In 1948, the Dodecanese islands were incorporated into Greece. In November 2018, by resolution of the Greek state, the island was named “Heroic Island of Kasos,” in recognition of both the Holocaust and the contribution of the people of Kasos to the national liberation struggle of 1821, restoring – albeit retroactively – the historical marginalization of Kasos. In this context, the airport of Kasos was renamed “Markos Malliarakis Municipal Airport” in honor of the local hero.

The villages

Kasos, your five villages and your high mountains
remember and weep for your children abroad.

You see the five villages on the map and are surprised by how close they are to each other. So much so that you can walk between them. All the villages are located on the north side of the island and are connected by paved roads, but also by many dirt roads. There is also a municipal bus and taxis.

Fry is the capital and main port of the island. The settlement is built around the bay of Bouka and resembles an eyebrow, hence its name. The eyebrow, the eyebrow, Fry. The impressive church of Agios Spyridon, patron saint of the island, with its white-blue bell tower, is the first sight you see when you set foot on the island. In Fry, life begins early in the morning in Bouka, the old pirate harbor, with its fishing boats and speedboats, taverns, and lighthouse. It is the most picturesque location on Kasos. There you will see old sailors mending their nets, with cats licking themselves beside them. There you will find fresh fish among the tables of the cafes. This is where morning coffee is served with muscatel and the first raki. This is also where the nightlife ends. From Fry, you can walk to Emporio, the old port of Kasos, where you will see the Church of the Birth of the Virgin Mary, built in 1856 on the site of an early Christian basilica, the largest on the island.

Agia Marina is the largest settlement in terms of area and population and the former capital of the island. It is mainly inhabited by livestock farmers, old Kasian residents who have returned to Kasos, and retired sailors.It is the largest village on the island, with narrow alleys, neoclassical houses, and captains’ houses with pebble courtyards. The path from the church of Agios Fanourios leads to Ellinokamara. This is a cave with findings from the Paleolithic era, fortified with a wall dating from the 3rd or 2nd century BC. It is built with large isodomic stones that close the entrance to a rock shelter and with finds of Linear A and B writing. It is said that it was a place of worship from the Mycenaean to the Hellenistic period and a refuge during the period of pirate raids. The women and children of the island took refuge there, where they were massacred on the fateful day of June 7, 1824. However, despite the importance of the site, we noticed signs of neglect. The beautiful stone-built path, created with European Union funding, with views and prospects for cultural development, is now abandoned to its fate under the relentless Aegean sun. The same is true of the cave of Stilokamara or Selai, with its impressive stalactites and stalagmites, which is neither adequately signposted nor equipped to accommodate potential visitors.

Arvanitochori, with its old mansions and picturesque churches, is home to the Folklore Museum, where visitors can get a good taste of traditional Kasian homes and everyday life in the past. Maroukla’s café, in the square of the same name, offers coffee with a spoonful of sugar, while in the evening it serves exquisite Kasian cuisine, often accompanied by the sound of the Kasian lyre. Panagia is an old village of captains and shipbuilders, with beautiful mansions and some amazing ruined houses, which bear witness to the wealth of their former owners during the island’s heyday. A special feature of the settlement is the “six churches,” six small churches built close together like six sisters. According to legend, they were built to exorcise six demons that once appeared in the area. On August 15, locals and visitors gather here for the island’s biggest festival, held at the church of Pera Panagia, the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, built in 1896. Since 1949, the courtyard has housed the marble shrine of Saint Kassiani, whose memory is honored by the people of Kasos on September 7. As there are no historical references to justify the connection between Kassiani and Kasos, we assume that it is due to the similarity of the names. Poli is the ancient capital of the island with a panoramic view.

Festivals and music

The island is small, but its musical tradition is great. Cretan and Dodecanese influences are clear. The songs of Kasos are melodious and simple at the same time. Since 2009, an “International Meeting of Lyra and Instruments with Doxari” has been held every September, while the Perselis family is famous for the lyre players it has produced and continues to produce. And the mantinada, full of life, accompanies everyday life, the toil of mixing the wheat, the longing for home and love, the “welcome” to the living and the “rest in peace” to the dead. Sometimes sarcastic, sometimes wise, always a genuine expression of humanity, present in every aspect of social life.

My beloved, you break my heart,
but when I sing to you, I forget my troubles.

Festivals and celebrations are the soul of Kasos. They involve all-night revelry with dancing, mantinades, abundant refreshments, and endless wine drinking. On August 15, the island’s biggest festival takes place in the village of Panagia, while the festivals of Agia Marina, Agios Georgios, and Agios Mamas are also famous. Festivals require cooperation, many hands, and division of labor. We found ourselves in the midst of preparations for the festival of Agia Marina. We saw the women of the village, of all ages, wrapping dolmades and dormas, while the girls carried plates with minced meat, grape leaves, and onions.

Wrapping the tiny Kasos dolmades is a ritual and a minor miracle, as it requires delicate and dexterous hands, because one vine leaf makes three dolmades! It is the smallest bite in Kasos. They are wrapped small, like the little finger of the hand, so that there are enough for all the revelers. The few men on the sidelines watch the women. But they are not sitting idly by. Their role simply begins in the kitchen. Cooking and serving is a man’s job. Wearing white aprons, the men prepare the food in large cauldrons over a fire made from local wood. The traditional festival dish includes pilaf with cinnamon, dolmades, fried potatoes, and lamb and goat stew. Huge tables are set up so that the women and children eat first, followed by the men. The famous serving chain, from the kitchens to your table, demonstrates the amazing participatory ideology in the preparation and development of the festival or wedding.

In this deceitful game, no one wins
except for a few moments of revelry.

The festivals are the link that unites the people of Kasos everywhere. The lute and the lyre with their silver bells are symbols of celebration, catalysts of emotion. Conversations with mantinades, the exchange of two fifteen-syllable verses with paired rhymes between participants, as well as dancing, zervos and sousta, are the essence of celebration, as they achieve sacred joy and the sharing of ideas and emotions within the group. The mantinades are “composed” to local tunes, such as the Alenti, the Voskistiko, the Zantana, and the Pathos. The sousta and the zervos start slowly, you gain momentum, and then you take off.

One of the most characteristic songs of Kasos is Afousis or Andras. Afousis was a real person and his story is beloved by the people of Kasos. In short, he was a young man who lost his mind when the Turks slaughtered his father before his eyes. So he wandered the streets of the island barefoot, with torn pants and an unbuttoned shirt. However, he never hurt anyone and got along well with the islanders. When asked who he was, he would respond with a stereotypical answer:

Shame on you for asking others to tell you.
You all know me, Afousis…

Afousis, now old, despised, weakened, and seriously ill, when he realized his end was near, lay down in an abandoned ruin. The people of the village sought him out and stood by him in his final moments.

Kasos today

As happened on most islands, but also in the villages of mainland Greece, the population of Kasos declined for years, but in recent years there has been a trend towards stabilization. During the island’s heyday, the period of the Greek Revolution, the population reached 12,000. Today, the 2022 census recorded 1,200 permanent residents, who are mainly engaged in shipping, livestock farming, beekeeping, and tourism.

Mother of a Kasian sailor, my God, give her courage
waving her handkerchief as her son passes by.

Seafaring runs in their blood. Many Greek shipping families originate from Kasos, such as the Koulountis, Mavroleon, and Pnevmatikos families. Seafaring is everywhere. It is the key to understanding the island. It is no coincidence, then, that in the post-revolutionary years, the country’s new shipping center, Ermoupoli on Syros, became a magnet for the people of Kasos. The Kasiotika neighborhood in Syros clearly demonstrates this. In addition to being skilled sailors and shipowners, they are also skilled shipbuilders. That is why the inhabitants are now seeking to pass on the art and technique of shipbuilding and ship repair by establishing an apprenticeship school. So, if you want to experience seafaring life, seek out the elderly Odysseuses, retired on land, with salt water soaking their skin and clothes, spending their days and nights in the cafes of Bouka, just to hear familiar words, such as arodo and rada, stambai and manoubra, barco and markoni.

Matriarchy

” I am of Rhenio (of Eirini) of Kallio (of Kalliopi),” Elias told us, identifying himself with his mother and grandmother. A society, if not purely matriarchal, certainly with a strong female presence. This seems logical, in order to balance the absence of men due to seafaring or emigration. We met dynamic women in businesses, whether in tourism or livestock farming. They organize, command, assert themselves, and keep a tight grip on the family reins. Moreover, according to tradition, they have inherited the maternal property, which they bequeath to the firstborn daughter, the ‘kanakara’.

Kasos is a kanakara captain who waits for her guests to treat them to wild greens, like Cretan stamnagathi, cooked with red tomato sauce and finely chopped onion. Or to offer them ‘skaro’, the fish of the rocks, the king of the Karpathian Sea. To treat them at the end to ‘moschopougia’, sweet pastries filled with almonds and sprinkled with powdered sugar, or for the road, a ‘lachanopiti’, like a large kalitsounia, filled with wild greens, rice, tomato, fresh onion and herbs.

Kasos is a small and barren place with a cuisine that surpasses it, with influences from both neighboring Crete and Egypt. The cuisine of Kasos remains unforgettable in memory and on the palate. We sampled it at the tavern of Giorgos Kikis, father of musician Caesar Kikis, who brought the traditional Afousi back into the musical spotlight and into the mouths of young people.

The beaches of Kasos

Kasos is a dry island, but its beaches are special. Whether rocky or sandy or pebbly, the so-called “chochlakia,” whether large or small coves, whether completely deserted or partially organized—but never “touristy.” The scourge of sunbeds, which often cost more to rent than to buy, has not yet reached here.

Emporios: The organized beach of the settlement of the same name, very close to Fry, is the most popular on the island. Small, sandy, and easily accessible, it has two taverns and a pastry shop.

Ammoua: A small sandy beach, as its name suggests, with a canteen and wonderful views. Its jewel is the little church of Agios Konstantinos, a spot with enchanting views and wonderful sunsets.

Antiperatos: A series of four secluded beaches with colorful pebbles and crystal clear blue waters create an exotic setting of wild beauty. Access is easy, but the coast is exposed to the north winds.

Avlaki: A small beach stretching around a cove, with sea caves and a sheltered sea, like a swimming pool, in the southwestern part of Kasos. We collected coarse salt from the rocks, in their hollows and crevices. Delicious. Too bad we didn’t have a jar to store it in.

Trypiti in Trita: A beautiful pebble beach. It can be reached after about an hour’s walk through the gorge or by sea. The two pierced rocks in the sea form a heart. Through the pierced rocks, you can see the moon, the sunset, the seagulls, or the passing ships, frame them, and remember them forever.

Helatros: A small, sheltered, and quiet pebble beach with a view of the Libyan Sea and impressive crystal-clear turquoise waters, on the southeastern tip of the island. Helatros stretches around a natural cove that has been a refuge for sailors since ancient times. We ate delicious Egyptian falafel made by Osama, while Lela and Melpo charmed us with their hospitality. We drank raki in the middle of the day, because it would have been rude not to accept the treat. The feeling of isolation that the landscape exudes is broken by the statue of Venizelos next to the canteen and the few umbrellas. What is Venizelos doing there? On March 1, 1935, the Venizelist movement broke out. After the movement failed, Venizelos and other activists left Souda on the night of March 11-12, 1935, on the battleship AVEROF, bound for the Italian-occupied Dodecanese, and disembarked on Helatros Beach , pursued by the Tsaladaris-Kondylis government. The people of Kasos welcomed him with open arms, the women ironed the clothes of Venizelos and the officers and hosted them warmly. From Kasos, he went to Karpathos, then to Rhodes, and then to Naples, Italy, until he reached Paris. He would only return to Greece after his death in 1936.

The islet of Armathia: One of the most beautiful beaches in the Mediterranean is located on the islet of Armathia, the largest of the Kasian islands, which can be reached from Kasos or Karpathos by caique. It is Marmara with its turquoise waters and white sand, an exotic setting that makes you feel like a castaway on an uninhabited island. An umbrella is essential, although you can take shelter in small caves formed by the rocky outcrops. Today, the island is uninhabited and is part of the European Natura 2000 network, but it once played an important role in the life of Kasos. The people of Kasos extracted gypsum from the island’s gypsum mines. They exported it to Mediterranean ports as far away as Odessa and Constantinople, resulting in the development of business and trade relations. Until the mid-20th century, the gypsum mines were still in operation and families engaged in fishing and livestock farming lived on the island, enough people to support seven cafes. This is where the sponge divers from Halki, Symi, and Kalymnos stopped. The 1951 census lists eight permanent residents of Armathies. Today, only traces of the past remain: ruins of houses, stables, ruins of threshing floors and ovens, like a movie set abandoned after the crews left. And yet, a small chapel, that of Ypapanti, stands white and proud on the edge of the rock. Apart from Marmara, other beautiful beaches are Karavostasi and the small Apopantoula.

Hiking trails

The island has many beautiful trails that are worth exploring. The informative and easy-to-use hiking trail brochure published by the municipality, Kasos Trails, suggests seven routes covering 55 kilometers of trails. The trails cross the villages of Kasos, pass through the mitata (traditional stone huts), and end at beaches. We met hiking groups that combined their holidays with hiking, while cycling routes are also proposed for the near future.

Our meeting with the “Walkers of Kasos” was in the afternoon, outside the monastery of Agios Georgios in Hadiés. Our goal was to reach Trita. We descended like the wild goats we encountered on the road. We climbed among the wild rocks and the dry landscape with our eyes fixed on the sea below. The beauty of the place and the landscape was wild. You close your eyes and the smell of thyme becomes even more intense, you open your eyes and you see a small gorge. We crossed it, walking along the bed of a dry river and climbing the arid slopes, until we reached the beach with the two huge rocks kissing and embracing each other at sunset. The silence is absolute. Every now and then, a bird chirps, or you hear the echo of a stone rolling down the cliffs.

The mitata

In the famous mitata, i.e. the organized sheepfolds that also serve as homes, the Kasian shepherds produce excellent cheeses, including sitaka, elaki, drilla, and Kasian cheese, known as armyrotiri. It is no coincidence that Kasos was called Çoban Adası/island of shepherds by the Turks, perhaps mockingly. Unfortunately, the unique traditional cheeses of Kasos do not yet have a protected designation of origin (PDO).

I filled my cauldron with milk up to the brim
and my sitaka reached all continents.

Sitaka is a traditional cheese from Kasos. It is made from goat’s and sheep’s milk, which is baked and stirred by shepherds for eight consecutive hours until it takes on a creamy texture. It is traditionally produced in the mitata of Kasos over a wood fire. Its color is dark due to the scraping at the bottom of the cauldron. There is also a sweet and sour variety. This is known as xinositaka or xialina. It can be stored in the freezer for months. It is served with a spoon. It is eaten either with bread or in the traditional dish of macaroni with sitaka. If plastic macaroni cannot be found, penne pasta mixed with sitaka and onions sautéed in local butter is served instead.

At the chapel of Agia Kyriaki, waiting for another impressive sunset with a breathtaking view of the villages, the northern coastline of Kasos, and the mountains of Karpathos, we met a couple of farmers, Eirini (a very common female name on the island) and Dimitris. Dynamic and restless, Irini wore a ketse on her head, a makeshift cover that offers complete protection from the sun, with cardboard sewn inside, which makes it stay in place and even protects the neck.

Yiannis Bonaparte’s cheese factory has been operating in Agia Marina since 2009. It is a modern cheese-making facility that produces all the traditional cheese products of the island. A family business with love, youth, and beautiful faces. His wife Maria is the backbone of the business, while their daughter Eirini studied cheese making in Ioannina.

The churches and chapels

There are so many that you lose count, indicative of the religiousness of the inhabitants. They say that there are 126 churches, chapels, and monasteries throughout the island, but we did not count them all. You will admire the beautiful pebbles in the courtyard and inside, with plant motifs or geometric shapes, made of white and black shells, sea pebbles. Two paved roads lead to the two chapels, the jewels of the island, those of Agios Georgios and Agios Mamas.

The little monastery of Agios Mamantas, the patron saint of shepherds, is a real observatory, a balcony for watchers, an eagle’s nest of faith. In the distance, the waves of the Carpathian and Egyptian seas meet. The wild beauty of the landscape is incomparable. You gaze at the view of the granite slopes that drop steeply to the shore, where the three rocks of Thyrra sail. Tradition has it that they were enemy frigates that were turned to stone by the Saint to save the island. You enter the space. In addition to the temple, the monastery has a large reception hall, a kitchen with all the necessary equipment, and cells for pilgrims to spend the night. You see numbered openings in the ground and wonder about their use and function. They are the paranesti, side hearths in the ground, at the back of the kitchens, where wood is placed, according to the instructions of the ma(g)eri, the cooks, so that smoke does not enter the kitchen. The men cook and serve, the women prepare. The men at the side stoves, the women in the kitchen. All volunteers. The men are enlisted because it takes muscle power to stir and turn over the large cauldrons, carry the logs, and stir with ladles for the hundreds of servings of food for the feast. The saint of shepherds is celebrated on September 2. The festival in his honor begins on the eve, after vespers.

Another gem of the island is the blue and white monastery of Agios Georgios Chrysokavallaris, patron saint of the island, located in the Hadiés area, on a secluded small plateau with old crops and stone huts. It was built in the early 20th century on the site of an older one, dating from 1690, and its deserted location is enchanting. Silver votive offerings inside, red bougainvillea outside, everything simple and tasteful. The small cells, like little houses outside the temple, belong to families who open them on the saint’s feast day and stay there.

Tourism

There are about a thousand permanent residents on the island. There are very few tourists, especially foreigners. Everyone is known by name. Even you, after a few days on the island, will be exchanging heartfelt good mornings and good evenings with the locals. Here you hear Greek, not English, and indeed with the characteristic Dodecanese dialect. When listening to the locals, you will not hear the consonants β, γ, δ, as they are almost non-existent. The use of ts instead of kappa is justified due to the proximity to Crete, while the ending -ousi in the third person plural of verbs reminds you of “Erotokritos,” which is, in any case, a beloved poem of collective memory beyond its literary value.

Many expatriates with their extended multinational families and American-Kasian accent return to their paternal or maternal island, usually from America or Egypt. Beyond the Kasians of diaspora, tourism on the island is taking its first steps, is in a phase of awakening, and is mainly based on small family-run hotels. Traditional guesthouses are gradually multiplying. Kasos is connected by air to Athens via Karpathos, as well as to Rhodes. The Kasos-Karpathos flight is one of the shortest in the world, with a flight time of 5 minutes, and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records.

The people of Kasos have a unique talent for welcoming you into their circle and integrating you into their way of life. Newcomers do not feel like strangers, but feel that they have always belonged to this enthusiastic community that they first encountered a few days ago. We also felt a sense of familiarity with the locals. Above all, we were captivated by Ilias Mastropavlos, with whom we crossed the island from end to end, his wife Lela, who introduced us to the Kasian walking group, Maroukla, who opened her heart to us over her cauldron of wheat, Manos, who guided us through the world of his handmade boats, the lyre player Nektarios, who organized a Kasian feast for us, and so many others.

Like the student sitting at the back of the classroom, weak but ambitious, who cannot compete with the students sitting at the front, so too is Kasos, at the edge of the Aegean, sitting at the very back of the classroom, how can it compete with Rhodes and Kos or the other popular nearby islands? We found Kasos in a transitional period of introspection, self-definition, and search for identity, especially now that 200 years have passed since the Holocaust. We saw the efforts of the inhabitants to put the island on the tourist map. What to promote, how to showcase it, and how to organize the infrastructure. And yet the answer may be right there in front of them. The unique character of this heroic island, its distinctive cuisine, the music and the events that spring from tradition can make Kasos a magnet for all those who reject the scourge of mass tourism, all-inclusive wristbands, and the hunt for a sun lounger.

The mountains of Kasos hold a sadness
for those who leave and say goodbye.

“See you soon,” say the locals, inviting you to join in the festivities and drinking. And along with this traditional Kasian blessing comes the perennial question: will you come back?

As a teacher, I particularly love those students in the back row, who have soul and pride and are searching for their place. That’s why I fell in love with Kasos.
Oh, if only the ship would leave without me!

Bibliography
The Folklore of Kasos, Antonis M. Sofos, Athens, 1998