The mayor of Kalymnos, Mr. Giannis Mastrokoukos, speaks about the society and the history of the sponge divers, who sustained the island’s economy for many years, often at a painful cost.
As Mr. Mastrokoukos explains: “This was the fate of Kalymnos for many generations. Today, September 15, the feast day of Saint Nikitas, is the first day when the island’s fishing boats begin to return from the Libyan Sea, from Barbaria, and from other long journeys”.
This is expressed in the well-known traditional song of the island “Παναγιά μου”:
«Πότε θα έρθει του Σταυρού,
Να ‘ρθει τ’ Άη Νικήτα
Να ρθουν να ξεμπαρκάρουνε
Καλύμνικα καϊκια».
Produced and presented by Antonis Karagiannakis