On New Year’s Day, the very first show of the year took us on a journey around the world, as we connected with Greeks across the globe to exchange wishes and hear how they welcomed the new year.
We spoke with Alekos Markellos, ERT correspondent in Australia; met in Rome with Greek tour guide Maria Tamouridou; and during a Nile River cruise in Egypt, we chatted with guide and Egyptologist Giorgos Rektsinis.
From the South China Sea, we connected with Captain Petros Spanogiannis, who rang in the New Year aboard his ship en route to India. From faraway New Zealand, successful Greek expatriate composer Giannis Psathas told us about his new album—recently recorded in Athens with the collaboration of traditional musicians from both New Zealand and Greece.
In London, ERT correspondent Eudoxia Lymberi shared with us the spectacular way people of all ages and nationalities celebrated the New Year along the Thames. Folklorist and author Giorgos Lekakis discussed New Year’s customs and their deeper meanings—especially those that aim to bring good fortune in the year ahead.
We also connected with Paris and ERT correspondent Thomais Papaioannou, and received warm wishes from across Greece—from our correspondents Tasoula Kritikou in Kavala, Sofia Zouzeli in Kastoria, and Athanasia Stamopoulou in Patras.