Athens News Agency: News in English, 07-04-04

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK invites public to join programme dialogue

[02] Industrial production up 2.3% in Feb., yr/yr

[03] Easter egg traditions in the Balkans

[01] PASOK invites public to join programme dialogue

Main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou on Wednesday issued an open invitation to all members of the public to participate in dialogue on PASOK's programme, either through processes organised by the party in the run-up to its programme conference or through initiatives of their own.

"PASOK, as an open party that implements in practice the principles of participatory democracy, is organising throughout the country in view of its programme conference both open events with speeches by central party members and circles of dialogue with citizens," he said.

Papandreou noted that these dialogue circles could be created anywhere - in neighbourhoods, in places of work and places of learning - either through the events organized by PASOK organs or those initiated by any citizens that wanted to participate in the process of creating of PASOK's programme without necessarily becoming involved in party procedures.

"We want dialogue circles to happen everywhere, in every corner of the country and to be areas for considering problems but also to formulate the citizens' proposals to PASOK's programme conference," he said.

For this reason, Papandreou added, minutes would be kept at each such meeting and open event, while the procedure for taking part would be direct and simple. Anyone interested in taking part could send an e-mail to [email protected] or call the telephone number 210 3890120-24, where they would receive assistance and arrangements would be made for the conclusions of their discussion to be sent to PASOK's Programme Committee and from there to the party's conference.

"I ask you to take this affair into your own hands from tomorrow, to take part in this ground-breaking process, creating circles of dialogue on your own initiative on whatever sections of PASOK's programme you are interested in," Papandreou concluded.

[02] Industrial production up 2.3% in Feb., yr/yr

The statistical service, in its monthly report, said the 2.3 pct increase of the industrial production index reflected a 2.7 pct increase in manufacturing production, a 4.5 pct rise in mining production and a 0.2 pct increase in electricity-natural gas-water production over the same month.

The industrial production average index rose 3.2 pct in the first two months of 2007, compared with the same period last year.

Caption: A file photo shows the Halyvourgeia steel works in the western Attica industrial district of Aspropyrgos in January 2001. ANA-MPA.

[03] Easter egg traditions in the Balkans

According to the Romanian tradition, the Madonna had placed a basket full of eggs at the feet of the crucified Jesus, which turned red from the blood dripping from his wounds.

In predominately Orthodox Christian Romania, the practice of egg dyeing (vapsuvat) takes place on the Thursday before Easter Sunday (Veli Chetvortok). In the evening of the same day, the women of the households would bring one of the eggs to church to be blessed by the priest. After the Thursday mass, the eggs are buried in vineyards to have God's protection from hailstorms and to ensure a good harvest. According to popular tradition, a blessed egg can remain unspoiled the entire year until next Easter.

Roughly 100 million eggs will be dyed in Bulgaria this Easter, corresponding to 30-35 eggs per household, the average monthly consumption of eggs in the rest of the year.

In Serbia, the first dyed egg is kept until next Easter, guaranteeing family security and health. All the rest hard boiled dyed eggs are used in a traditional game, known as egg dumping, where each player hits the other players' egg with their own. The winner is the holder of the last intact egg. The losers get to eat their eggs. This is a common practice in all Christian Orthodox countries on Easter Sunday.

In predominately Roman Catholic Croatia, dyed eggs or "pisanice", particularly in the south of the country, are colored red and decorated with a white cross in the middle, while in the rest of the country eggs are being decorated with flower designs.

The practice of dyeing eggs red in Greece is a centuries-old tradition as well, with family members and friends attempting to "crack" the other's egg with their egg, beginning usually, at the traditional Easter Sunday dinner table.

Caption: Traditional painted Easter eggs, which will be given out to carollers during the Easter holidays, are on display in Svidnik, in east Slovakia, Monday 02 April 2007. ANA-MPA/ EPA/MARIA ZARNAYOVA

Athens News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article