History

21 Eyl 1836

The American missionary Lorenzo Warriner Pease was invited to a party in a garden, for the day

The American missionary Lorenzo Warriner Pease was invited to a party in a garden, for the day:

The Greeks, like the Arabs, are remarkably social in their habits. They cannot live without society. Not only so, but as they do not understand the great object of life, they decide various ways to kill time; among which is that of feasting. To take tea and spend an hour or two with a neighbour would be indeed short. A time of feasting must last a whole day. The men smoked, talked, shot at some birds, and were there for some time. Whether they played cards or not I do not know. The women spend a little of their time in needlework; or rather, two or three. The rest did nothing. We sat on the ground and ate our dinner in the same manner. To us, such a manner of spending time is perfectly intolerable; to them it gives some variety.