The story is based on personal communication with Evdoxia Psarras, Kostas Chouzouris, Sofia Kritikou and Nikolas Moustakis.
The story takes place in the historic Fasolas neighborhood of Filoti, which was once the heart of the village’s daily life. Many workshops in Fasolas were restored to resemble how they looked around 1974 by Nikolas Moustakis in his Fasolas project and can be visited on appointment.
In several conversations with Evdoxia Psarras, the general picture of everyday life and traditions emerged. It was the end of the military dictatorship in Greece (1967–1974). The early ’70s were under the rule of a military junta in Greece. Political life was restricted but in rural places like Naxos, day-to-day life remained more focused on survival and community. This was followed by serious economic struggles and almost every family in Filoti was in debt. That period was especially hard on farmers, as they couldn’t raise the prices of their products, while the costs of farm supplies (such as animal care items, fertilizers, soil, seeds, etc.) rose significantly. Meanwhile, technological progress reached Naxos. The first electric lantern was placed near the Barozzi Tower, where the village’s first electric generator was also located. Some Naxians were fighting the use of electricity and rooted for the traditional way of living.
Information from other countries also became more accessible, paving the way for emigration from the island. Some young people emigrated to Athens, others followed the calls for workers to emigrate to other countries, such as Canada, Australia, the United States and others. Sofia Kritikou shared the story of her parents, who emigrated to Canada in the early 1970s.
Despite all the changes, traditions still played a major role in village life. In families, it was a common thing to decide marriages based on the connections of the families, and not on the feelings of the people who were about to get married. So when tourists and travelers first began arriving in Naxos, it disrupted the island’s traditional way of life. Some families feared that their sons would fall in love with tourists and leave home forever. Kostas Chouzouris recalls a comical incident when his relatives were even throwing stones at his non-Greek girlfriend!