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Zorba the Greek project - The Firs of Palaiochori

A group of individuals walking along a path between rows of young fir trees, with a colourful autumn forest in the background

Zorba the Greek, the hero of author Kazantzakis “lives” in Eastern Halkidiki!

The firs of Palaiochori!


Golden-green hills. Slopes tinged with autumn colours. Red leaves. A brown background. Orange forest landscapes. The smell of wet earth. The dewy soil. Slippery.

Mists and haars. They alternate between the sky and the earth. Mules. Ready to carry the treasure of the firs.

The firs of Palaiochori: a precious gift of the land of Aristotle, as if shuttling nature back and forth between the fairy-tale and the fantastic.

A scenery of authentic Greece, in autumn. A preparation for Christmas. A fir grove. Spectacle and magnificence. Lineage. A set of natural origin.

People come and go. So does Giorgis. Their shoes are sinking in the soggy ground. The time of collection has come. The firs are being decorated in front of the windows of the houses. Lights everywhere. The colourful squares like bright hammocks in the local Christmas stories. Children. Carols. Makeshift lanterns. Music. Stories. Fairytales.

Giorgis enjoys a snack in the fir grove. Fresh salted olives, sourdough bread, and pickled cabbage from Palaiochori. He is standing up. The Christmas celebration in the village is about to start. Giorgis is dancing. The villagers follow. Everyone around the fir of Palaiochori.

Merry Christmas!

View of various lush green firs under a cloudy sky

MUNICIPALITY ARISTOTLE | Paleochori