Exploring the faith and community of Greece’s extraordinary folk culture.
Mitos / The Thread of Greece
The Mitos Project started in 2019 and is an ongoing ethnographic tribute that focuses on local costumes throughout Greece. The thread takes on symbolic dimensions and seeks to highlight popular culture and folk art seen in a contemporary context. The natural and cultural environment is the background that is associated with the “costumes” while the protagonists are always the people.
Through this project, it is claimed the promotion of the beauty of the Greek folk culture that concerns both the simplicity and the splendor of the form of clothing as a central theme. The content has a multitude of meanings and is related to the social, historical, economic, and cultural context, to networks of relationships, to struggles, and the construction of identities. In addition, natural space and architecture are dominant elements in the image.
The peculiarity of this photographic work lies in its modern view, through the people who have kept their clothes as heirlooms and pass them on to the next generation while using them on customary and festive occasions spontaneously, updating the mechanisms of tradition as a process.
A thread that interconnects us with our past!
Ici, ce n’est pas le costume qui fait la femme, c’est la femme qui sait le costume. Nikos Aliagas.
“Mitos, the ongoing series by Greek photographer Michael Pappas, is a compelling ethnographic tribute to the time-honored of his homeland” THE INDEPENDENT PHOTOGRAPHER
“The medium-format portraits depict Michael Pappas’ compatriots adorned in traditional garb and set against a diversity of eye-catching backdrops. Invariably characterized by rich colors, textures, and dexterous use of light, they possess a painting-like quality that befits the socio-historical subject matter and arrests and intrigues with striking immediacy.” GREEK CITY TIMES
GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Little Lady of Skopelos island in the local costume. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Family from Skopelos island in the local costumes. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Bride and ladies of Skopelos island in the local costumes. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Ladies of Skopelos island in the local costumes. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Lady of Skopelos island in the local costume. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Cyclades. Lady of Ukraine and men of Kythnos island in their local costumes. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Lady of Skopelos island in the local costume. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Bride of Skopelos island in the local wedding dress. 2023.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Northern Sporades. Little Lady of Skopelos island in the local costume. 2023.GREECE. West Attica. Ladies of Aspropirgos in the local costumes. 2022.GREECE. West Attica. Bride and lady of Megara in the local costumes. 2023.GREECE. West Attica. Traditional wedding at Megara. 2023.GREECE. West Attica. Bride and ladies of Megara in the local costumes. 2023.Annual Saint George’s (Aiyioris) day in the village of Nestani. Very early in the morning the participants in the ritual wearing traditional costumes and bearing poles adorned with flowers and wild celery walk to the outlying church of Aiyioris, situated at spot elevation 1280 meters above sea levels, on a steep rock that dominates the landscape.
GREECE. Peloponnese. Arcadia. Nestani. April 23, 2023.
Mitos/ The Thread of Greece.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Lady “Lazarina”, in the local costume of Aiani village. 2023.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Emathia. Lady in the local costume of Agathia village. 2022.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Ladies in the local costumes of Aiani village. 2022.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Kilkis. Bride of Agios Petros village in the local wedding dress. 2023.GREECE. Euboea island. Twins in the local costumes of Agia Anna village. 2020.GREECE. Attica. Lady in the local costume. 2022.GREECE. Euritania. Karpenisi. Lady in the local costume of Myriki. 2022.GREECE. Thessaly. Bride in the local wedding dress of Stefanovikeion. 2022.GREECE. Epirus. Ioannina. Metsovo. Ladies of Aiani village in the local costumes. 2022.GREECE. Thrace. Evros. Lady in the local costume. 2021.GREECE. Aetolia-Acarnania. Nafpaktos. Lady in the local costume. 2023.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Mrs. Stella, 83 years old, one of the oldest Lazarines of Aiani, shows us her local costume. 2023.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Girl “Lazarina”, in the local costume of Aiani village. 2023.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Lazarines of Aiani. Grandmother, great-granddaughter and granddaughters at home, all in their local costumes. 2023.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Brides of Krokos village in the local wedding dress. 2022.GREECE. Phocis. Bride of Amfissa in the local wedding dress. 2022.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Boy in the local costume of Alonakia village. 2022.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki. Anchialos. Ladies in the local costumes. 2023.GREECE. Eastern Macedonia and Trace. Drama. Ladies of Volax village in the local costumes. 2023.GREECE. East Macedonia and Thrace. Evros. Bride and ladies in the local costumes of Metaxades village. 2023.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Kilkis. Bride of Agios Petros village in the local wedding dress. 2023.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki. Man in the local costume of Sochos village. 2023.GREECE. Magnesia. South Pelion. Girl in the local costume of Trikeri. 2022.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Thessaloniki. Man in the local costume of Sochos village. 2023.GREECE. Peloponnese. Corinthia. Bride in the local wedding dress of Perachora. 2022.GREECE. Thessaly. Karditsa. Bride of Palamas village in the local costumes. 2020.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Men in the local costume of Tetralofos village. 2019.GREECE. Epirus. Ioannina. Pogoni. Bride in the local wedding dress of Delvinaki village. 2020.GREECE. Attica. Ladies in the local costumes. 2021.GREECE. Aetolia-Acarnania. Man in the local costume of Misolonghi. 2020.GREECE. Euboea island. Twins in the local costumes of Agia Anna village. 2020.GREECE. Eastern Macedonia and Trace. Drama. Man of Volax village in the local costumes. 2019.GREECE. South Aegean. Cyclades. Girl in the local costume of Mykonos island. 2021.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Serres. Man in the local costume of Flabouro village. 2021.GREECE. Epirus. Ioannina. Lady in the local costume. 2021.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Sporades. Bride in the local wedding dress of Skopelos island. 2021.GREECE. West Attica. Ladies in local costumes of Aspropyrgos. 2022.GREECE. Central Macedonia. Emathia. Ladies in the local costumes of Agathia village. 2022.GREECE. Attica. The Athenian Bride in the local wedding dress. 2022.GREECE. North Aegean. Ladies in the local costumes of Chios island. 2022.GREECE. Euboea island. Lady in the local costume of Limni village. 2022.GREECE. Saronic Golf. Bride of Salamina island in the local wedding dress. 2021.GREECE. Ionian Sea. Lady in the local costume of Lefkada island. 2021.GREECE. Attica. Lady in the local costume. 2022. GREECE. Aegean Sea. Crete island.Girl in the local costume of Chania. 2022.GREECE. East Attica. Bride of Koropi in the local wedding dress. 2022.GREECE. Aetolia-Acarnania. Nafpaktos. Lady in the local costume. 2022.GREECE. North Aegean. Ladies in the local costumes of Mytilene island. 2022.GREECE. Thessaly. Karditsa. Lady with a local costume. 2021.GREECE. Thessaly. Larisa. Bride in the 19th century local wedding dress. 2021.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Kozani. Bride of ‘Momoyieria’ custom. 2019.GREECE. Phocis. Bride of Amfissa in the local wedding dress. 2022.GREECE. Phocis. Lady in the local costume of Desfina. 2021.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Lady in the local costume of Skyros island. 2020.GREECE. South Aegean. Cyclades. Ladies in the local costumes of Sifnos island. 2022.GREECE. South Aegean. Cyclades. Ladies in the local costumes of Sifnos island. 2022.GREECE. Aetolia-Acarnania. Missolonghi. Lady in the local costume. 2020.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Dodecanese. Karpathos island. Lady in the local costume of Olympus village. 2019.GREECE. Peloponnese. Arcadia. Lady in the local costume of Leonidio. 2021.GREECE. Aetolia-Acarnania. Missolonghi. Lady in the local costume. 2020.GREECE. Euboea island. Ladies in the local costumes of Gouves village. 2020.GREECE. Euboea island. Lady in the local costume. 2022.GREECE. North Aegean. Lady in the local costume of Mytilene island. 2022.GREECE. Karditsa. Bride in the local wedding dress of Palamas village. 2020.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Sporades. Bride in the local wedding dress of Skopelos island. 2021.GREECE. Epirus. Ioannina. Bride in the local wedding dress of Kerasovo village. 2021.GREECE. Western Macedonia. Bride in the local wedding dress of Siatista. 2021.GREECE. Aegean Sea. Lady in the local costume of Skyros island. 2020.GREECE. Saronic Golf. Girl in the local costume of Salamina island. 2020.
