Why it matters
The history of Koumaros is not written in books. It lives in drawers, in family albums and above all in the memory of our elders. Every photo scanned and every story recorded today is one that will not be lost tomorrow.
The 2026 anniversary calendar, for the Association’s fiftieth year, was made exactly this way: from old photographs lent to us by village families. We want to go on, and slowly build an archive that belongs to everyone.
What we are looking for
- Photographs of Koumaros and its people, mostly from before 1990: the village, the houses, work in the fields, feasts, weddings, outings, the school.
- Letters, cards and documents about life in the village, or about those who left for Athens and abroad.
- Stories and memories: how people lived, what they ate, how they celebrated, who lived in which house.
- Songs, carols, wishes and customs as the elders remember them.
- Names: if you recognise people in the old photographs we already have (see below), tell us who they are.
How to send them
- By email to the Association’s address (you will find it below), as scans or phone photos. Tell us, as far as you remember, when and where the picture was taken and who is in it.
- Through the contact page, if you would first like to tell us what you have.
- In person, at the New Year’s pie cutting in January (in Athens, at the Leonteios School of Nea Smyrni, and a few days later in the village) or at the August feasts (5–6 August, the Transfiguration, and 17 August, the Island feast). Bring your photos: we scan them on the spot and hand them straight back. The originals always stay with you.
Consent and respect
- We publish only with your permission. You may also give us a photo for the Association’s archive only, without it appearing on the website.
- We credit you (or your family) under every photo we publish, unless you prefer not to be named.
- Names of people go into captions only if they or their families agree.
- Children: in recent photos we do not publish close-ups of identifiable children.
- Changed your mind? If you see yourself or a relative in a photo and want it removed, write to us and we will remove it.
- Technical file data (such as GPS location) is removed from photos before they go on the website.
Recordings
With their consent, we would like to record the stories of the village elders: what Koumaros was like when they were children, the work, the feasts, the songs. The recordings will be published on this page; most will be in Greek.
If you have a grandparent who would like to talk, or recordings and videos already on your phone, write to us.
