Greek Traditions Community

Explaining Philotimo to a Non Greek

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nadellii

nadellii

Active member
Philitimo is a concept that most of us in Greece and in the diaspora understand intuitively.

I have had nonGreek friends ask me to explain it.

How do you explain it? I usually work around explaining it by giving some examples (Ochi Day, Thermopylae, etc)...

I know there's no real equivalent word in the English language.
 
Try this:
The word comes from the Greek root words “filos”, meaning friend, and “timi”, meaning honor. The meaning of philotimo extends far beyond the words friend and honor. It encompasses the concepts of pride in self, pride in family, pride in community and doing the right thing.
 
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Jerry s said:
Try this:
The word comes from the Greek root words “filos”, meaning friend, and “timi”, meaning honor. The meaning of philotimo extends far beyond the words friend and honor. It encompasses the concepts of pride in self, pride in family, pride in community and doing the right thing.
Click to expand...

Love this explanation! Philotimo is one of my favorite concepts and I try to live by it...
 
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I’ve always loved the tradition of celebrating name days. In my family, they’re just as meaningful as birthdays, and sometimes even more fun because they bring everyone together in a different way.

When a big name day comes around, especially one that several family members share, we often turn it into a full family gathering. For example, on a name day like Nick/Nikolas, where there might be multiple people celebrating, it becomes almost like a mini family holiday. Someone hosts, there’s plenty of food, and everyone comes by to wish the celebrants “chronia polla.”

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