She loved dancing. We all knew that. Many remember the parties on the small terrace above her house. Especially those of the 15th of August.
Renowned archaeologist Irini Varoucha-Christodoulopoulou was born in Paros at the end of the 19th century, went to school in Egypt and studied in Athens and Berlin.
She returned to Greece to be one of the first women who worked in the Archaeological Service.
She kept returning to Paros for holidays, in her house in Parikia where she was hosting friends and acquaintances under the music played by the gramophone. 

Memory boxes, like those that we all have one.
Small personal collections of miscellaneous objects in the Historical-Folklore Collection of the Municipality of Paros which is kept in the Dimitrakopoulos Mansion in Parikia.
What are the stories objects have to tell? Could a museum be a memory box for the community memories?

Drawing for the handwritten diary of P. Stais, visual artist Rania Bellou.
Rania Bellou · Immortal Love or Ode to the Past, 2017.
Αrtist’s book with text: 30 drawings on color tissue paper, 30 x 42 cm.

Paros Festival
July 12th, 13th, & 14th 2019

Paros: a place made of stories


Paros Festival, for a second consecutive year, guides us to a different Paros through the stories, narratives, experiences, and memories of its inhabitants. The stories we’ve forgotten, the memories that didn’t get narrated, and the experiences that were never recorded in the official history will be the protagonists of the rich and original program of cultural events that have been carefully designed to welcome everyone, young and old, visitors and locals.

This year’s festival is based on the participatory public history research that took place on the island in collaboration with the Panteion University, the University of Ioannina and the Heritage Management Organization. The purpose of this extensive research was to inspire and mobilize people of Paros to unfold their past, re-envision their present, and turn Paros into the island of their dreams. At the core of the Festival’s exhibition program are the oral testimonies of the islanders. People’s history, big or small, as well as an unknown and disregarded collection of objects that was made with the expectation of the establishment of a museum for Parikia, a museum for the history of Paros, are intertwined in the exhibitions of Paros Festival.

Contemporary art through the participation of some major visual artists, is playing the role of the critical commentator of history and history writing. Is history a luxury that few have access to? Are narrations of the past a privilege exclusive to expert scientists? Which history of Paros do we want to pass on? Along with exhibitions and historic sites, a series of educational programs, experiential workshops, and guided tours will give the public an opportunity to actively engage in narrating stories, exploring the old town of Parikia and discover traces of an unknown past.

Music rounds off the rich and entertaining program. Concerts and musical events held in unexpected parts of Parikia encourage us to get to know the village, and one another.

For more information about the Paros Festival HERE.