by Katerina Katsori - Published by www.istoselides.gr

Pelio you can not describe. The live and feel, like you can not describe the same beauty, only to live and feel.

According to geologists, before one hundred and forty million years ago, when planet earth was in a «panthalassas», lifted through the water Pelagoniki mountains.
It was a narrow area of land that runs from the northern Macedonia passed by Olympus, the Ossa and Pelion and ended in northern Evia.
The Himalayas, the Alps, the Pyrenees and the mountain range of Pindos emerged after one hundred and fifteen million years.
The Thessaly basin before a hundred thousand years was a huge lake from which they left the lake Voiviida or Carla.

The likelihood that the disappearance of the lake was about 8.000 eg after a large earthquake, which caused the fracture of Tempi.
The extent of Voiviidas before dried up to 114 sq km. The lake is Carla geologists and anthropologists first cradle of human civilization.
The rich history of Pelion, popular muse from ancient times created traditions and legends.


Older residents of the Centaurs, the Lapithes and magnets. The highest peak, lived the famous Centaur Chiron fed meat to a lion. Furthermore, when we tried Gigantomachy the giants' s second Pelion and to put over the Ossa to reach the height of Mount Olympus and the Olympian gods deposition. At the top were the marriages of Peleus and Thetis the timber of the Argonauts built the famous "Argo."
Pelion was primarily known for its Medical and Centaurs. Speech development of medicine was the richness of herbs in the region.
In Pilio growing in antiquity and continues to grow up and now the 3 / 5 of therapeutic herbs throughout the world. I do not know whether the specificity of nature, or if due to the antiquity of the mountain.
The famous Centaurs suffer from confusion involved between the myths and legends in history. The mythology says that they were creatures with the lower half belongs to a horse, while the position of the neck of a horse was the torso of a man from the waist up. Kentafrines not mentioned or shown anywhere.
But what was really the Centaurs; The etymology of the word is a complex consisting of the word "nip" or sting causes pain and the word "bull" the male calf. The Centaurs were what Americans today call "cow boys", while we catty.
Driving a herd of cattle grazing in the back of the stables could not be otherwise than by cavalry. These horse herder named Centaurs. The descendants retained the name of their profession as a characteristic of the genus.
Wild horses engraved on stones, findings of the Stone Age, is the museum of Volos and show that there were in Pelion since ancient times.
The most famous was the bad centaur whom Homer calls "dikaiotaton Centaurs. In the Iliad says that the pharmaceutical and surgical interventions for the export of deadly arrows Achilles taught by Chiron.
The name comes from "hand" because of the skill in surgery or as "the hand which epithetomeni in the patient brings magic effect" (I. Pilali) Homer says that Achilles Asklipios and students of Chiron, taught him the "soft drugs" which was very effective in stopping bleeding and relieving pain.

The Strabo says that in a region of Pelion named Pelethronio, residents considered direct descendants of Chiron and botanical knowledge transmitted over generations from father to son in a mystical atmosphere. The inhabitants of Iolkou, for a thousand years honored the memory of the wise Chiron "sacrificing to him the first fruits of herbs and plants" says Plutarch.
From Lakereia, north of Karla is the origin of Asklepios in Hesiod and Pindar. The Asklipios grew up in Pelion near the centaur Chiron taught and treat all the wounds either mantzounia softeners or with herbs or with surgery. Asklipios The name comes from the words "Askeli" dil.skliros and "mild" because it has mild pain in humans. Because Asklipios used to treat a wide variety of plants, herbs, roots, etc. regarded himself as the agent or as the personification of the therapeutic powers of nature.
The Trojan campaign took part in Philoktetes in Evmilo and Prothoo.

In Byzantine times there were important political events. Inside Pagasitikos was Demetrias city and from the 13th century Lechonia. East Zagora city created in the last period of the Byzantine era and refers Lafkos. all Thessaly was the raids of foreign peoples, Goths, Slavs, the 10th century the Vlachs.
The Franks merchants closed special condition to be able to exercise freely and privileged international commercial transactions. The 13th and 14th century passed predatory raids by Saracens, Catalans and Albanians. Since 1423 the area was the Turkish occupation. Since then started the foundation and development of existing villages of Pelion. The maps of the medieval times the area of Pelion marked monasteries.
The monasteries were built were the mainstays of the major villages. Because ensure such protection and independence together slowly fugitives from the rest of Thessaly, Evia and the Aegean islands.
Limited to the top soon after began to build the characteristics pilioreitika pyrgospita around the monastery. At the beginning of the 17th created several settlements that developed in the present 24 villages of Pelion.
Gained special privileges from the Turks and the 18th and 19th have significant economic and cultural activity. the 14 marked «vakoufia» that is dedicated to charities and other «hasheesh» ie property of the Sultan. At first belonged, Makrinitsa, Drakeia, St. Lawrence, Karampasi, Pinakates, Vizitsa, Argalasti, Sikia, Lafkos, Promyri, Anilio, Kissos, Mouresi and Makrirachi. The other was the Zagora, the Ano Volos, Portaria The, the Netherlands, the Apples, the Niochori the Tsagarada etc.
The Revolution of 1821, was the instigator Anthimos Gazis priest and scholar of the Apples. The revolution has not proceeded, the interests of the region kotzampasidon not allowed, so all attempts to drown in the blood at birth.
The movement of 1854 also failed and in 1878 after battles and the intervention of the British became the Congress of Berlin, so part of Thessaly and Epirus released, the annexation took place in August 1881.

The Pelion einosifyllo "reaches the highest peak," Pourianos Cross ", the 1.624 m., has a strong relief and morphology characterized by the proximity of the Aegean. 70% of rocks are slates, and 30% serpentines and limestones. The coastline of the Aegean is lace with many coves and bays, the rocky shores and gkremnodeis, sea caves, alternate with sandy beaches.
There are 24 villages linked with roads sparse and diverse cultures.
The center of the massif is covered by dense forests of beech and poplar and with lower ities. The most extensive areas are planted mainly on the slopes Pagasitic and viewing the Aegean, while smaller in the central part, but always in the areas between the natural vegetation.
Mainly grown fruit, trees which are a main source of income, pear, cherry, peach, walnut and almond trees, vineyards and olive groves, and in recent years, kiwifruit.
The arts flourished and created a great tradition in stone, wood carving, folk painting, pottery, metalwork, weaving, cooking and floral in recent years.
Stones carved with moons, birds, sun, in fountains, above windows and doors, especially in the sanctuary of churches are everywhere in Pelion.
The church meets in woodcarving Pelio churches since the beginning of last century. Amazing they are domestic woodwork. Ceilings carved with an octagon in the middle "dashboard" beautiful carved trunk and doors, stairs, usually kyparissoxylo. Wood was carved and rokes of Pelion, to the silk thread is the basic product of Pelion.
The painting was popular in the murals. Volos in 1927 is to keep the folk painter Theophilos Chatzimichael. Toichografise the church of Agia Marina on Apples. The frost, which paints landscapes, still fyseis and various ornaments not only churches but also in homes.
His son Pagonis, Athanasios, excellent portraits, but most of his work was lost in the earthquake of 1955, only salvaged projects portraits of Riga, of Ypsilanti and landscapes Thessalian plain.

In all homes pilioreitika worked throughout the year a loom. The yarn and hair painting of plant materials. The projects were divided into two major categories, striped and embroidered in the loom. Have in embroidered geometric shapes and flower pots, flowers, birds and humans.
The metalwork in Pelion is influenced by the Turks and Persians. The bakiri and good raw materials, the coffee pot, the sini, Goumas in the boiler products. Active centers were Portaria brazier and Makrinitsa. In the eastern Pelion were mining copper, iron, tin and silver.
The pottery is not very developed in Pelion, because the soil was not suitable for this species. Only channels in the villages and two months was good soil and some islanders potters who settled in Volos used.

The products were mainly for the needs of everyday life, such as oil and olive jars and pitchers of water.
Pelio you can not describe. The live and feel, like you can not describe the same beauty, only to live and feel. The beaches, the ravines, the vathyskiota forests of chestnut and beeches, the fountains, the ravines, the ridges, the flowers of many flowers ... ... ... ortansies the water ... sounds. ... .. the aroma of the paved streets .....
You live a «paramythiasma»! The imagination of the ancient mythoplastra given in this charming mountain stories. All these stories and forms a wrap in the breath of the mountain, dress in all the tones of green, a walk among the stone pyrgospita and prattler nerosyrmes get your voice in accompanying, the paths to the sea.
The tradition continues today, for each col for each cave, each tap on each beach you have to hear a folk story. Story that may come from years of classical antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Ottoman, the younger life ,..... or just yesterday!