Karagiozis Shadow Puppet, a Character of Greek Folklore

It is sad how newer forms of entertainment are capturing young minds very fast and in the process wiping way old traditional toys!

Souvenir for Children

One such traditional toy is Karagiozis – a traditional folk drama depicted with comic puppet figures. The souvenir shops of Athens are flooded with Karagiozis shadow puppet. They are definitely the best gift to take for a child back home. At one of the shops I was fiddling with these forms, when the owner of the shop explained its significance. Karagiozis was a character from their traditional tales which have origin from Byzantine times. That got me interested and I looked up for more details.

Karagiozis reminded me of Kathputli of Rajasthan.

Karagiozis Shadow Puppet

Karagiozis is the main character of the folklore, a humped back fool-hero, he appears in different guises. His right hand is always depicted long, clothes tattered with lots of patchwork and often barefooted. Wiki mentions: He lived in a poor cottage with his wife Aglaia and his three sons, during the times of the Ottoman Empire. Because of his poverty, Karagiozis uses mischievous and crude ways to find money and feed his family. Many more characters have been added to build up the stories.

Hope this fictional character is able to overcome the fascination for modern toys in children. These shots were taken in the streets of Plaka. They cost around 8 to 15 euros depending on size.

Karagiozis shadow puppet Souvenir from Athens
Souvenir from Athens

From Plato’s Academy

In Greek the name Karagiozis is used as an insult. Puppeteers complain about this, saying that while Karagiozis can be violent, mischievous, a liar and an anti-hero, he is also of good nature and faithful, so his name should not be used as an insult.

During the 1980′s, Karagiozis had its own show on television. These shows had more modern and educational themes, like for example Karagiozis living some myths of Greek mythology or visiting the moon and other planets. Moreover these episodes were either live with an audience, or filmed especially for the TV show.

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