The village of SPOA is currently located at the exact horizontal and vertical center of Karpathos. It is suspected, however, that Spoa was originally founded on the peninsula of Marathos, a tract of land protruding from between Hai and AG. NIKOLAOS two beaches on the central eastern portion of the island.
Ample evidence as to the town's prior location has been found on this peninsula.
Ruins of EPTAMBATOUSA, a church of Byzantium architectural configuration,
built with seven entrances as its name indicates in Greek and that date back to the
5th century A.D., are still in plain sight for all to view. Mosaic segments of the
Church's floor and ceiling are currently on display in the Museum of Rhodes. The
original church icon is still amongst the ruins, cared for by the local inhabitants.
The church, inadvertently overlooked, is archaeologically unexplored. A proper
research expedition there might reveal one of the greatest Byzantium treasures of
the Southern Aegean Sea.
Additional evidence pointing to the existence of Spoa's ancestor is the numerous
ruins of irrigation ducts found throughout Marathos.
Also, as a result of agricultural
cultivation a cemetery has accidentally been discovered and many human
remains have been uncovered.
Legend has it that inhabitants of Marathos mimicked the traditional ascent of other
coastal villages that were susceptible to attack by pirates roaming and ravaging
the coasts of islands on the outskirts of the Roman/Byzantium Empire and
migrated North to a location roughly 5 kilometers away from their first, seeking
and finding the natural protection and inconspicuousness that a plateau at the base
of three hills could award. The new location of the town may have determined its
name because "to be located at the base of a mountain" is one definition for the
word SPOA.
Church documents as well as wills and land transfer contracts exist from as far back as the late 1600s. Specifics prior to that time period are unavailable. Nonetheless, it is generally known that the whole island was under Turkish occupation from the 1400s and on, with periods of sporadic Italian/Venetian habitation and occupation. Later, during World War One and World War Two Spoa was occupied by both Italian Fascists and German Nazis. Interestingly, the remains of a German WWII bi-plane can be found off the coast of Agios Minas, a beach immediately north of Hai. Three Spoa inhabitants were erroneously executed by the Germans who were seeking those responsible for the looting of the crash site. The execution was probably retribution for and a warning to those from SPOA who the Nazis correctly suspected aided the Allied cause by transferring secret messages all over the island. These heroes also helped hide Christophoros Litos of Volada, who played a major role with the Allied movement on Karpathos and who. Among other things, he transmitted codes and messages throughout the Mediterrenean sea aiding the Allied forces by revealing the Nazi position and movement on and around the island.
Despite the town's reincarnation at a new location, the peninsula of Marathos as
well as the harbor of
Agios Nikolaos
remained an important location for the
villagers of SPOA and the neighboring village of Mesoxori. Originally, most
trading, travel and contact with the outside world was done via boat leaving and
arriving there. DESPOTINA,
a massive boulder near the coast in the middle of the
harbor served as a dock. Steps which were carved into it for easy access to this
natural dock
can still be seen today.
The common use of the harbor lends credence to a theory that both towns were originally one. Inhabitants of Mesoxori may have split from Spoa and further migrated to their current location on the western part of the island. The fact that the inhabitants of both towns are closely related, and allot of property is owned by both within each-others borders further corroborates this division and migration theory. Interestingly enough, the word SPOA is also defined to mean a break up, split or division.
Roads leading to the town did not exist until the early 1970's when a large portion of these were built by the villagers themselves. Kakia Skala is the name of a ravine where the villagers dangled by ropes from breath taking heights so that sections of the two towering mountains could be removed by dynamite. A stone bridge connecting the two mountains was built by hand and wedged into the spaces created by the dynamiting. Later, the road was smoothed out by pick and shovel. These valiant efforts resulted in a road that connected Spoa with the southern, more populated portion of the island.
One of the town's major attractions is its churches. The principle church, dedicated to St George, who is known as the protector of the village, holds a great celebration annually on Nov. 4th. There, one might experience the hospitality that the villagers are particularly famous for. The traditional food, stew with rice and potatoes, is cooked by the elders of the village and all the villagers and visitors feast for hours. Afterwards the glenti(festival) begins, the traditional musical instruments are played by the musicians, and the villagers clad in traditional dress perform numerous local dances.
Another important festival is the celebration of St. John and it is held in mid summer. The church, fittingly located in an area named St. John's, was built within a spacious cavern. The two day celebration is held inside a naturally formed open-roof-chamber just outside the church and the festival goes on non-stop day and night.
A custom unique to SPOA that encompasses the attributes
of the (festivals)
described above with various of its own, is the Wedding.
The Wedding is a 5 day
process that begins with the anouncal of the engagement, followed by a glenti
where pariases are sung to the bride and groom.
On the following day a group is formed to go on a wood cutting
expedition to fule the cooking fires for the wedding day, while
the women prepare sweets
other delicacies (psilokouloura).
A glenti follows.
On the third day the whole town is invited by a procession led by banners visiting all the houses. A glenti follows. On the fourth day the wedding itself occurs. All friends and family of the bride and groom gather at their respective houses. Praises are sung to each while the town musicians play. These groups, with the musicians playing in the lead, head for the church and meet groups, with the musicians playing in the lead, head for the church and meet outside the same, where the couple unites and enters the church. After the religious ceremony a glenti, lasting all night of course, occurs. On the last day, all meet again outside the couples house and the man of honor attempts to persuade the couple to emerge by singing promises he would keep if they do appear.
Miloi
are another major attraction of the town. These medieval constructions
are strategically placed to capture the infamous BONENTI (north wind). A few of
the windmills are operable today and the creation of bread or stone-pitas from
wheat can be witnessed first hand. The windmills tower at the outskirts of the
village seemingly greeting all travelers in stony silence.
Prepared by the Association of Spoa in the United States,
NY 1998.
(C): Karpathos.net, 1998.