As each new generation of Greek-Australians come along, there is always the debate of what are the best ways to learn and preserve a sense of cultural identity and connection with one’s Greek ancestry.

More often than not the first point that comes to mind is learning the language, but this may not be the case for everyone for a multitude of different reasons.

There is more to engaging with your Greek heritage than just picking up the language and this week NUGAS committee member and Victoria University Greek Society President Tania Koumanelis shares her thoughts on how to get involved.

READ MORE: Opinion: What Greek history can teach us moving forward

Tania Koumanelis

Photo: Supplied

The modern-day Greeks are a nation of people who are united by history, language and culture. All of these things play an extremely important role in the continuation of promoting Hellenism in the wider Greek community outside of Greece itself.

As a third generation Greek who has grown up speaking the language, I can see how this would be ostracizing and how it could cause a noticeable divide between those who do and don’t speak the language. This could be because only one of their parents is Greek or purely because they weren’t sent to Greek School as they were growing up.

While language is one of the larger factors that we use to bond with other Greek people, it is not the only way to do so. There are also the options of bonding over not only the widely celebrated history that Greece is well known for, but also bonding over the rich culture that has developed over the course of its existence.

Attending lectures presented in English that cover topics of historical relevance to the Greek people is an amazing way to bridge the gap and connect with not only the Greek community, but also with your own roots. Cultural ties can also welcome non-Greek speakers into the community.

Through food, music and dance they can feel more involved and in tune with their Hellenic identity. Greek music and dance groups are a fantastic way to feel more in tune with Greek culture. With most Greek music, you don’t need to know what the words mean to feel the meaning behind a song; the same way we can hear a song in another language we don’t speak yet feel what the song is trying to convey.

There are also many different Greek dance groups that have formed in Melbourne and across other Australian cities that a lot of the youth have gotten involved in regardless of their level of Greek speaking, such as Pontiaki Estia, Pan Mac, or even Cretan Brotherhood.

One of the major ties we as third generation Greeks have to our roots is through food. Whether it’s a recipe that γιαγιά herself has passed down to me, or if I’ve looked it up online, or even just gone to a Greek restaurant, I feel so much more in tune with my Hellenic identity being able to eat the food that my descendants have made, perfected, then handed down to their kids and so on and so forth.

You don’t need to know the language to appreciate the food or culture of your people and I think this non-discriminatory way of feeling involved in our culture is the perfect segue for non-Greek speakers to feel welcome in the Greek community.