Nature mostly sleeps during the wintertime. This winter, it seems that cities are asleep too. In 2020, it was necessary to reduce the gatherings to save the lives of those amongst us who are the most vulnerable. Consequentially, cultural buildings in many cities were closed to the public. Museums closed their doors and theaters closed their lights and their curtains to get some rest until the better days arrive. They are sleeping, like all the nature around them. But is there a way to wake them up to welcome the new year?

We hope to virtually connect Larissa with the rest of Europe, by sending poetic postcards in the form of video poems, that were filmed in the cultural buildings and other areas of Larissa. Larissian actors are reading the poems written by Larissian poets and Ulyssey's Shelter participants who visited this year the resency in Larissa.

We see these videos as the celebration of the invincibility of culture, of the cities, of people, and also as the reminder of the fact that even if the cultural buildings are closed – poetry, theatre and human spirit, still thrive. Culture is an exchange between the people who love it, create it, and share it with others, even under circumstances that are harder than usual, and the city is the same thing – and this is a message we want to send from Larissa to our European friends, into the year 2021. Dear friends, dear peers, we wish you a lot of strength, health, love, and creativity in the new year.

Poetry, Dimitris Karakitsos

poem " Kostas Krystallis, resident of Nuremberg "

translated by Christos Armando Gezos

Directed,Voice by

Iraklis Tzafetas

Coordinators, Thanos Gogos, Marija Dejanovic

With the support of E.U. Creative Europe

With the support and under the aegis of Greek Ministry of Culture

Organised byThraka and Mayoralty of Culture and Sciences of Larissa