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The Priest, the Barber, and the Village Idiot

“The Priest, The Barber and The Village Idiot”

by David A. Ross

In my village, as I’m sure is true in all villages on Corfu and throughout Greece, the priest is a central character. Of course there is no mistaking him, as he wears a long black robe, a funny hat, and hasn’t shaved since Greece was liberated from Turkish rule. He is seen almost daily in the village, whether performing some religious rite or simply greeting villagers.

I am not, of course, Orthodox. Nor am I even Christian. Yet neither of those facts has prevented me from interacting with the village priest from time to time. One New Year’s Day I was walking through the village on my way to a hearty roasted lunch, when I was stopped in the street and summarily blessed by the priest. It did not seem to matter to him that I was obviously not Greek, and he never inquired whether or not I was Christian, or whether I wanted to receive the blessing. I, in turn, accepted the gesture graciously and thanked him with a nod.

Likewise, when I moved into the apartment where I now live, the priest was summoned by my landlord to bless the premises before K. and I occupied it. The priest made an incantation (which could have been either a blessing or a curse for all I could determine), and he placed an ashen cross over the threshold of my door, which remains there to this day.

Yet my most prolific, and by far most memorable, encounter (or should I say encounters) with the priest have been vehicular in nature. The village priest drives a car (a fifteen-year-old Volkswagen), but I’m sorry to report that his driving skills are more than a bit wanting. On more than one occasion he has nearly run me down as I passed on my bicycle. I don’t think for a moment that these near accidents are purposeful or malicious; rather I’m convinced that the poor old guy just doesn’t see very well and is reluctant to wear glasses. Still, these near misses have made an impression on me, and whenever I’m riding my bicycle and see the intrepid VW approaching, I steer clear and give a wide berth.

Another quintessential figure in our village is the barber. If you’ve ever been to our village, you’ve probably noticed his shop. It is a tiny walled-in enclave beneath a staircase. When he is ready for business the door to his shop is left wide open, and one can see inside. There is only one chair, and if one chooses to wait as he cuts the hair of another, the chairs are outdoors.

When I first moved to Kontokali, I tried to enlist the services of the village barber, but I was sternly dismissed, turned away. The man simply refused to cut my hair. I was not only a bit put off by the dismissal, but quite puzzled as well. A few days later I tried again, and once again I was refused service. Even more mystified by his behavior, I asked my friend Takis why I’d been refused service. After all, all I wanted was a haircut! Takis was wont to explain the barber’s odd behavior, and to this day the man has never cut my hair. I’ve since found another source for this periodic need, but I still do not know the reason that I’m apparently banned from his little cubicle beneath the staircase.

Then there’s Kontokali’s version of the village idiot. He is an older man who sits outside one of the cafes each day. His sole purpose in life seems to be to render a vociferous greeting to each passer-by. With an idiotic smile on his face, he hails both Greeks and tourists alike with a salutation and a little song, and I sometimes wonder: What does this senile old man know that the rest of us have yet to learn?

I suppose most Greek villages have their own version of these three characters, which, coming from a culture where such things have never existed, tends to amuse and sometimes even thrill me. Each of these characters is an essential element of the village, and odd or crazy as they might be, nobody would think to minimize their presence. I may not need to be blessed by the village priest, and I may indeed have to find a replacement barber, but when I pass the old man’s chair and find that he is not there to shout out his idiotic greeting, I inevitably wonder if he’s all right, and if he’ll be sitting there next time I pass. Such characters as these seem to me to be a throwback in time, yet each is indeed something of a treasure. Our village would not be the same without them, and everybody here seems to realize their importance. Which, to me, is the really important message in this account.

About the Author

David Ross is an author and publisher.

http://www.open-bks.com

http://www.happyholidayscorfu.com

http://www.corfumagazine.com

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