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BLISS_Kalymnos island

Pokinima You can take the sponge

out of the sea...

Preparing for the long journey, lasting 7-8 months,
was a small rite of passage
for the sponge divers. Let’s relive it... ...It is way harder to take the sea out of the sponge.

TEXT BY MARIA P. KANTANI TEXT BY MARIA P. KANTANI

W hat happens when a whole is- Those lucky enough to visit Kalymnos during journey, is always served at the feast that fol- N atural sponges (Euspongia) occur in to the increased demand in industrialised Eu- The job of spongers was not limited to diving

and fishing the sponges from the depths of the
rope. Yet it was Kalymnos, along with Symi, that
lows the Pokinima events.
various regions around the world, es-
early August also have the opportunity to wit-
land prepares for the departure
of those who venture out to catch
pecially where the sea waters are warm
boat was prepared for the long journey, how
tory still forms the very soul of Kalymnos Is-
sponges on the coasts of Africa? ness mostly realistic re-enactments of how a Sponge diving with all its traditions and his- and the currents mild. Classifying sponges by gained worldwide fame as the home of sponge sea. It included operating the mechanical equip-
divers and workers. The Greek term “sfouga-
ment to assist the divers, as well as handling
The sailing preparation (called “Pokinima”) on the supplies and general equipment of the land. Another celebration, Sponge Week, defining their composition was a riddle that rades” directly translates as “spongers.” For the their precious catch.
Kalymnos lasted almost two months - Febru- sponge divers were packed, and even how a div- takes place one week after Easter each year. It fascinated people since antiquity; Aristotle was Kalymnians, sponge hunting became a source of The processing of the sponge began immediate-
ary to March - and set the whole island on fire. er would don the profession’s traditional uni- is dedicated to honouring the relationship be- the first to suggest that this “strange creature” is livelihood – a dangerous mission that only the ly after it was fished out of the sea, meaning that
The captains picked crew members; tools of the form. If you attend, make sure you try the tradi- tween the Kalymnians and the sponge, which an animal. Indeed, sponges are the most simple, skilled and daring could accomplish. the first stages of the job were done on board.
trade were feverishly gathered; and supplies tional “kavourmas” (veal cooked in its fat to be is also known as the “Kalymnian Gold”. Local multicellular animal organisms. And yet, during The long-standing tradition of sponging de- What came first was the trampling and washing
(“kubani”) were carefully prepared: galettes, preserved and taken on board for the sailors to musicians perform Aegean tunes, playing for their 20-50-year life circle, they embellish the fined the island’s identity and contributed sig- of the sponges with seawater to remove most of
“kavourmas” (sautèed meat), pulses, salted fish eat). The well-known recipe, which the sponge hours while people of all ages join tradition- underwater landscape with an impressive vari- nificantly to the economic prosperity of its in- their membrane, contents (or “milk”), and any
in sacks, and plenty of water in barrels. workers took with them on their months-long al dances. • ety of colours and shapes. habitants. Κalymnian traders sold their precious trapped foreign bodies (sand, stones, microbes,
Pokinima took place the day after the Resur- In the geographical index of Greece, Kalym- harvest, starting from Syros, Nafplio, and Con- symbiotic crustaceans). The sponges were then
rection, and the journey, mainly to the coast of Sponge diving nos could be considered the absolute source of stantinople and reaching Odessa, Petersburg, left in the sun under a linen tarpaulin to rest be-
Africa, lasted 7 to 8 months. Before departure, was a lucrative sponges. In the mid-19th century, all of the Do- Moscow, Trieste, and the Middle East. The first fore the aforementioned process was repeated.
but dangerous
all measures to ensure the favour of the spiri- Kalymnos decanese (as well as Hydra, Poros, Aegina, Sa- references to the “sponger” profession appear Next came the beating of the sponges, usual-
tual world were taken. Holy water was as nec- profession, lamina, Ermioni, Trikeri, and Lemnos) pro- in the epic poetry of Homer, followed by later ly done with flat and smooth branches to avoid
essary as any other supply, while the captain honoured today duced sponges by various methods, responding Greek and Latin writers. damaging the sea animal’s body, followed by
through events
and sponge divers had to invoke the grace of like Prokinima a nighttime ritual. Only under the realm of
St. Nicholas, the patron saint and guide of the and Sponge darkness were the sponges, attached to ropes,
divers. Week. Kalymnian sponge thrown into the sea so that the waves and cur-
Today, Pokinima is a historical event. Organ- workers were experts rents could wash away any remnants of “milk.”
in harvesting,
ised by the Municipality of Kalymnos, the Re- processing, and often Recovered in the morning, they were ex-
gion of South Aegean, and the Kalymnos Dis- classifying these amined meticulously to determine if anoth-
marine animals. A
trict Council, it presents locals and visitors alike tradition passed down er round of processing was necessary. If so,
with a series of re-enactments and theatrical through the ages. the same steps were repeated again and again.
performances drawn from the island’s history. Once the sponges were thoroughly cleaned,
During the events, scenes and stories of depar- they were given the green light and spread out
ture are presented in collaboration with the is- to dry in the sun. They literally sunbathed on a
land’s theatrical groups. Pokinima contains de beach or the ship’s rigging.
facto elements of tragedy. Back then, the fare- Often, depending on the knowledge of the crew
well that took place was particularly difficult, and the time available, a rough classification was
since many of the sponge divers were high- Bronze statue formation at the base of Nike statue in Pothia town, Kalymnos Ιsland. carried out on board. Upon returning ashore,
ly unlikely to return, due to the conditions in the batch was presented to traders. The latter
which they worked, while others, in many cas- took the sponges to their warehouses, which
es, would return with serious health problems, were the laboratories for further processing.
usually paralysed. When the sponge boats re- TIP: You can learn more about the long tra-
turned, the Kalymnians counted their loss- dition of seafaring and sponge diving by vis-
es. There were indeed many victims, most of iting the Maritime Museum of Kalymnos, as
whom were buried on deserted coasts or is- SHUTTERSTOCK well as the Sponge - both located in the city of
lands in Africa. Pothia. •

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