Καλλιτεχνικός Σύλλογος Δημοτικής Μουσικής Δόμνα Σαμίου

A carnival song that gives sung advice to a bachelor, so he can find a bride that makes a good match for him. In a suitably satirical and amusing Carnival manner, a "specialist" in women rules most of the women out due to natural imperfections that render them ‘defective’. For him, any choice must be made on appearance alone, with no reference to any intellectual or other gifts. The popular poet's ingenious comparisons provoke laughter and amusement: the wan woman is like a sack of flour, the swarthy one like a fried cuttlefish, the short one like a tavern cask, and the tall one like an uprooted tree. While the would-be brides will be blighted by these flaws their whole lives long, a dark-haired, dark-eyed beauty will always bewitch with her bright black eyes, even when old age has robbed her of her beauty. Which makes the raven-haired maiden the perfect bride.

 The song's proverbial subject-matter is well-known, primarily on the islands and in maritime communities, and features in numerous folk song collections (e.g. Dimitris Petropoulou, Greek Folk Songs II, “Choosing a bride”, p. 188).

Theodor Kondaras (2022)

Live recording from the concert Songs of Asia Minor with Domna Samiou at the Megaron, the Athens Concert Hall, on 8/3/2005.

The song was recorded in Nea Makri, Attiki, by Nikos Karageorgiou, a local, in 1982. He calls the song "marriage guidance".