Athens: Greece’s national library on Tuesday said a €10 million relocation to new facilities, designed by famed Italian architect Renzo Piano, had begun this month and is expected to take three months.
The library of 700,000 volumes is relocating to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, a state-of-the-art seaside complex that also hosts the Greek national opera.
Niarchos center staff have said that the new national library — previously housed in a 19th-century building in central Athens — can easily accommodate the collection, Greece’s state depository, with eventual space for up to two million books.
The library said over 550 staff were working on the revamp, estimated to cost around €10.2m ($12.6m), a sum shared between the Niarchos foundation and the Greek state.
“It is a particularly difficult and complex project, as minimum duress and maximum security for the collections must be ensured,” the library said in a statement.
Four climate-controlled vaults will hold the library’s rarest books and manuscripts, some of which date back to the 9th century, organizers said.
The 1,400-seat opera, library and adjoining park cost nearly €600m ($716m) and took eight years to design and build.
The complex was officially inaugurated in 2016, hosting a landmark speech by outgoing US President Barack Obama.
Greek national library begins €10m move
Greek national library begins €10m move
From round fruits to lucky charms: How Filipinos invite prosperous New Year
- Lights are lit, doors and windows open to allow good spirits in
- Sticky rice dishes are served to keep family sticking together
MANILA: With the dining table set with symbolic foods, a bit of noise and rituals to invite good luck, Filipinos are ready to welcome the New Year, carefully observing every tradition and superstition to bring prosperity.
Media noche or the midnight dinner on New Year’s Eve is central to the celebration. Besides traditional meats, there will be sticky rice dishes to keep the family sticking together, and pancit or long rice noodles to represent long life.
There should also be 13 round fruits prepared specifically for the occasion, with 12 representing each month of the year, and the 13th adding extra luck. Because they are round like coins, they are believed to invite abundance, wealth and prosperity.
“We cook bilo-bilo (sticky rice balls) with coconut milk and palitaw (sweet rice cakes). It’s something we simply grew up with,” said Cel Reyes from Mabini in Batangas province, south of Manila.
“It’s sticky, so it symbolizes togetherness, and it is also round. Anything that’s round is prepared also as a symbol of prosperity.”
In Malabon, a coastal city in the northern part of Metro Manila, Priam Nepomuceno’s 86-year-old mother-in-law sets unhulled rice on the table.
“Because of the gold color, it’s believed to bring luck and abundance,” he said. “Grapes are also hung on the door. They’re not meant to be eaten and are kept hanging for the whole year as a symbol of prosperity.”
Some people also jump when the clock strikes 12, believing it will help them grow taller.
In many households, all lights are lit before midnight, with doors and windows open to allow good spirits to enter, while noise from firecrackers and party horns keeps the bad ones at bay.
“By nature, Filipinos are superstitious. We believe in good luck, deities. We give in to faith and luck, and it’s tied to deep spirituality,” said Juanita Galang-Trinidad, an 80-year-old editor from Bulacan province north of Manila.
“We also put 12 coins in varying amounts in our pockets and wear polka dot clothing. Rice, cereal, and salt containers should be full.”
New Year’s celebrations, like Christmas, bring families together, but with extra traditions for good luck. Beyond the midnight feast and keeping round objects on the table and at hand, Filipinos try to pay off debts to avoid financial trouble in the coming year.
On New Year’s Eve, they also avoid serving chicken, as chickens are believed to scratch backward when they eat, symbolically scratching away good fortune.
“We hold on to our traditions despite these growing changes, modernity, in our environment,” Trinidad said.
“We still hold on to our traditions and customs because they identify us as a people, as Filipinos.”
