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[[File:Traditional Pontic costumes during a parade in Greece.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|alt=People marching down a street, carrying banner|Members of a Pontian cultural group march during a parade in Greece.]]
{{Pontic Greeks}}

'''Pontic Greek culture''' includes the traditional music, dance, architecture, clothing, artwork, and religious practices of the [[Pontic Greeks]], also called Pontian Greeks ({{langx|pnt|Romaioi}}). Pontians are an ethnic group [[Indigenous peoples|indigenous]] to the [[Pontus (region)|Pontos]] in modern-day Turkey.{{sfn|Michailidis|2016|p=62}}{{sfn|Zografou|Pipyrou|2016|p=267}}{{sfn|Mackridge|1991|p=336}}<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Travis |first1=Hannibal |title=The Cultural and Intellectual Property Interests of the Indigenous Peoples of Turkey and Iraq |journal=Texas Wesleyan Law Review |date=2009 |volume=15 |page=601 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1549804 |s2cid=153304089 |url=https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/txwes-lr/vol15/iss2/7 |quote=The U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples requires states to provide an effective remedy to indigenous peoples deprived of their cultural, religious, or intellectual property (IP) without their free, prior and informed consent. The Declaration could prove to be an important safeguard for the indigenous peoples of Iraq and Turkey, the victims for centuries of massacres, assaults on their religious and cultural sites, theft and deterioration of their lands and cultural objects, and forced assimilation. These peoples, among them the Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Yezidis of Turkey and Turkish-occupied Cyprus, and the Armenians, Assyrians, Yezidis, and Mandaeans of Iraq, have lost more than two-thirds of their peak populations, most of their cultural and religious sites, and thousands of priceless artifacts and specimens of visual art.|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Travis |first1=Hannibal |title=The Cultural and Intellectual Property Interests of the Indigenous Peoples of Turkey and Iraq |journal=Texas Wesleyan Law Review |date=2009 |volume=15 |page=637 |doi=10.2139/ssrn.1549804 |s2cid=153304089 |url=https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/txwes-lr/vol15/iss2/7 |quote=Prior to their conquests by Turkic peoples, the ancient Greeks were one of several indigenous peoples living in Anatolia, modern Asian Turkey.|url-access=subscription }}</ref> They have lived in the area for thousands of years, since the 8th century BCE.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thomopoulos |first=Elaine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jlKheq6g3r8C&pg=PA107 |title=The History of Greece |date=2012 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-0-313-37511-8 |pages=107 |language=en |quote=The Pontians are believed to be descendants of Greeks who in the eighth century BC had moved from the Ionian cities located in the islands and shores of the Aegean Sea, in what is now Turkey, to the area of the Black Sea called Pontos (''pontos'' is an ancient Greek word for "sea".)}}</ref> The majority were displaced in the early 20th century CE after the [[Greek genocide]] and the [[population exchange between Greece and Turkey]];{{sfn|Liddle|2016|p=54}} most Pontians today live in the diaspora. Small pockets of Muslim Pontian communities remain in Turkey. Although Pontians speak many different languages, the Pontic Greek language, [[Romeika]], is especially important to their culture. Most religious Pontian Greeks practice [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodoxy]], but a minority adhere to [[Sunni Islam]] or other Christian denominations. Folk dances such as the [[Serra (dance)|serra]], traditional music instruments such as the [[Pontic lyra]], religious celebrations, traditional clothing, and the land itself remain important to Pontian diaspora communities.

Although their culture has been heavily influenced by [[Greek culture]], [[Turkish culture]], and the cultures of various [[minorities in Turkey]] such as Armenians and Lazes, Pontian culture contains unique aspects. The dominant culture of the countries where Pontians live has continued to shape Pontian culture since the formation of the diaspora. For example, many Pontians in Greece only speak Greek instead of Romeika, while [[Greeks in Russia and Ukraine|Soviet Greeks]]{{efn|Many now live in Greece; see [[Deportation of the Soviet Greeks]]}} have adopted Russian and Ukrainian dishes into their cooking. Pontian cultural societies around the world aim to preserve and transmit Pontian traditions, especially folk dances.

==Pontos==
{{Main|Pontus (region)}}
[[File:Pont localisation.png|thumb|Pontos on a map of Europe]]
Pontos (Romeika: {{lang|pnt-latn|Bondon}}) is a historical region in what is now northeastern Turkey and southern coastal Georgia. It overlaps with Turkey's [[Black Sea Region]], [[Western Armenia]], and [[Lazica]]. This is the area where [[Romeika]] is traditionally spoken,{{sfn|Kaltsa| Sitaridou|2010|p=259}} along with [[Laz language|Laz]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Laz |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/25/language/lzz/ |website=[[Ethnologue]] |date=2022}}</ref> [[Armenian language|Armenian]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Der Matossian |first1=Bedross |editor1-last=Hovannisian |editor1-first=Richard G. |title=Armenian Pontus: The Trebizond-Black Sea Communities |date=2009 |publisher=Mazda Publishers |isbn=9781568591551 |pages=217–244 |chapter=The Pontic Armenian Communities in the Nineteenth Century}}</ref> and more recently Turkish since the 1200s;<ref>{{cite book |last=Shukurov |first=Rustam |title=At the Crossroads of Empires: 14th - 15th Century Eastern Anatolia |date=2012 |publisher=French Institute of Anatolian Studies |location=Istanbul |isbn=978-2362450020 |url=https://www.persee.fr/doc/anatv_1013-9559_2012_act_25_1_1232 |chapter=Foreigners in the Empire of Trebizond (the Case of Orientals and Italians) |page=266}}</ref> it is also the Pontic Greek homeland. The area was originally inhabited by [[Anatolian peoples|Ancient Anatolian peoples]] during the Bronze Age. Greeks from [[Ionia]], the Aegean coast of Anatolia, began to colonize the Pontic coast in the 700s&nbsp;BCE.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = University of Michigan Press| isbn = 978-0-472-11199-2| last = Gorman| first = Vanessa B.| title = Miletos, the Ornament of Ionia: A History of the City to 400 B.C.E.| pages=63–66 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Yd5EYLWcgNgC&pg=PA63 |date = 2001}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.2307/631221| volume = 96| pages = 18–31| last = Drews| first = Robert| title = The earliest Greek settlements on the Black Sea| journal = The Journal of Hellenic Studies| date = 1976| jstor = 631221| s2cid = 162253005}}</ref>

To the north of the region is the [[Black Sea]]; the [[Pontic Alps]] form a rough southern border. Most of the area is forested, being part of the [[Euxine–Colchic deciduous forests]]. Large cities in the region which historically had large Pontic Greek populations include [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinope]], [[Trabzon|Trapezounta]], [[Ordu|Kotyora]], [[Giresun|Kerasunda]], [[Samsun|Sampsunta]], and [[Rize|Rizunda]] along the coast. Cities further inland include [[Gümüşhane]],{{efn|Sometimes called {{lang|pnt|Argyropoulis}} in Greek and Romeika}} [[Amasya]], and [[Niksar]]. Agricultural products include nuts, vegetables, and fruits along the coast; grain in the valleys of the Pontic Alps; and livestock in the mountains and valleys. Fish is also plentiful along the coast.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=47}}

Many different civilizations and empires have existed in the region. The [[Kingdom of Pontus]] and [[Empire of Trebizond]] both had territories that largely overlapped with Pontos.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pontus |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Pontus-ancient-district-Turkey |website=Encyclopaedia Britannica}}</ref> The region has been colonized by many different peoples, including the Greeks, [[Achaemenid Empire|Persians]], [[Bithynia et Pontus|Romans]], and Turks.<ref>Strabo 11.8.4 C512; 12.3.37 C559.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/pontus|title=PONTUS – Encyclopaedia Iranica|last=electricpulp.com|website=www.iranicaonline.org|access-date=2015-07-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724160218/http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/pontus|archive-date=2015-07-24|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=Babinger-1949>Franz Babinger, [http://www.persee.fr/web/revues/home/prescript/article/rebyz_0766-5598_1949_num_7_1_1014 "La date de la prise de Trébizonde par les Turcs (1461)"], ''Revue des études byzantines'', '''7''' (1949), pp. 205–207 {{doi|10.3406/rebyz.1949.1014}}</ref> Toward the end of WWI, some notable Pontians, including [[Chrysanthus of Athens|Chrysanthos]], advocated for an independent Pontic state at the [[Paris Peace Conference]]. This proposed state was called the [[Republic of Pontus]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Erimtan|first=Can|title=Hittites, Ottomans and Turks: Ağaoğlu Ahmed Bey and the Kemalist Construction of Turkish Nationhood in Anatolia|journal=Anatolian Studies|year=2008|volume=58|page=151|jstor=20455417|doi = 10.1017/S0066154600008711|s2cid=163040610}}</ref>

The region's geography has historically isolated Pontians from other cultures. Remote mountain villages were often isolated from one another as well, leading to differences in language and culture from area to area. The culture of coastal cities was very different from that of rural mountain villages.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|pp=46-47}}

The region and its history are important to Pontian identity. Scholar Patricia Fann Bouteneff writes, "[Pontians] define themselves by their ancestors' place of birth and see themselves and their history as originating within the physical bounds of the Pontos."{{sfn|Fann|1991|p=107}} Pontian songs and literature tend to focus on the region, depicting it with nostalgia.{{sfn|Fann|1991|p=108}}

==Language==
{{Main|Pontic Greek}}

===Name and status===
Pontians traditionally speak Romeika, known in English as Pontic Greek. Pontians in Greece might call their dialect Pontiaka to highlight their Pontic identity. Due to extended contact with the Laz language, some speakers even refer to their dialect as Lazika.{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=205}}{{sfn|Ioannidou|2022|p=8}} In Turkey, Romeika is often called Rumca. Although Romeika is, linguistically, a [[Varieties of Modern Greek|variety of modern Greek]], it is not mutually intelligible with other Greek varieties, such as [[Demotic Greek]].{{sfn|Mackridge|1991|pp=338-339}}{{efn|Demotic Greek is the dominant spoken language of Greece, often referred to as Standard Modern Greek or merely Greek.}} For this reason, some scholars view Romeika as its own [[Hellenic languages|Hellenic language]].{{sfn|Tsekouras|2016|p=50}}{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=206}} Other researchers recognize it as a dialect, but one that is incredibly far removed from other Greek varieties. British archaeologist [[Richard MacGillivray Dawkins]] said, "The position of Pontic is at the end of a long chain of [Greek] dialects, though it is the last link which has very nearly entirely detached itself."{{sfn|Mackridge|1991|p=339}}

Romeika, like all other modern Greek varieties except for [[Tsakonian language|Tsakonian]], is descended from ancient [[Attic Greek|Attic]]-[[Ionic Greek|Ionic]] Greek. Beginning in the 11th century, dialects of medieval Greek began to diverge from one another. Romeika is also very distinct from other varieties because the Pontos has historically been isolated from other parts of the Greek-speaking world. Other languages, such as Laz, Turkish, Armenian, Kurdish, and Russian, have influenced Romeika.{{sfn|Mackridge|1991|p=337}} Many loanwords feature in Romeika vocabulary.

Romeika differs from region to region. The dialect of the coast differs from the dialect of rural mountain communities. However, there are also many differences from village to village. The dialects from [[Of, Turkey|Of]] and [[Çaykara]] are also markedly different from other Pontic Greek varieties. The variety of Romeika spoken in Georgia is also distinct.{{sfn|Berikashvili|2022|pp=1-2}} The modern Romeika spoken by Pontians living in Greece is mostly based on the dialect spoken in Chaldia (Gümüşhane and southern Trapezounta).{{sfn|Janse|2002|pp=205-206}}

===Endangerment of Romeika===
Romeika is an [[endangered language]]. According to [[Ethnologue]], 778,000 spoke Romeika {{As of|2015|alt=as of 2015}}. 400,000 of these speakers lived in Greece.<ref>{{Cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180412082135/https://www.ethnologue.com/language/pnt/21 |archive-date=April 12, 2018 |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/pnt/21 |title=Pontic |work=[[Ethnologue]] |access-date=2018-04-11}}</ref> Some small rural communities in Turkey still speak the Ophitic dialect of Romeika ({{lang|pnt|Oflidika}}).{{efn|Speakers of the Ophitic dialect call their language Romeika, like speakers of other Pontic Greek varieties. This may cause readers to confuse Ophitic with other varieties of Pontic Greek. In English literature, the Ophitic dialect is sometimes stylized as Romeyka.}} Only 4,000-8,000 people still speak Ophitic.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Romeyka Project |url=https://www.romeyka.org/ |website=Romeyka: In Turkey Today and Yesterday}}</ref> Most speakers are older; very few children speak it. Ophitic is the last Greek variety spoken in eastern Turkey in the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rediscovering Romeyka |url=https://www.romeyka.org/rediscovering-romeyka/ |website=Romeyka: In Turkey Today and Yesterday}}</ref> Some Ophitic speakers live outside of Turkey; enclaves exist in Cyprus.{{sfn|Ioannidou|2022|p=5}}

Romeika faces many threats to its continued existence. Children do not learn Romeika in school; instead, they are taught in the language of the country (standard Greek, Turkish, Russian, etc.). In some cases, parents have been encouraged not to speak to their children in Romeika to facilitate the children's understanding of the dominant language.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=120}}

In Greece and Turkey, Romeika is experiencing [[language attrition]] as speakers use the dominant language of the country—Greek and Turkish, respectively—more frequently and with greater ease than they use Romeika.{{sfn|Kaltsa|Sitaridou|2010|p=262}}

Some Pontian organizations, sucha as the Argonauti-Komninoi Pontic Greek Association in Greece, aim to teach Romeika so as to preserve the language.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bateman |first1=Jessica |title=The revival of a second Greek language |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20190812-the-revival-of-a-second-greek-language |website=BBC Travel |date=August 12, 2019}}</ref>

===Grammar and vocabulary===
Romeika is of interest to linguists because it contains many [[archaisms]] reminiscent of [[Ancient Greek]] varieties. The Ophitic dialect ({{lang|pnt-latn|Oflidika}}), which has been heavily researched by linguist [[Ioanna Sitaridou]], contains archaisms found in no other form or variety of Greek. However, Romeika is a modern, living language distinct from ancient [[Koine Greek]].{{sfn|Mackridge|1991|p=336}}

Romeika has many differences from standard modern Greek. Romeika differs from standard Greek in vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. For example, in Romeika, as in English, it is possible to collapse the sentence "I'll go and see" into "I'll go see." In standard Greek, one must say "I'll go and see."{{sfn|Mackridge|1991|p=260}} Romeika also has [[discourse markers]] such as {{lang|pnt-latn|kja}} and {{lang|pnt-latn|ja}}; standard Greek lacks discourse markers.{{sfn|Mackridge|1991|p=261}}

Romeika also features sounds which are not present in standard Greek. For example, Romeika has [[Voiceless postalveolar fricative|the sound "sh"]] ([[International phonetic alphabet|IPA]]: [ ʃ ]), while standard Greek does not.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Arvaniti|first=Amalia|year=1999|title=Illustrations of the IPA: Modern Greek|pages=167–172|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association|volume=29|issue=2|url=http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/ell/staff/amalia-arvaniti/docs/Illustrations%20%20of%20the%20IPA%20-%20Modern%20Greek.pdf|doi=10.1017/s0025100300006538|s2cid=145606058 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303222353/http://www.kent.ac.uk/secl/ell/staff/amalia-arvaniti/docs/Illustrations%20%20of%20the%20IPA%20-%20Modern%20Greek.pdf|archive-date=2016-03-03}}</ref> One Romeika word with this sound is {{lang|pnt-latn|ra'shopon}} (small crest).{{sfn|Drettas|1997|pp=59-60}} To accommodate for these differences, Romeika may be written using a modified Greek alphabet.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=50}}

Romeika has six vowels and nineteen consonants; some of the vowels only appear in Turkish loanwords.{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=213}} The language has three [[grammatical gender]]s: feminine, masculine, and neuter.{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=216}} The gender of the noun does not always have to agree with the gender of the adjective; feminine nouns may have feminine or neuter adjectives.{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=223}} [[Grammatical case]]s include accusative, genitive, nominative, and vocative.{{sfn|Berikashvili|2022|p=4}}{{sfn|Janse|2002|pp=216-217}} Romeika is [[branching (linguistics)|left-branching]], similar to nearby Laz and Turkish.{{sfn|Janse|2002|pp=221}} Verbs are [[verb conjugation|conjugated]] in the present, imperfect, and [[aorist]] tenses.{{sfn|Drettas|1997|pp=210-211}} The imperfect and aorist both describe events in the past. Animacy is also an important feature of nouns in Romeika.{{sfn|Berikashvili|2022|p=6}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Examples of vocabulary differences between Romeika and Greek
|-
! English !! Romeika !! Greek
|-
| grandmother ||{{lang|pnt-latn|kalomána, kalimána, kalýma}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Kalomana: The Pontic Greek Grandmother |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/248-kalomana |website=PontosWorld|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref> || {{lang|el-latn|giagiá}}
|-
| carcass || {{lang|pnt-latn|lásha}}{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=210}} || {{lang|el-latn|koufári}}
|-
| I forget || {{lang|pnt-latn|anaspalo}}{{sfn|Drettas|1997|p=209}} || {{lang|el-latn|xéchasa}}
|}

===Cultural role===
Traditionally, Romeika was not used in schools, churches, or written records. Standard Greek was used instead. Romeika was spoken at home. As such, there is a paucity of historical writing in Romeika.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=112}} The Greek publisher {{lang|el|Αρχειον Ποντου}} (Pontic Archive) has published texts in Romeika since 1928.{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=205}} Few novels have been published in Romeika. Zerzelidis wrote a few novels in Romeika in the mid-20th century, and playwright Polykarpos Haitas wrote his autobiography in the language.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|pp=59-60}}

A Romeika translation of the [[Asterix]] comic series was published in 2000.{{sfn|Janse|2002|p=205}} One translator, Anatoli Karipidou, has translated the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'', and children's stories into Romeika. She also teaches Romeika.<ref>Emís i Póndii θélome i ɣlósa mun – We, the Pontic Greeks, love our language; performer: Anatoli Karipidou; camera/ interview: Thede Kahl, Andreea Pascaru; transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis; editor: Valentina Paul; retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID number: pont1253GRV0011a.</ref><ref>O Mikrón o Príng'ipas – How I translated "The Little Prince"; performer: Anatoli Karipidou; camera/ interview: Thede Kahl, Andreea Pascaru; transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis; editor: Valentina Paul; retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID number: pont1253GRV0012a.</ref>

For Pontians living in the diaspora, Romeika is an important marker of uniqueness, separating them out from the dominant culture. Pontians use their language to preserve an ethnic identity and distinguish themselves from others.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|p=53}}

==Cuisine==
{{Main|Pontic Greek cuisine}}
[[File:Pontic Greek Koulouria and Noodles.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Food stall|[[Koulourakia]] and traditional Pontic noodles for sale at a food stall in Athens]]

Pontian cuisine, which evolved separately from Greece for thousands of years, has many differences from [[Greek cuisine]]. It shares many similarities with [[Laz people|Laz]], [[Hemshins|Hemshin]], [[Armenian cuisine|Armenian]], and [[Turkish cuisine|Turkish]] cuisine. Owing to the large Pontic Greek community in the former Soviet Union,{{efn|See [[Greeks in Russia]]}} modern Pontian cuisine also incorporates aspects of [[Russian cuisine]] and [[Ukrainian cuisine]].<ref name="Keramaris">{{cite journal |last1=Keramaris |first1=Achillefs |last2=Kasapidou |first2=Eleni |last3=Mitlianga |first3=Paraskevi |title=Pontic Greek cuisine: the most common foods, ingredients, and dishes presented in cookbooks and folklore literature |journal=Journal of Ethnic Foods |date=January 15, 2022 |volume=9 |issue=3 |doi=10.1186/s42779-022-00117-8 |s2cid=257163571 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

Pontians traditionally employed both agriculture and foraging. Women are the primary foragers, although men might also forage for food. Some Pontians, especially older people living in rural areas, still forage in the 21st century.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hovsepyan |first1=Roman |last2=Manduzai |first2=Ajmal |last3=Pieroni |first3=Andrea |last4=Sõukand |first4=Renata |title=Wild food plants traditionally gathered in central Armenia: archaic ingredients or future sustainable foods? |journal=  Environment, Development and Sustainability|date=2020 |volume=23 |issue=2 |pages=2358–2381 |doi=10.1007/s10668-020-00678-1|s2cid=212682120 }}</ref> Pontians also practiced [[transhumance]]. During the winter months, many rural Pontian farmers stayed in villages at lower altitudes called {{lang|pnt-latn|cheimadia}}. During the summer months, they traveled to high-altitude pastures called {{lang|pnt|parcharia}} and let their animals graze.{{efn|Same as {{lang|tr|yayla}} in Turkish.}} The pastures often had houses and churches which might be covered in snow for most of the year. However, the winter villages were not abandoned during the summer, and some people went between their villages and pastures even during the summers.{{sfn|Bryer|1986|pp=61-62}} 

Grains, dairy products, vegetables, seafood, and meat are all integral to Pontian cuisine. Milk, cheese, and yogurt are important dairy products. Grains include rice, oats, and wheat. The majority of Pontians, up until the creation of the diaspora, were farmers who produced their own food. They ate whatever was available. The Pontos has a distinct winter and summer; Pontians enjoyed different seasonal crops and stored fruit, fish, cured meat, cheese, and dried pasta for the winter.<ref name="Keramaris"/>

Traditional cooking implements include the {{lang|pnt-latn|[[sajj|satz]]}}, a convex metal pan for cooking flatbreads over open fire, the shahan (Turkish Wikipedia: [[:tr:sahan|sahan]]), and many others.<ref name="Αγροτική κατοικία">{{cite web |title=Αγροτική κατοικία |url=https://www0.epm.gr/epm.gr/w2_12_03.htm |publisher=Committee for Pontian Studies |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121210220/https://www0.epm.gr/epm.gr/w2_12_03.htm |archive-date=November 21, 2022 |language=Greek |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Dishes===
[[File:Pontic Greek Cheeses Athens.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=Deli counter with cheese|Food stall displaying a variety of Pontic Greek cheeses including {{transliteration|pnt|gais}} and goat cheeses]]

Pontians have a number of traditional breakfast dishes: {{lang|pnt-latn|foustoron}} (similar to an [[omelette]]),<ref>{{cite web |title=Foustoron (Pontian Omelette) |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/255-foustoron |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref> {{lang|pnt-latn|[[lalanga|lalánggia]]}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Lalanggia: Pontian pancakes for breakfast |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/277698/syntages/lalangia-oi-pontiakes-tiganites-gia-t/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=May 18, 2013}}</ref> {{lang|pnt-latn|[[havitz]]}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Havitz |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/260601/syntages/chavits/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=September 26, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Recipe for Havitz">{{cite web |title=Recipe for Havitz |date=25 November 2021 |url=https://www.lelevose.gr/xavits-me-fournikon-aleuri/ |publisher=Lelevose Radio |language=Greek}}</ref> and more. Breakfast dishes typically include eggs, bread, or porridge.

For lunch and dinner, Pontians traditionally eat a number of soups, savory pies, rice [[pilav]], pasta dishes, flatbreads, and dumplings. Some soups include {{lang|pnt|kintéata}}, a type of [[nettle soup]]; cabbage soup; and {{lang|pnt|malez}}, a grain soup.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kinteata with oatmeal: fast and healthy Pontian recipe |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/293330/syntages/kinteata-me-plougour-pontiaki-synta/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=March 9, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Kinteata - Κιντέατα |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/257-kinteata |website=Pontos World |date=2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cabbage and Beans |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/253-cabbage-and-beans |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref><ref name="Keramaris"/> Pilav dishes include rice and a variety of meats, including chicken, anchovies, and mussels. Some pilav varieties include wild greens and nuts.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mythopilavon: the Pontian mussel pilav |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/272040/syntages/mythopilavon-to-pontiako-mydopilafo/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=February 15, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Hapsipilavon, the Pontian pilaf with fish |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/640286/syntages/chapsopilavon-pontiako-pilafi-ta-psaria/ |website=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=February 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sinope Pilaf |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/260394/syntages/pilafi-sinopis/ |website=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=October 7, 2012}}</ref><ref name="Keramaris"/> Pasta dishes are less common and include {{lang|pnt|[[siron]]}}, a type of pasta made of [[phyllo dough]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Siron with yogurt: Pontian pasta |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/273574/syntages/siron-me-paskitan-pontiaka-zymarika/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=March 11, 2013}}</ref> Savory pies include {{lang|pnt|perek}}, made with layers of phyllo dough and cheese filling. Another, {{lang|pnt|diamesia}}, has a vegetable filling.<ref>{{cite web |title=Perek in the oven |date=December 2015 |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/342715/syntages/perek-sto-fourno/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek}}</ref><ref name="Keramaris"/> Meat dishes include kebabs, {{lang|pnt|kioftedes}} (meatballs), and [[peynirli]]. They also traditionally make [[dolmades]], which may or may have a meat or vegetarian filling.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Trivolis |first1=Despina |title=Peinirli: It Came from the Black Sea |url=https://culinarybackstreets.com/cities-category/athens/2012/peinirli/ |website=Culinary Backstreets |date=August 24, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Cooking with Greek Food Bloggers: Yiayia Rose's Peynirli |url=https://greekherald.com.au/lifestyle/cooking-with-greek-food-bloggers-yiayia-roses-peynirli-boat-shaped-pides/ |website=Greek Herald |date=March 31, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pontian pork skewers with atzika and tsatsibeli |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/442023/syntages/pontiaka-choirina-souvlakia-me-atzika/ |publisher=Pontos News |date=April 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pontian Sarma with Black Cabbage for the Christmas Table |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/373931/syntages/pontiakoi-sarmades-me-mavrolachana-gi/ |publisher=Pontos News |date=December 17, 2016}}</ref> Dumplings include {{lang|pnt|varénika}}, {{lang|pnt|mantía}}, {{lang|pnt|peréskia}}, and [[chebureki]], all dumplings with meat, cheese, or vegetable fillings.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Savvas Karipoglou |title=Varénika step-by-step by Savvas Karipoglou |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/457783/syntages/varenika-vima-vima-apo-ton-savva-karip/ |website=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=January 17, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Mantia, a popular Pontian food |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/279228/syntages/mantia-ena-agapimeno-fagito-ton-ponti/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref name="dumplings">{{cite web |title=Mantia & Plimenika |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/262-mantia-plimenika-m |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pereskia |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/264-pereskia |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref> Vegetable dishes include pickled, slow-cooked, sautéed, and stuffed vegetables.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pickled cucumbers from the Pontian Alps |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/283744/syntages/angourakia-toursi-ta-pontiaka-stypa/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=September 3, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Pontian Festive Table |url=https://www.perek.gr/blog/συνταγές/ποντιακό-εορταστικό-τραπέζι |website=Perek |language=Greek |date=December 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pontian Torshi |url=https://www.dimiourgiestisnias.com/2017/08/blog-post_60.html?m=1 |website=Dimiourgies Tis Nias |language=Greek}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Imam-bayildin |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/258-imam-bayildin |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref> They also use a variety of condiments like [[adjika]] and tsatsoupel, which are vegetable-based, and paskitan, which is yogurt-based.<ref>{{cite web |title=Tsatsoupel |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/271-tsatsoupel |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref><ref name="fries">{{cite web |title=Recipe: Pontian Fried Potatoes |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/256-fried-potatoes |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref>

Some sweets, like {{lang|pnt|tsirichtá}} ([[lokma]]) and {{lang|pnt|otía}}, are made of fried dough. Others, like {{lang|pnt|tsorek' pourma}} and {{lang|pnt|sousamópita}}, are baked in the oven.<ref name="Fried otia">{{cite web |title=Fried otia |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/270900/syntages/methysmena-otia/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=February 1, 2013}}</ref><ref name="Tsirichta">{{cite web |title=Tsirichta |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/262034/syntages/tsirichta/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=October 19, 2012}}</ref>
Some sweets, like {{lang|pnt|tsirichtá}} ([[lokma]]) and {{lang|pnt|otía}}, are made of fried dough. Others, like {{lang|pnt|tsorek' pourma}} and {{lang|pnt|sousamópita}}, are baked in the oven.<ref name="Fried otia"/><ref name="Tsirichta"/><ref>{{cite web |title=Sousamopita |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/264162/syntages/sousamopita/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=November 11, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tsorek' pourma |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/272-tsorek-pourma |website=Pontos World |date=7 February 2017 |language=Greek}}</ref>

Yogurt forms the basis for many traditional Pontian dishes, including soups and [[ayran|tan]], a fermented drink.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tanomenos sorvas |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/338416/syntages/tanomenos-sorvas/ |date=October 17, 2015 |language=Greek}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=How to make Tanomenon surva |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/cuisine/270-tanomenon-shourva-sh |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Tan: the Pontian soft drink |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/270083/syntages/tan-to-pontiako-anapsyktiko/ |publisher=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=January 22, 2013}}</ref> Pontians also traditionally drink tea and coffee.<ref name="Αγροτική κατοικία"/>

Special foods are traditionally prepared for holidays, weddings, and funerals. For example, {{lang|pnt-latn|[[kollyva]]}} is traditionally eaten at funerals and memorial services.<ref name="weddings"/><ref name="funerals"/>

==Dance==
{{Main|Pontic Greek folk dance}}
[[File:Χριστουγεννιάτικα Κάλαντα στο ΥΠΕΞ (11516300803).jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|alt=Pontic men dance in a government building|Pontians performing a dance, probably [[Serra (dance)|serra]], during a Christmas celebration at the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Greece)|Ministry of Foreign Affairs]] in Greece]]

Dance has been a central element of Pontian culture since ancient times.{{sfn|Georgoulas|Southcott|2015|p=12}} Some modern Pontian dances can be traced back to Ancient Greek dances. For example, the [[Serra (dance)|serra]] is related to the ancient [[pyrrhichios]], a war dance. Pontian dance has evolved over the centuries. Other traditions in the region, such as Armenian, Turkish, and Laz dances, have influenced Pontian Greek dance.{{sfn|Tyrovola|Karepidis|Kardaris|2007|pp=241-242}}

Dance serves an important cultural role.{{sfn|Liddle|2016|p=49}} Pontians dance at almost all major events: dinners, weddings, birthdays, wedding receptions, religious festivals, Greek festivals, and commemorative events.{{sfn|Liddle|2016|p=50}}

Pontian dance is a distinct style characterized by "nervous energy", trembling of the shoulders and torso, knee bends, arm swings, and small, precise steps. Dances are always performed in groups. Although some paired dances exist, [[line dance]]s and [[circle dance]]s make up the majority of the Pontian repertoire.{{sfn|Georgoulas|Southcott|2015|p=12}} Dances are accompanied by traditional [[Pontic Greek music]]. Some dances are only performed by women, others only by men; many are mixed dances.

In the diaspora, performances of Pontian dance allow Pontians to experience a sense of group and cultural identity. Many Pontian dance clubs exist for this same reason. Anthropologist Valerie Liddle argues that Pontians also dance to commemorate their former home in [[Pontus (region)|Pontos]].{{sfn|Liddle|2016|p=51}} Some dances were lost because the people who practiced them were killed during the [[Greek genocide]].{{sfn|Liddle|2016|p=54}}

Dances vary from region to region.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Elias George Tiragotzis |author2=Nikos Zournatzidis |author3=Kyriakos Moisidis |title=Dances of Pontus |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/dances/584-dances-by-pontus |website=PontosWorld|date=10 November 2019 }}</ref> For example, there are a variety of {{lang|pnt|tik}} dances from various cities and regions in Pontos.{{sfn|Vavritsas|Moisidis|Vavritsas|2014|p=83}} Dances may be performed in even or odd meters. Dancers typically link hands or rest their arms on each other's shoulders while in a line or circle dance.{{sfn|Tyrovola|Karepidis|Kardaris|2007|p=252}} The tempo may be slow or energetic. For example, the dance {{lang|pnt|varyn tik}} from [[Akdağmadeni]] is relatively slow, while the {{lang|pnt|tria ti kotsari}}{{efn|[[Kochari|Kotsari]] variant}} is fast-paced and energetic.{{sfn|Vavritsas|Moisidis|Vavritsas|2014|p=86}}<ref name="pontos world">{{cite web |last1=Tsirigotis |first1=Elias George |title=Dances of Pontus |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/dances/584-dances-by-pontus |website=Pontos World|date=10 November 2019 }}</ref>

There are some different classes of Pontian dance. The {{lang|pnt|tik}} dances are performed by mixed groups. {{lang|pnt|Tik}} means "brave" or "upright"..{{sfn|Vavritsas|Moisidis|Vavritsas|2014|p=86}} {{lang|pnt|[[Omal]]}} ("smooth, regular") is another class of mixed dances; they have simple steps.<ref>{{cite web |title=Omal aplon |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/dances/750-omal-aplon |website=Pontos World|date=10 November 2019 }}</ref>{{sfn|Tyrovola|Karepidis|Kardaris|2007|p=248}}{{sfn|Tyrovola|Karepidis|Kardaris|2007|p=247}} There are also many war dances, related to the {{lang|pnt|[[serra (dance)|serra]]}}, also called the {{lang|tr|[[horon (dance)|horon]]}} in Turkish.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Palfy |first1=Barbara |editor1-last=Cohen |editor1-first=Selma Jeanne |title=The International Encyclopedia of Dance |date=1998 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=9780195173697 |page=e.1417 |chapter="Pyrrhic"}}</ref>{{sfn|Zografou|Pipyrou|2016|p=437}}{{sfn|Tyrovola|Karepidis|Kardaris|2007|p=246}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mixanitouxronou.gr/pirrichios-o-polemikos-choros-ton-archeon-ellinon-pou-chorepsan-i-mithiki-demones-kourites-gia-na-sosoun-ton-neogennito-dia-apo-ta-cheria-tou-kronou-diasothike-apo-tous-pontious-pou-ton-chorevoun-o/|title=Πυρρίχιος. Ο πολεμικός χορός των αρχαίων Ελλήνων που χόρεψαν οι μυθικοί δαίμονες Κουρήτες για να σώσουν τον νεογέννητο Δία απο τα χέρια του Κρόνου. Διασώθηκε από τους Πόντιους - ΜΗΧΑΝΗ ΤΟΥ ΧΡΟΝΟΥ|website=www.mixanitouxronou.gr|date=22 September 2016 |language=Greek|accessdate=October 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name="serra">{{cite web |title=The Serra (Horon) |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/dances/586-the-serra |website=Pontos World|date=10 November 2019 }}</ref> These are typically male dances, although women also perform them in some regions. Other war dances include the {{lang|pnt|syrtos}} and {{lang|pnt|[[atsiapat]]}}.<ref>{{cite web |title=How to dance the Atchapat (Ατσαπάτ) |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/dances/755-atchapat-dance |website=Pontos World|date=10 November 2019 }}</ref><ref name="savvidis">{{cite web |last1=Savvidis |first1=Nikos |title=Dances of Pontos, Greece |url=https://socalfolkdance.org/articles/dances_of_pontos_savvidis.htm |website=Folk Dance Federation of California |date=1981}}</ref> Still others include the {{lang|pnt|[[kochari|kotsari]]}}, which is shared with Armenians;{{sfn|Tyrovola|Karepidis|Kardaris|2007|p=248}}{{sfn|Zografou|Pipyrou|2016|p=437}}{{sfn|Georgoulas|Southcott|2015|p=14}} {{lang|tr|[[karsilamas]]}},<ref name="pontos world"/> {{lang|pnt|[[letsina]]}},<ref>{{cite web |title=Letsina Kars (Λετσίνα Καρς) |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/dances/747-letsina-kars |website=Pontos World|date=10 November 2019 }}</ref>{{sfn|Tyrovola|Karepidis|Kardaris|2007|p=246}} and {{lang|pnt|[[podaraki]]}}.

==Music==
{{Main|Pontic Greek music}}
[[File:Λυραρης.png|thumb|alt=Black and white photo of boy playing stringed instrument|Boy in [[Trabzon|Trapezounta]] playing the lyra, on a 1910 postcard]]

The Pontian musical tradition is centuries old. It is closely associated with Pontic Greek dance, as music typically accompanies the dances. Pontian music has been influenced by various musical traditions in the Pontos region, especially [[Laz people|Laz]] music. Pontian music typically incorporates [[polyphony]]; multiple independent melodies overlap each other at the same time. Music is structured in [[hexachord]]s and usually has a rapid tempo.<ref name="grove">{{cite web |last1=Romanou |first1=Katy |last2=Mathiesen |first2=Thomas J. |last3=Lingas |first3=Alexander |last4=Maliaras |first4=Nikos |last5=Chaldaiakis |first5=Achilleus |last6=Plemmenos |first6=John |last7=Bamichas |first7=Pyrros |last8=Kardamis |first8=Kostas |last9=Kontossi |first9=Sofia |last10=Economides |first10=Myrto |last11=Tragaki |first11=Dafni |last12=Tsagkarakis |first12=Ioannis |last13=Chardas |first13=Kostas |last14=Seiragakis |first14=Manolis |last15=Chianis |first15=Sotirios |last16=Brandl |first16=Rudolph M. |url=https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/ |title=Greece |website=[[Grove Music Online]] |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/omo/9781561592630.013.3000000167 |date=March 28, 2019|isbn=978-1-56159-263-0 }}</ref>

Traditional instruments include the [[Kemenche of the Black Sea|lyra]], [[davul|daouli]], [[tulum (bagpipe)|touloum]], [[dankiyo]], [[oud]], and [[zurna]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Topalidis |first1=Sam |title=The Daouli Drum |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/iistruments/327-the-daouli-drum-2 |website=Pontos World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171228042132/https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/iistruments/327-the-daouli-drum-2 |archive-date=December 28, 2017 |date=2014 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ahrens |first1=Christian |title=Polyphony in Touloum Playing by the Pontic Greeks |journal=Yearbook of the International Folk Music Council |date=1973 |volume=5 |pages=122–131 |doi=10.2307/767498 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/767498 |location=JSTOR|jstor=767498 |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Zourna |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/iistruments/332-zourna |website=Pontos World |date=31 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230191528/https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/iistruments/332-zourna |archive-date=December 30, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfn|Tsekouras|2016|pp=136-137}} The lyra, or Black Sea kemençe, is a three-stringed instrument in the lute family.{{sfn|Tsekouras|2016|p=129}} It has an important role in Pontian cultural heritage; many Pontian organizations abroad feature the lyra as part of their logo. The lyra is also an important part of traditional Laz and Turkish music.{{sfn|Michailidis|2016|pp=93-94}}

The singing employs heavy use of [[vibrato]] as well as call-and-response, usually with a lead singer and a chorus. Some songs are performed as duets between a woman and a man.<ref name="grove"/>

Some of the oldest known songs in Romeika are [[Acritic songs]]. This genre of music focuses on Byzantine soldiers who defended the borders from invaders. Not all Acritic songs are in Romeika, but some are, such as {{lang|pnt-latn|T'íl' to kástron}} ("The castle of the sun") and {{lang|pnt-latn|Aitén'ts eperipétanen}} ("An eagle flew high").<ref name="An eagle flew high">Aitén-ts eperipétanen –An eagle flew high; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Giorgos Stefanidis (voice), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, collected by the [[Austrian Academy of Sciences]], retrieved from [https://www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH/collections/greek-varieties/pontic-greek/video-collection/folk-songs VLACH], ID number: pont1253GRV0005a.</ref><ref>T-íl' to kástron – The castle of the sun; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Giorgos Stefanidis (voice), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview: Thede Kahl, Andreea Pascaru; transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, collected by the [[Austrian Academy of Sciences]],  retrieved from [https://www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH/collections/greek-varieties/pontic-greek/video-collection/folk-songs VLACH], ID number: pont1253GRV0002a.</ref> Romeika-language Acritic songs tend to focus on warfare, conquest, and folk heroes.

Many folk songs also emerged during Ottoman times. Subjects included romantic love, historical events, fantastic situations, and war. Two Pontian love songs are {{lang|pnt-latn|Serranda mila kokkina}} ("Forty red apples") and {{lang|pnt-latn|Kortsopon lal'me}} ("Girl, call me"). Both are traditionally duets between a female and male singer. One song focusing on historical events is {{lang|pnt|Τσιάμπασιν}}, [[romanization|romanized]] as {{lang|pnt-latn|Tsambasin}}, which discusses a fire in the town of {{ill|Çambaşı, Çaykara|tr}}. Folk songs served as entertainment and ways to tell stories. There were also songs for certain situations and times, such as [[wedding music|wedding songs]] and {{lang|pnt-latn|mirologoi}} (mourning songs).{{sfn|Michailidis|2016|p=90}}

Other songs emerged in the early 1900s in response to the [[Greek genocide]] and the [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|Greek-Turkish population exchange]]. Some examples are {{lang|pnt-latn|Tim batrída'm éxasa}} ("I lost my homeland"), written by Kostas Siamidis and Christos Antoniadis,<ref>Tim-batríða-m éχasa –I lost my homeland; performer: Kostas Siamidis (lyra), Achilleas Vasileiadis (voice); camera/ interview transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl; editor: Antonio Fichera, retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID number: pont1253GRV0006a.</ref> and {{lang|pnt-latn|Palikária a son Pónton}} ("Courageous men from Pontos"), which discusses legendary folk heroes who fought against the [[çetes]].

Musicians, both Pontian Greek and Turkish, continue to create new songs in Romeika. For example, Giannis Vasiliadis, who comes from a Soviet Greek family, wrote the song "Kavkaz" in Romeika. [[Apolas Lermi]], a singer and guitarist from [[Trabzon|Trapezounta]], has released two albums with Romeika-language songs: "Kalandar" in 2011, and "Romeika" in 2016.<ref>{{cite web |last1=İşeri |first1=Gülşen |title=Apolas Lermi: Popülizmin hedef olmasına karşıyım |url=https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/kultur-sanat/2018/06/24/apolas-lermi-populizmin-hedef-olmasina-karsiyim |website=Gazete Duvar |language=Turkish |date=June 24, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Antonopoulous |first1=Paul |title=Named after the Ancient Greek God of Music: Apolas Lermi continues Pontian musical traditions in Turkey (VIDEOS) |url=https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/05/09/named-after-the-ancient-greek-god-of-music-apolas-lermi-continues-pontian-musical-traditions-in-turkey/ |website=Greek City Times |date=May 9, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Apolas Lermi: Dedicated to the Music of the Black Sea |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/music/musicians/680-apolas-lermi |website=Pontos World|date=22 February 2017 }}</ref> Merve Tanrıkulu, a Turkish singer from Trapezounta, released an original Romeika-language song in 2019 called {{lang|pnt-latn|Romeika ninni}} ("Romeika lullaby").<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sitaridou |first1=Ioanna |title=Research Context |url=https://www.romeyka.org/rediscovering-romeyka/ |website=Rediscovering Romeyka}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Konstantinidis |first1=Christos |title=Μερβέ Τανρίκουλου: "Θέλω τα παιδιά να κοιμούνται ακούγοντας ποντιακά" (βίντεο) |url=https://www.pontosnews.gr/445160/pontos/merve-tanrikoulou-thelo-ta-paidia-na-k/ |website=Pontos News |language=Greek |date=July 1, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Trabzonlu sanatçıdan Romeika dilinde ninni |url=https://www.habercuk.com/trabzonlu-sanatcidan-romeika-dilinde-ninni/49651/ |language=Turkish |website=HaberCUK |date=June 26, 2019}}</ref>

Some Pontians in the diaspora also participate in {{lang|pnt|parakathi}} singing, where two singers exchange couplets in Romeika. The couplets may be original or traditional. The exchange may be a form of banter, grief, lighthearted argument, or flirting.{{sfn|Tsekouras|2022|p=402}}{{sfn|Şentürk|2020|p=203}}{{sfn|Tsekouras|2022|pp=403-404}}{{sfn|Tsekouras|2022|pp=407-408}}

==Clothing==
[[File:Pontian Greek dress Trabzon.JPG|thumb|alt=Grainy photograph of women in traditional clothing.|Pontian women in traditional clothes, early 1900s Trapezounta]]
[[File:An aristocratic lady dressed in a traditional costume from Pontus, by Aristides Oeconomo.jpg|thumb|alt=Painting of woman in sheer top, fez, and robe.|''An aristocratic lady dressed in a traditional costume from Pontus'', 1859 painting by {{Interlanguage link|Aristide Oeconomo|de|Aristides Oeconomo|el|Αριστείδης Οικονόμου|fr|Aristides Oeconomo|ru|Иконому, Аристидис}}, depicts the painter's perception of Pontian clothing.]]

Much like Pontian cuisine, folktales, language, and dance, Pontian clothing traditionally varied from region to region. Matzouka and Santa in particular had unique clothing traditions. In the modern day, Pontian folk clothing is typically worn at dances and cultural festivals. The modern Pontian folk costume is an amalgamation of different local clothing traditions based on photographs and surviving garments.<ref name="Andrianopolou">{{cite web |last1=Andrianopolou |first1=Panayota |title=Folk Costumes in the Pontos |url=http://www.ehw.gr/l.aspx?id=8993 |website=Encyclopaedia of the Hellenic World: Asia Minor |date=2005}}</ref> This section focuses on early modern Pontian clothing worn in the 1800s and early 1900s.

Traditionally, most clothing was made in the home; this includes weaving fabric, dyeing fabric, and actually sewing clothes. Tailors made some clothes, including formal wear, jackets, and overcoats. Pontian tailors often made clothes for Muslims in their communities as well. Milliners ({{lang|pnt-latn|kalpakzides}}) made headwear.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

Clothes were subject to some superstition. If a person was sick or injured, their clothing may have been hung in a churchyard to aid in their recovery.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

===Women's clothing===
Underwear included {{lang|pnt-latn|vrakin}}, white calico or linen underpants which reached the knee. These were typically embroidered. They also wore {{lang|pnt-latn|kamis}}, a linen or cotton undershirt, with a band to support the breasts. {{lang|pnt-latn|Kamis}} for special occasions were made of silk in [[Bursa]] or [[Trabzon|Trapezounta]]. On top of the {{lang|pnt-latn|kamis}}, women in some areas might wear a {{lang|pnt-latn|sparel}}, which is like the front of a shirt and ties around the neck. Everyday {{lang|pnt-latn|sparel}} were plain cotton, while festive ones were made of silk, satin, or velvet.<ref name="topalidis1"/> They wore [[shalwar]] of cotton or wool. Festive shalwar were satin or taffeta.<ref name="topalidis1">{{cite web |last1=Topalidis |first1=Sam |title=Traditional Pontic Greek Costumes |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/768-traditional-pontic-greek-costumes-2 |website=Pontos World |date=2019}}</ref> The main focus of a woman's outfit was her {{lang|pnt-latn|zoupouna}}, a dress-like garment of wool or cotton for daily use. It is similar to the dalmatica, a feature of [[Byzantine dress]]. The {{lang|pnt-latn|zoupouna}} buttons in the front. At around age 15, girls began wearing the {{lang|pnt-latn|zoupouna}}.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/> It is open in the front to show the {{lang|pnt-latn|sparel}} or {{lang|pnt-latn|kamis}}. It is also open at the sides to show the shalwar. The {{lang|pnt-latn|zoupouna}} often had decorative prints or embroidery. Women also typically wore a short embroidered felt overcoat. They also wore a thick woven waistband of local or imported fabric. Like the male waistband, it was typically colorful with stripes or other designs. They wore wool-lined overcoats in the winter. Women typically wore socks or embroidered slippers in the hose. Outside of the house, women wore leather shoes with a low heel, called {{lang|pnt-latn|postala}}; moccasins, or clogs. In rainy weather, women and men wore hard leather {{lang|pnt-latn|kaloshia}} over their regular shoes.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/><ref name="topalidis1"/>

The everyday cotton waistband was called a {{lang|pnt-latn|zonar}}, typically of local wool or Crimean cotton. Festive waistbands were {{lang|pnt-latn|edjemshalin}}, made of colorful woven fabric from Iran; {{lang|pnt-latn|lahor zonar}} of fine wool woven in [[Lahore, Pakistan]]; square, tasseled {{lang|pnt-latn|tarapouloz}} of silk from [[Tripoli, Libya]]; and white silk bridal {{lang|pnt-latn|zonar}}.<ref name="topalidis1"/>

Women typically wore their hair in braids. In some regions, one braid was typical, while in Livera{{efn|A Pontian village near Matzouka, today called {{Interlanguage link|Yazlık, Maçka|tr}}}} they wore four braids.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/> Beginning at age 16, young women wore small, disc-shaped hats. The {{lang|pnt-latn|tapla}} was decorated with gold coins, while the {{lang|pnt-latn|tepelik}} had an embossed gold or silver plate or coins on top, while the {{lang|pnt-latn|koursin}} had golden thread and a golden tassel. All of these styles were tied behind the woman's braid with a ribbon. At this age, young women also began to cover their heads with a light-colored kerchief or headscarf. On festive occasions, they may not have worn headcoverings. Older women wore headscarves in dark colors.<ref name="topalidis1"/>

After having children, women began to wear a wool, felt, or cotton apron over their {{lang|pnt-latn|zoupouna}}. Older women also wore a fur-lined felt overcoat. Older women wore a fez covered with kerchiefs, which they may have let hang around their chest.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

Women of means ornamented themselves with plentiful jewelry ({{lang|pnt-latn|kosmima}}) made from silver and gold.<ref>{{cite web |title=Zoupouna: Components of the Traditional Female Pontic Costume |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/679-zoupouna |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref> They wore earrings, pocket watches, rings, bracelets, large chain necklaces, and chains affixed to the hair called {{lang|pnt-latn|tetikia}}. A {{lang|pnt-latn|gerdanluk}} was made of many chains, beads, and coins and affixed around the neck like a collar. A {{lang|pnt-latn|kustin}} was a similar piece of jewelry with coins sewn onto a piece of fabric and tied around the neck. In urban areas, women wore necklaces with hearts or crosses.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

===Men's clothing===
[[File:Pontian Greek Soldiers.JPG|thumb|alt=Two men in traditional Pontic clothing pose with guns.|Pontian men in zipka, early 1900s.]]
A man's costume traditionally consists of a linen or cotton shirt ({{lang|pnt-latn|kamis}}), shalwar,{{efn|Young men wore cotton shalwar of navy blue or black, while older men wore shalwar of wool or felt.}} and an overcoat, either short or long. Overcoats may have been lined with fur, depending on the season. Men also wore a type of crossed vest called either {{lang|pnt-latn|ghelek}} or {{lang|pnt-latn|Tzamntan}}. The latter had two rows of buttons. The male {{lang|pnt-latn|zoupouna}} was worn either open or buckled like a waistcoat.<ref name="topalidis1"/> Farmers wore leather shoes called {{lang|pnt-latn|tsaroushia}} outside the home and slippers or socks in the home. {{lang|pnt-latn|Mestia}} were leather shoes for special occasions. In rainy weather, women and men wore {{lang|pnt-latn|kaloshia}} over their regular shoes.<ref name="topalidis1"/>

Beginning at age 6 to 8, boys began to wear the [[fez (hat)|fez]]. Men might also wear a domed headdress of felt called a {{lang|pnt-latn|ketse}}. They also wore a woven waistband; the name varied based on its fabric and origin, and was similar to the female waistband. Colorful waistbands of imported fabrics were for special occasions; most men wore white cotton wasitbands for daily use.<ref name="topalidis1"/> Men also wore rings on their fingers.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

Beginning in the 1800s, Pontian men began to adopt the {{lang|pnt-latn|zipka}}, the traditional [[Laz people|Laz]] costume.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/> The {{lang|pnt-latn|zipka}} includes dark trousers of local or imported English wool ({{lang|pnt-latn|zipka}}), a white shirt ({{lang|pnt-latn|kamis}}), a vest ({{lang|pnt-latn|yelek}}), and an overcoat ({{lang|pnt-latn|kontes}}).<ref name="zipka"/> The outfit also included a woven fabric belt, a leather belt on top, several silver chains, a pocketwatch, leather belts, and a large, embroidered tobacco pouch. The man also wore a {{lang|pnt-latn|pashlik}},{{efn|Also spelled paslik, pashlouk.}} a black fabric headcovering which is tied around the head, somewhat similar to a [[keffiyeh]]. The zipka is associated with warfare; it typically included an [[ammo belt]], a pouch for gunpowder, and sheaths for daggers.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/> Male jewelry included multiple silver necklaces; each chain might have an amulet ({{lang|pnt-latn|filakto}}) or religious icon ({{lang|pnt-latn|engolpio}}).<ref name="zipka">{{cite web |title=Zipka: Componenets of the Traditional Male Pontic Costume |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/708-zipka |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref>

Some Pontian men, especially city dwellers of the mercantile class, began to adopt European clothes ({{lang|pnt-latn|stana, tsatala}}). A man who wore European clothing was called a {{lang|pnt-latn|tsatalos}}. Men, more so than women, began to wear European clothing because they were more likely to work outside the home.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

==Gender==
Pontian Greek society is traditionally [[patriarchy|male-dominated]].{{sfn|Liddle|2013|p=72}}{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|p=309}} The home and village are traditionally the woman's sphere, while areas outside the village are the man's sphere.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|p=294}}

The rugged mountain terrain of inland Pontos does not lend itself to year-round farming and cultivation. As such, many rural Pontians practiced [[transhumance]], moving between summer pastures and winter villages. In rural villages, families also relied on the wages of emigrant workers, who found employment in other parts of the Ottoman Empire and Russia. These workers were usually men; they often spent a long portion of the year away from home. As such, women often maintained the households and villages.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=47}}

Pontians traditionally practiced [[patrilocal marriage]]: a newly married woman went to live in her husband's family home. If a family had multiple  married sons, there might be many families living in the same house. The {{lang|pnt-latn|mas}} or {{lang|pnt-latn|strimnoman}} tradition likely evolved to maintain a hierarchy within the household and to reduce discord. According to this tradition, a woman who married into the family was expected to keep completely silent, only communicating through gestures, until the family allowed her to speak.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=127}}{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=45}} The tradition varied from region to region. In some areas, the new woman must keep silent until she bore a son. In others, she was expected to be silent for two years.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=45}}<ref name="weddings"/> Women without husbands had even less autonomy; widows were marginalized.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=57}} Widows wore very plain, dark clothing and typically stayed indoors.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

Patricia Fann Bouteneff, an academic who focuses on Pontian Greek culture and folklore, described the ideal Pontian wife: "She had a mouth, but she didn't have a voice."{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=45}} In folktales, Pontian women and girls are stereotyped as disloyal; they [[cuckold]] their husbands and betray their fathers.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|p=302}}

Clothing was an important part of the bride's dowry. Married women could continue to wear their bridal costume at formal occasions until they had children. Pregnant women avoided going outside; when out of doors, they wore very loose, modest clothes to protect their pregnancy from the [[evil eye]]. After having children, women also began to wear less colorful clothing.<ref name="Andrianopolou"/>

==Folktales==
Pontian folktales fall into multiple categories. [[Fable]]s are short stories with anthropomorphized characters used to teach a lesson. Simple tales, called {{lang|pnt-latn|mythoi}}, are similarly didactic. Longer, more complex tales typically exist for entertainment. Many are violent compared to other [[Modern Greek folklore|Greek folktales]].{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|p=293}} One such violent tale is "The Girl Whose Teeth Looked Like Hatchets" (Romeika: {{lang|pnt-latn|To koritsi pou eiche dontia san skeparnia}}), told in [[Amasya]]. This story follows a young girl with teeth the size and shape of [[hatchet]]s who indiscriminately kills and eats people.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=112-118}} Other Pontian folktales are humorous, such as {{lang|pnt-latn|O pilitsánon}} ("The Short Man"), whose protagonist believes that his pocketwatch has come to life. The tale is from Gümüșhane.<ref>O pilitsánon – The short man; performer: Ioannis Spyridis, camera/ interview: Thede Kahl, Andreea Pascaru, transcription/ translation: Thede Kahl, Savvas Mavridis, Sotirios Rousiakis, editor: Ani Antonova, retrieved from [www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH], ID-number: pont1253GRV0001a.</ref>

Pontian folktales have much in common with other Greek folktales, European folktales, and folktales of the Middle East. Many date to antiquity and include Ancient Greek monsters such as the [[cyclops]]. Others have medieval origins and religious themes. Still others are more recent.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|p=293}}

While English-language fairy tales often begin with the phrase "Once upon a time", Pontian folktales typically begin with "In the first times and in the silver years..."{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=52}} Clever, industrious, and morally upright characters are rewarded. The heroes of Pontian folktales are often socially disadvantaged: they may be very young, weak, or poor. Divine helpers appear in disguise, rewarding the righteous and punishing the immoral.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|pp=294-295}} Disguises are common; courageous heroines may disguise themselves as men to achieve their goals.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|p=309}} In European folktales, great detail is given to the punishment of a villain. In Pontian folktales, on the other hand, villains are often left to be punished by God.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=54}}

The tellers of tales are members of the community; Pontian communities did not have professional storytellers. People told folktales while doing work and at community gatherings.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=51}} Tales were often told around the hearth at home. Families participated in {{lang|pnt-latn|parakath}}, where family and friends gathered in a house in the evening to eat and talk. Often, housewives told tales at these {{lang|pnt-latn|parakathi}} while preparing coffee and serving food for the guests. The narrator prefaced her story by saying, "Anyone who is inside, stay in; and whoever is outside, stay out; and whoever needs to piss, let him go piss and come back," according to Xenophon Akoglous, who wrote about the folklore of Kotyora in the 20th century.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=66}}

Folktales told by women differ in many ways from them told by men. For example, female villains in stories told by women tend to be in-laws or witches; those in stories told by men tend to be direct female relatives or wives. Female narrators also tend to tell tales with female heroes, while male narrators tend to tell tales with male heroes. The heroines in women's folktales often struggle with going to live in their husbands' homes. They are more resourceful, morally righteous, and intelligent than heroines in men's folktales.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=64}} Folktales often end in marriage celebrations.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|pp=294-295}} Also, folktales differ from region to region of Pontos. Those from Kotyora are typically elaborate and include more features of Middle Eastern folktales, while those from Santa are typically violent and give female characters greater equality with males.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2007|p=55}} While most folktales are set in the Pontos, some are set in faraway locations such as England, Germany, and Austria.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|pp=301-302}}

Folktales were used to express beliefs about other ethnic groups and even teach these beliefs to children. One such tale is {{lang|pnt-latn|Xotlák}} ("Vampires") from Matzouka. According to superstition, an unbaptized person, especially a Turk, could turn into a {{lang|pnt-latn|xotlák}} (vampire) after their death. In this tale, a dead Turkish man climbed out of his grave and became a large dog. The dog followed a Pontian man all night; in the morning, the dog turned back into a human.<ref>Xotlák – The vampires; performer: Ioannis Amarantidis, camera/ interview/scientific advisor: Thede Kahl, transcription: Thede Kahl, Sotirios Rousiakis, translation: Sotirios Rousiakis, project coordinator: Andreea Pascaru, editor: Antonio Fichera, retrieved from www.oeaw.ac.at/VLACH, ID-number: pont1253GRV0008a.</ref> The tale reflects biased beliefs against all Muslims, but especially Turks.

While some folktales exist to teach a moral lesson, some exist to teach other lessons. For example, the Pontian version of "[[The Twelve Months (fairy tale)|The Twelve Months]]" can teach children the names of the months in Romeika.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|2003|p=302}}

Muslim speakers of Romeika do not typically tell Pontian folktales. Instead, they tell [[Turkish folklore|Turkish folktales]], such as stories of [[Nasreddin Hodja]].{{sfn|Michailidis|2016|p=87}}

==Architecture==
{{multiple image
 | align             = right
 | direction         = vertical
 | background color  = white
 | total_width       = 250
 | caption_align     = left
 | image1            = Sinop at foot of Hellenistic tower of north walls 9557.jpg
 | alt1              = Stone walls partially immersed in the sea
 | caption1          = Remains of [[Sinop Fortress|Sinope Fortress]]
 | image2            =
 | alt2              = Byzantine stone church
 | caption2          = St. Eugenios Church in Trabzon, now [[New Friday Mosque]]
 | image3            = Kizkalesi4.jpg
 | alt3              = Stone tower on an island
 | caption3          = Offshore castle in [[Rize]]
 | image4            = Unye-kalesi.jpg
 | alt4              = Stone fortifications on a mountain
 | caption4          = Oinaion Castle in modern [[Ünye]]
 | image5            = Trabzonhouse.jpg
 | alt5              = Old wood and brick house in the mountains
 | caption5          = Traditional house in rural Trabzon
}}

Examples of Pontian architecture date to the earliest Ancient Greek settlements in the region. Some Ancient Greek settlements which are still occupied include: 
*Amisus (now [[Samsun]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=92}}
*Kerasous (now [[Giresun]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=4}} 
*Kotyora (now [[Ordu]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=4}}
*Neocaesarea (now [[Niksar]])<ref>{{Cite PECS|Neocaesarea}}</ref> 
*[[Nicopolis (Armenia)|Nikopolis]] (now [[Koyulhisar]])<ref name="Barrington"/>
*Oiniaon (now [[Ünye]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=8}}
*Platana (now [[Akçaabat]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=10}} 
*Polemonion (now [[Fatsa]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=8}} 
*Sebastopolis (now [[Sulusaray]])<ref name=PECS>{{Cite PECS|sebastopolis-herakleopolis|Sebastopolis Herakleopolis}}</ref>
*Sinope (now [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinop]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=369}} 
*Trapezous (now called [[Trabzon]]){{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=2}}

Ancient Greek cities in the Pontos include [[Ancon (Pontus)|Ankon]], [[Argyria (Pontus)|Argyria]], [[Boon (Pontus)|Boon]], [[Eusene]], [[Gadilon]],[[Garzoubanthon]], [[Gaziura]], [[Gozalena]], [[Heracleium (Pontus)|Heracleium]], [[Hermonassa (Pontus)|Hermonassa]], [[Hieron Oros]], [[Hyssus]], [[Ibora]], [[Ischopolis]], [[Cabira|Kabeira]], [[Carussa|Karoussa]], [[Cizari|Kizari]], [[Comana Pontica|Komana Pontika]],<ref>{{citation |last=Wilson |first=D.R. |chapter=Comana Pontica |title=The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites |editor1-last=Stillwell |editor1-first=Richard |editor2-last=MacDonald |editor2-first=William L. |editor3-last=McAlister |editor3-first=Marian Holland |place=Princeton, NJ |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1976 |isbn=9780691035420 |chapter-url=http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:id=comana-pontica}}</ref> [[Coralla|Koralla]], [[Cordyle|Kordyle]], [[Cyptasia|Kyptasia]], [[Laodicea Pontica]], [[Libiopolis]], [[Naustathmus (Pontus)|Naustathmus]], [[Ophis (Pontus)|Ophis]], [[Phazemon]], [[Philocaleia]], [[Pida (Pontus)|Pida]], [[Potami (Paphlagonia)|Potami]], [[Saurania]], [[Syderos]], [[Themiscyra (Pontus)|Themiscyra]], [[Tripolis (Pontus)|Tripolis]], [[Virasia]], [[Zagorus]], and [[Zaliche]].<ref name="Barrington">{{Cite Barrington|87}}</ref>

Sinope was the earliest Greek colony on the Pontic coast, established by Ancient Greeks from [[Miletus]] in the 7th or 8th century BCE. Ancient writers describe a gymnasium, [[stoa]], [[agora]], and aqueduct, since lost.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=75}} The ancient [[Sinop Fortress]], large fortifications which served to wall and defend the city, may have been built by Ancient Greeks or by the [[Kingdom of Pontus|kings of Pontus]].<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://en.unesco.org/silkroad/countries-alongside-silk-road-routes/turkey | title = Trading Posts and Fortifications on Genoese Trade Routes from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea | publisher = [[UNESCO]] | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150912062757/http://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5825/ | archive-date = 12 September 2015}}</ref>{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=70}} The fortifications were rebuilt and improved over the centuries. They contain many inscriptions in Greek, Latin, and Arabic.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=74}} Kerasous (now Giresun) had similar fortifications.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|pp=130-131}} Archaeologists have discovered many rock tombs and necropolises from different cultures around the Pontos region. The [[Tombs of the kings of Pontus]] in Amasya is a more well-known example of a Pontian rock tomb, with many [[Kingdom of Pontus|Pontic kings]] interred there in the 100s and 200s BCE.<ref name="unesco">{{cite web |title=Mount Harşena and the Rrock-tombs of the Pontic Kings |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6039/ |website=United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |publisher=Permanent Delegation of Turkey to UNESCO |date=2015}}</ref>

Some structures date to [[Roman Anatolia|Roman times]]. One such structure is [[Balatlar Church]], which may have been a public bath or gymnasium before its later use as a church.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Alper |first1=Eda Güngör |title=Hellenistic and Roman Period Ceramic Finds from the Balatlar Church Excavations in Sinop between 2010-2012 |journal=Anatolia Antiqua |date=2014 |volume=22 |pages=35–49 |url=https://journals.openedition.org/anatoliaantiqua/289}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Yuksel |first1=Fethi Ahmet |last2=Koroglu |first2=Gulgun |last3=Yildiz |first3=Mehmet Safi |title=Archaeogeophysical Studies Conducted on Sinop Balatlar Church |journal=Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems 2012 |series=Symposium on the Application of Geophysics to Engineering and Environmental Problems Proceedings |date=January 2012 |pages=610 |doi=10.4133/1.4721889 |url=https://library.seg.org/doi/abs/10.4133/1.4721889|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Many frescoes were added in 1640; some remain, heavily damaged by vandalism.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=87}}

Other structures were originally built as churches or monasteries. Three large, rural monasteries of the [[Maçka|Matzouka]] region—[[Vazelon Monastery|Vazelon]], [[Sumela Monastery|Soumela]], and [[Peristera Monastery|Peristera]]—were all built during Roman or Byzantine times, with Peristera built last, likely during the 8th century.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=254}} Vazelon and Soumela were likely founded in the 3rd or 4th century CE.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Demciuc |first1=Vasile M. |last2=Köse |first2=İsmail |title=Vazelon (St. John) Monastery of Maçka Trebizond |journal=Codrul Cosminului |date=July 2014 |volume=20 |issue=1 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/293440517  |language=Romanian, English|issn=1224-032X}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Sagona |first1=A. G. |title=The Heritage of Eastern Turkey: From Earliest Settlements to Islam |date=2006 |publisher=Macmillan Education AU, 2006 |isbn=9781876832056 |page=172}}</ref> These were male monasteries; [[Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery]] in Trapezounta was a women's monastery, endowed by [[Irene of Trebizond|Empress Irene]] in the 1340s. Like many churches and monasteries in the region, part of Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery was built into a cave. [[Anthony Bryer]], a British [[Byzantinist]], believes that the cave housing the church was once used to worship [[Mithras]].{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=245}}

During the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine era]], further structures were built, including a number of castles. One is [[Samsun Castle]], which was likely built by the Byzantines and expanded by the Turks at a later date. Anthony Bryer speculates that the lower portion of the castle was built in 1194 by Byzantines, while the upper portion was added by Turks after 1214.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=94}} [[Oinaion Castle]] in modern Ünye may have been built by the Trapezuntines in the 14th century, or even earlier, by the Byzantines.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|pp=102-103}} The Byzantines and their successors, the [[Empire of Trebizond|Trapezuntines]], built many fortifications, fortresses, and castles across the region. One such Trapezuntine fortress stands outside modern Fatsa,{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|pp=112-113}} another in Tirebolu.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=141}} In contrast to churches, castles, fortifications, and school buildings, homes were usually built from wood.{{sfn|Bryer|1986|p=58}}

In Ottoman times, Pontians built villages, schools, and churches. The villages of Santa (today [[Dumanlı]]) were established by Pontians, possibly as early as the 1600s. Many stone buildings erected by the Pontian residents, including houses, schools, and churches, still stand.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bryer |first1=Anthony |title=Peoples and Settlement in Anatolia and the Caucasus, 800-1900 |date=1988 |publisher=Variorum Reprints |isbn=9780860782223 |page=234 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4RpAAAAMAAJ |quote=New Greek settlements sprung up south of the Pontic Alps in the highland valleys of Torul (6), Zigana (3)...and Santa (4) especially}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Works initiated for concrete structures in Santa ruins |url=https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/works-initiated-for-concrete-structures-in-santa-ruins-134257 |website=Hurriyet Daily News |date=July 6, 2018}}</ref> At [[Cape Jason]] near [[Sinop, Turkey|Sinope]], a Greek Orthodox church stands dating to the late 1868.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=121}} Wealthy Pontians in Trapezounta built the [[Phrontisterion of Trapezous]] in 1902.<ref>{{cite book | last1= Bryer |first1=Anthony  |last2=Winfield|first2=David | title= The post-Byzantine monuments of Pontos | publisher=Ashgate | year=2006 |isbn= 978-0-86078-864-5 |page=XXXIII}}</ref> The school had previously operated at Soumela Monastery.<ref>{{cite web | last=Salvanou |first=Emilia | title=Φροντιστήριο Τραπεζούντας ("Phrontisterion of Trapezous")| url=http://www.ehw.gr/asiaminor/Forms/fLemmaBodyExtended.aspx?lemmaID=6622 | access-date=2010-10-14|work=Εγκυκλοπαίδεια Μείζονος Ελληνισμού, Μ. Ασία} |language=el}}</ref> The building still stands, functioning as a Turkish school.{{sfn|Bryer|Winfield|1985|p=217}}

==Religion==
{{multiple image
 | align             = left
 | direction         = vertical
 | background color  = white
 | total_width       = 300
 | caption_align     = left
 | image1            = Trabzon Hagia Sophia Resurrection 4857.jpg
 | alt1              = Byzantine fresco of Christ carrying a cross, surrounded by holy men.
 | caption1          = Fresco at the [[Hagia Sophia, Trabzon|Hagia Sophia of Trapezounta]] depicts the [[Harrowing of Hell]].
 | image2            = Hagia Sophia (Trabzon, Turkey) (27813755293).jpg
 | alt2              = Small Byzantine church
 | caption2          = Hagia Sophia of Trapezounta, a Greek Orthodox church likely built during the reign of [[Manuel I Komnenos]]. It was converted to a mosque after Turkish conquest; the [[minaret]] is visible in the background.
 | image3            = 61750 Altındere-Maçka-Trabzon, Turkey - panoramio (6).jpg
 | alt3              = Vandalized Byzantine frescoes
 | caption3          = Vandalized frescoes at [[Sumela Monastery]]. The faces have been picked away.
}}

Pontians traditionally practice [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodoxy]], and have since Roman times.{{sfn|Bryer|1980|p=36}} Some practice [[Sunni Islam]]. Many still live in Turkey; as Muslims, they were exempt from the population exchange in the early 1920s. Different communities converted to Islam for numerous reasons. A small minority of Pontians are [[Protestant]], mostly owing to the evangelizing of 19th-century western missionaries.

Some early Christian saints and martyrs came from the Pontos region; not all of them were Pontian Greek. [[Saint Phocas]], for example, was a martyr from 4th century Sinope on the Black Sea. He became the patron saint of sailors on the Black Sea and Eastern Mediterranean.<ref>{{cite web |title=Phocas of Sinope |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100323570 |website=Oxford Reference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240616102122/https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803100323570 |archive-date=June 16, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Eugenios of Trebizond]], a Pontian, was also martyred by the Romans. In hagiographies, he was said to have worked miracles. He enjoyed a cult following in the Pontos beginning in the 1100s. Pilgrims visited the [[New Friday Mosque|Hagios Eugenios Church]] in Trapezounta, which was converted to a mosque after Turkish occupation.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rosenqvist |first1=Jan Olof |title=Local Worshipers, Imperial Patrons: Pilgrimage to St. Eugenios of Trebizond |journal=[[Dumbarton Oaks Papers]] |date=2002 |volume=56 |pages=193–212 |doi=10.2307/1291862 |jstor=1291862 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1291862|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Another was [[Gregory Thaumaturgus]], a third-century Pontian bishop from [[Neocaesarea]] who was said to work miracles.<ref>{{cite web |title=St Gregory Thaumaturgus |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095907241?p=emailAo30aaHCpQPsE&d=/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095907241 |website=Oxford Reference |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630135902/https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095907241?p=emailAo30aaHCpQPsE&d=/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095907241 |archive-date=June 30, 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

One [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|patriarch of Constantinople]], [[John VIII of Constantinople]], was born in Trapezounta {{circa}} 1110. He has been canonized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church.<ref>{{cite book |title=Xiphilinos, John VIII |url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662624.001.0001/acref-9780198662624-e-6173 |location=Oxford Reference |date=January 2010 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-866262-4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201053228/http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780198662624.001.0001/acref-9780198662624-e-6173 |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The monastic tradition was important to Greek Orthodoxy in the Pontos. Scholar Anthony Bryer estimates that there were around 700 monasteries in the Byzantine Empire from its early history up until the twelfth century, with half of these in Constantinople.{{sfn|Bryer|1980|pp=219-220}} Royals and wealthy laypeople funded the monasteries.{{sfn|Bryer|1980|p=224}} The typical monastery had between ten and twenty monks{{sfn|Bryer|1980|p=225}} Some of the monasteries in the Pontos with visible remains include [[Sumela Monastery]], [[Vazelon Monastery]], [[Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery]], [[Kuştul Monastery|Peristera Monastery]], and [[Virgin Mary Monastery]]. Panagia Theoskepastos Monastery was a women's monastery. Rural monasteries such as Sumela and Vazelon were much more likely to survive Turkish conquest than urban monasteries. Urban monasteries were more likely to be pillaged after conquest, and projects of [[Turkification]] were focused on the cities more than on rural areas.{{sfn|Bryer|1980|pp=233-236}} Rural monasteries had dependent peasants called {{lang|pnt-latn|paroikoi}}, which paid tribute to the monastery.{{sfn|Bryer|1986|p=57}}

During the {{lang|pnt-latn|Tourkokratia}}, or centuries of Turkish colonial rule [[Siege of Trebizond (1461)|beginning in 1461]], the majority of Pontians held onto their Orthodox faith. They were obligated to pay the [[haraç]], a land tax levied on non-Muslim subjects of the Empire.{{sfn|Bryer|1980|p=43}} Others converted to Islam in pursuit of wealth, power, and higher social status.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=172}} Many grand cathedrals and churches of the Pontos were converted into mosques for the Turkish colonists, mirroring the infamous conversion of the [[Hagia Sophia]] in Constantinople.{{sfn|Bryer|1980|p=41}} During the 1500s and 1600s, Turkish lords pushed Pontians out of their traditional farmland. They fled to high mountain villages, establishing such settlements as Of, [[Çaykara]], Santa, Kurum, and Stavri-Imera. Many of the inhabitants were [[Crypto-Christianity|crypto-Christians]] who only declared their religion after the [[Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856]]. Many of the mountain villagers managed to avoid the haraç because the Ottoman government simply failed to record or acknowledge their settlements.{{sfn|Bryer|1980|p=48}}

Crypto-Christianity in the Pontos is complex. In Romeika, Muslims who followed Christian practices were called {{lang|pnt-latn|klostoi}}, meaning "turned".{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=167}} The dominant narrative in Greece is that the Crypto-Christians superficially converted to Islam, continued to practice Christianity in private, and declared themselves Christians once they felt safe to do so.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=168}} One notable group of Pontian crypto-Christians were the Kromlides, named for their origins in Kromni.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=166}} They often bore both a Muslim and a Christian name.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=169}} Many were linked to mining communities and as such enjoyed special privileges, such as exemption from military service and certain taxes.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=173}} As the mines began to fail in the mid-19th century, some may have declared themselves Christians so they could continue to evade military service.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=173}} Declarations of religion were often political rather than being solely based in faith. The Kromlides declared themselves Christians in 1857, while the Stavriotes, another crypto-Christian mining group, declared their faith in 1876 after the [[Constitution of the Ottoman Empire]] was signed.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=182}} The Kromlides and Stavriotes were eventually accepted as Orthodox Christians and deported with the rest of Turkey's Greek Orthodox community in 1923.{{sfn|Tzedopoulos|2009|p=184}}

In addition to Greek Orthodox and Sunni Muslim Pontians, there exists a small Protestant minority. This minority owes its existence to the evangelism of Western missionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries. Beginning in 1818, the [[American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions]] decided to send missions to West Asia, primarily Palestine and Ottoman Anatolia. They hoped to revive "oriental" churches, which they viewed as ignorant and backwards. In doing so, they hoped that the Christians' Muslim neighbors might also convert to Protestantism.{{sfn|Augustinos|1986|p=129}} The Board described the Greek Orthodox church as "primitive" and in need of revival.{{sfn|Augustinos|1986|p=130}} American missionaries first arrived in Smyrna in 1820. They were met with hostility by the local Christians and indifference by the local Muslims.{{sfn|Augustinos|1986|p=131}} They found more success in establishing schools for the local community.{{sfn|Augustinos|1986|p=133}} The missionaries also distributed Bibles in Greek.{{sfn|Augustinos|1986|p=134}} The Board opened a mission site in Trapezounta to preach to Pontians, with some success.{{sfn|Augustinos|1986|p=137}}

==Theatre==
Modern Pontian theatre describes the theatrical tradition of Pontians in Greece after the [[Population exchange between Greece and Turkey|population exchange]]. Plays are typically in Romeika and focus on Pontian themes.{{sfn|Fann|1991|p=107}} Theatre is a means through which Pontians in Greece maintain a sense of cohesive cultural identity and remember their origins, specifically to resist the threat of complete assimilation into wider Greek culture.{{sfn|Fann|1991|p=112}} This theatre tends to present a cohesive "pan-Pontic" identity and an idyllic view of village life.{{sfn|Fann|1991|p=112}} Theatre is a way of preserving Pontian culture, folklore, and traditions.{{sfn|Fann|1991|p=120}}

Pontian plays, like Pontian folktales, tend to feature underdog characters such as poor widows, orphans, and migrants. They may succeed through supernatural means, internal strength, or deception.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|p=56}} In Stathis Efstathiadis' ''Trygona'' (1969), the eponymous heroine is a battered wife who must save herself and her daughter from predatory men with her wits alone. Other Pontian playwrights include Anna Vafeiadou, Polykarpos Haitas, and Filon Ktenidis. Also like Pontian folktales, Pontian plays typically end with a wedding.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|p=57}} The focus on weddings is a way for playwrights to show, and the audience to believe, that the Pontian people have a future.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|p=59}}

Pontian plays are not necessarily all idealized historical works about life before the exchange, however. For example, Stathis Efstathiadis wrote a play focusing on Pontians during the [[Greek Civil War]].{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|pp=48-49}} Some plays are historical dramas; one by Xenophon Akoglous focuses on Pontian guerrillas during the Greek genocide.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|p=58}}

Pontian theatre troupes exist in Athens and throughout northern Greece to perform Pontian plays. The first of these troupes was founded in 1949.{{sfn|Fann Bouteneff|1996|p=49}}

==Holidays==
===Lent and Easter===
[[Easter]] is traditionally the most important holiday for Greek Orthodox Pontians. Pontians fasted for the first three days of [[Lent]] ({{lang|pnt|Sarakosti}}) then attended church and broke their fast.<ref name="Easter">{{cite web |title=Easter in Pontus |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/247-easter-in-pontus |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref> This tradition was called {{lang|pnt-latn|Aethodorizo}}. They also fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent. Parents hung a potato with seven feathers stuck in it from the ceiling. This potato, called a {{lang|pnt-latn|koukara}}, supposedly watched over the children. Adults told children that the {{lang|pnt-latn|koukara}} would notice if they did anything forbidden, such as breaking their fast or dancing. The family pulled out one feather each week.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=133-134}}  On the Saturday before [[Palm Sunday]], which Pontians call St. Lazarus, women made {{lang|pnt-latn|kerkele}}, Easter cookies, to give to the local children.<ref name="topalideaster"/>

On Palm Sunday, the children received palm fronds in church. They went door to door performing traditional chants. They received Easter cookies called [[koulourakia|kerkele]], candy, money, and eggs.<ref name="Easter"/> Throughout [[Holy Week]], the women of the community prepared for Easter Sunday by cleaning their homes, cleaning the local church, and making new clothes to be worn during the Easter service. They made {{lang|pnt-latn|tsourekia}}, a type of sweet bread, on [[Maundy Thursday]]. They also made colored eggs on this day.  The village priest anointed the faithful with holy oil.<ref name="topalideaster">{{cite web |last1=Topalidis |first1=Sam |title=Greek Orthodox Easter Celebrations in Pontos |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/251-greek-orthodox-easter-celebrations-in-pontos-2 |website=Pontos World |date=2016}}</ref><ref name="Easter"/> On [[Good Friday]], young women in the community prepared the [[epitaphios (liturgical)|epitaphios]] in the church and decorated it with wildflowers.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=134}}

[[Easter Sunday]] was a joyous holiday. People attended church services at four in the morning for the liturgy. Rifles were fired and dances performed to celebrate the [[resurrection of Christ]]. The priest began the first dance. Then, they went home to sing, dance, feast, and play games.  People made [[Easter eggs]] in different colors and competed with [[egg tapping]], called {{lang|pnt-latn|tsougrisma}}.<ref name="Easter"/> They had a large Easter meal, usually meat or fish.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=134-135}} A second church service was held later in the day. Afterward, people gathered in a public place to dance to the music of the [[tulum (bagpipe)|touloum]]. Dancing lasted all night. Children also rolled their eggs down hills, a variant on egg tapping.<ref name="topalideaster"/>

On the [[Second Sunday of Easter]], or [[Thomas the Apostle|St. Thomas]] Sunday, people took food and wine to the cemetery and dined on the graves of deceased relatives. This is a way to honor the dead. Some Pontians living in Greece and the Caucasus still practice this tradition.<ref name="topalideaster"/>

===Celebration of Mary===
Pontians celebrated the [[Virgin Mary]] on August 15. People gathered at [[Soumela Monastery]] and held icons of Mary.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=139-140}}

==={{lang|pnt-latn|Momogeri}}===
[[File:20111230 Mwmogeroi street theater new year pontic tradition Komotini West Thrace Greece.ogv|thumb|right|alt=Video of people dancing in strange costumes|Momogeri performance in [[Komotini]], Greece, 2011]]
{{lang|pnt-latn|Momogeri}}{{efn|Also spelled as {{lang|pnt-latn|momoyeri}} or {{lang|pnt-latn|momoeri}}}} is a lighthearted winter tradition, traditionally held between December 24 (Christmas Eve) and January 7th ([[John the Baptist|St. John's Day]]). The satirical tradition may be named for [[Momus]], the Greek deity of mockery.<ref>{{cite web |title=Οι Μωμόγεροι – Μαμώεροι |url=https://www.lelevose.gr/oi-momogeroi-mamoeroi/ |website=Lelevose |language=el |date=December 28, 2023}}</ref> It has its roots in ancient Greek folk performances.<ref>{{cite web |title=Μωμόγεροι |url=http://www.dimos-krousson.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=25 |website=Δήμος Κρουσσών |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100802015530/http://www.dimos-krousson.gr/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=25 |archive-date=August 2, 2010 |language=el |url-status=dead}}</ref> Momogeri is a public performance that blends folk dance and theatre. The performers themselves are called {{lang|pnt-latn|momogeri}}, which can be translated as "[[mummer]]s". They perform public plays, typically on the street or in someone's home.{{sfn|Morgan|1990|p=144}} Teacher and historian Christos Samoulidis described fifty separate {{lang|pnt-latn|momgoeri}} plays from the Pontos.{{sfn|Morgan|1990|p=143}}

Troupes of {{lang|pnt-latn|momgoeri}} may vary in size. They can range from fifteen to almost thirty people, with nine or ten being typical. The performers are all male, typically between age 15 and 25. The {{lang|pnt-latn|momgoeri}} themselves are also accompanied by dancers and musicians. Young boys may also accompany the troupe to sing {{lang|pnt-latn|kalanda}}, or begging carols, somewhat like "[[We Wish You a Merry Christmas]]" in English.{{sfn|Morgan|1990|p=145}} The performers may be dress as numerous stock characters: a bride, soldier, old woman, lead mummer (Chief Momoeros), doctor, devil, shepherd, camel, Horseman, Kizir (hero), various livestock, and Father Christmas.<ref>{{cite web |title=Momogeri: A Pontic Greek Custom |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/249-momogeri |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref>{{sfn|Morgan|1990|pp=145-146}}

Typically, the troupe asks permission to enter a house and may go over ritualized introductions to the members of the household. The performance may be preceded by caroling; it is typically always preceded by dancing. Then the {{lang|pnt-latn|momgoeri}} perform the play.{{sfn|Morgan|1990|p=145}} The players may ask for payment after the play or even as part of the performance - for example, the doctor character requests a fee to perform his services, which is provided by the audience. Householders may also provide the performers with food.{{sfn|Morgan|1990|p=149}}

{{lang|pnt-latn|Momgoeri}} plays tend to fall into three categories: combat, abduction, and fainting. In the combat play, one man kills or gravely injures another, and other characters revive him, often via humorous and vulgar means (such as a young woman farting on his face). The play may also involve mourning the dead man, sending for the doctor, and involving the local authorities before the victim is eventually revived. In an abduction play, some characters abduct a young bride, and other characters must find and rescue her.<ref>{{cite web |title=Βίντεο: Οι Μωμόγεροι της Κοζάνης αναβιώνουν στους -11 βαθμούς |url=https://www.protothema.gr/greece/article/643258/video-oi-momogeroi-tis-kozanis-anavionoun-stous-11-vathmous/ |website=Protothema |language=el |date=January 7, 2017}}</ref> In the fainting play, a person - typically a young woman - faints, and the other characters must revive them.{{sfn|Morgan|1990|pp=147-148}}

Modern Pontic folk dance groups in the diaspora, especially in Greece, perform Momogeri yearly.<ref>{{cite web |title=Melbourne braces up for Momogeri invasion |url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/2018/02/09/news/australia/melbourne-braces-up-for-momogeri-invasion/ |website=Neos Kosmos |date=February 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Keisoglou |first1=Vasilis |title=Pontian Akritai host Apokries party and perform Momogeri dance |url=https://cosmosphilly.com/pontian-akritai-host-apokries-party-and-perform-momogeri-dance/ |website=Cosmos Philly |date=February 24, 2015}}</ref>

===Christmas and New Year's Eve===
On [[Christmas Eve]], school-age children went from door to door singing Christmas carols. When the church bells rang at four in the morning, families placed a great log, called a {{lang|pnt-latn|christokour}} in the fire to keep the fire burning all Christmas Day.{{efn|In some regions, rather than burn a great log, people burned a small branch from a pear tree.}} Then they went to church service. People visited their relatives and friends for three days of dancing and feasting. Children received small gifts. These were the three days of Christmas, called {{lang|pnt-latn|christoimera}}.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=136}}<ref name="xmas">{{cite web |title=Christmas in Pontus |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/246-christmas-in-pontus |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref>

Between December 25, Christmas, and January 6, the [[Epiphany (holiday)|Epiphany]], Pontians believed that evil spirits called {{lang|pnt-latn|piziala}} roamed the Earth. This period was called {{lang|pnt-latn|dodekaimeron}}. The {{lang|pnt-latn|piziala}} were believed to encourage sin, so people avoided holding weddings and tried to avoid traveling at night.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=135}}

On [[New Year's Eve]], Pontian families cleaned the house. Children went from home to home singing carols to [[St. Basil of Caesarea]]. They received candy, nuts, dried fruit, and money. At home, families ate nuts and pie. The household stayed up late to tell tales and riddles until almost midnight. St. Basil supposedly passed over during the night to leave New Year's gifts for the children.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=136-137}}

==Marriage and family==
[[File:Yunanlilar Trabzon.JPG|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Black-and-white family photo, multiple generations|Urban Pontian family poses for a photograph in [[Trabzon|Trapezounta]], early 1900s. Most wear Western clothes.]]
Pontian marriages were typically [[arranged marriage|arranged]]. [[Matchmaking|Matchmakers]] played an important role in arranging marriage between young people. Age at marriage differed from region to region. In [[Crypto-Christianity|crypo-Christian]] communities in Kromni, near [[Gümüşhane]], girls married between the ages of 12 and 14, the same as Muslim girls did in the region. Boys also married young, but were typically slightly older than their brides.<ref name="weddings"/> In others, such as the village of Iondone (Agios Antonios) near [[Fatsa]], neither sex married until age 21, according to a woman who grew up there.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Halo |first1=Thea |author-link=Thea Halo |title=[[Not Even My Name]] |date=2000 |publisher=[[Picador]] |isbn=9780312277017 |pages=56–58}}</ref>

The family of the bride gave a large [[dowry]] to the family of the groom. Pontic Greek society is [[patrilineal]]: the bride traditionally took the name of the groom, and her children would take the father's name. Pontian names traditionally end in {{lang|pnt-latn|-idou}} or {{lang|pnt-latn|-ides/-idis}}, suffixes which mean "daughter of" and "son of" respectively. So, for example, a married couple might be Mr. Nikolaidis and Mrs. Nikolaidou. The surname is the same, but the gendered suffix is different. Additionally, Pontians traditionally practiced [[patrilocal marriage]]. The sons stayed home with their parents, while the daughters married and went to live with their husbands' families. The opposite occasionally occurred if a family had no sons. The daughters stayed at home; the daughter's husbands moved into the home and took the family name. In either case, households were multigenerational, with a couple, their sons, their daughters-in-law, and their grandchildren living in the same home.<ref name="weddings">{{cite web |last1=Topalidis |first1=Sam |title=Greek Orthodox Weddings in Pontos |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/250-greek-orthodox-weddings-in-pontos-2 |website=Pontos World |date=2015}}</ref> The grandparents, especially the grandmothers, traditionally play an important role in raising children and running the household.{{sfn|Liddle|2013|p=72}} The grandmother traditionally held authority over other women in the household. She assigned housework, mediated conflict, and intervened when male householders abused their authority over the women.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kalomana: The Pontic Greek Grandmother |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/248-kalomana |website=Pontos World|date=7 February 2017 }}</ref>

The actual wedding ceremony and preparations differed depending on the location. Traditionally, weddings occurred on Sundays. Wedding preparations, dancing, and feasting happened in the days leading up to the wedding. People received gifts as wedding invitations. One tradition leading up to the wedding is the shaving and beautifying of the groom.{{sfn|Liddle|2013|p=78}} The bride's clothing differed from region to region, but she traditionally wore a red or white veil, fine clothes, two headdresses, and golden jewelry.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=124-125}} In most regions, the groom and his family went to get the best man from his house; then they both went together to get the bride and bridesmaids from the bride's house. The tradition of picking up the bride, which may have involved elaborate musical performances and gift exchanges, is called {{lang|pnt-latn|nyfeparman}}. Then, the whole group went to the church.{{efn|Crypto-Christian communities held the religious ceremony within a house rather than a church.}} Dances differed between villages, but in many areas, the newlyweds performed the Isaiah dance around a table during the church ceremony. The wedding ended with further dancing.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=126-127}}

==Death and funerals==
Funeral traditions differ from region to region. As most Pontians are Greek Orthodox, funeral traditions typically follow [[Memorial service in the Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern Orthodox memorial services]]. In many parts, for example [[Ordu|Kotyora]], the dead were dressed in fine clothes.<ref name="varvounis">{{cite journal |last1=Varvounis |first1=Manolis G. |title=Death Costume and Ritual Lament in Greek Folk Tradition (19th – 20th Century) |journal=Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences |date=2015 |volume=7 |issue=2 |pages=299–317 |issn=1944-1088}}</ref> Deceased newlyweds were buried in their wedding clothes.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=130}} In Kromni and nearby villages, it was common to mark the grave with a [[gravestone]] in the shape of a church.<ref name="funerals"/>

===Funeral and memorial===
While a person was dying, they gave relatives their blessing. They also received communion. The person was supposed to die surrounded by family; if they were apart from family, their soul would be at risk. After death, the neighbors would gather in the house to pay their respects. Relatives washed the dead person and dressed them in a shroud. The deceased was then placed in bed until the local carpenter could make a casket. The family dressed in black and sat around the bed with the dead person. The family stayed with the dead person until the casket was complete and the priest arrived, usually within a day. Upon the arrival of the priest, the women of the household wailed. One common lament was "{{lang|pnt-latn|Nto tha inoumes, nto tha 
ftame}}" ("What has happened to us? What are we going to do?") {{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|pp=130-131}}

The deceased ({{langx|pnt|apothaméno}})<ref name="varvounis"/> was placed in the casket with wildflowers and a pillow for their head. During the funeral procession, the women wailed. Someone carried {{lang|pnt-latn|[[kollyva]]}}, a wheat dish made specifically for funerals. The kollyva contained raisins, sugar, pomegranate seeds, and nuts. The other villagers joined the funeral procession. The people sang laments. The funeral procession went to the church for a funeral service. Then, they went outside to the graveyard. Volunteers dug the grave, and the pillow beneath the deceased's head was replaced with a pillow of dirt. The priest threw dirt on the grave first, followed by the other mourners. A candle was placed on the grave; the candle stayed lit for forty days. On the fortieth day, the person's soul was believed to ascend to Heaven. During this time, women wore black, and men did not shave or cut their hair.<ref name="funerals"/>

In small crypo-Christian communities, families buried their dead in secret with Orthodox rites on their own property. In larger communities, they immediately sewed the dead person into a shroud and delivered them to the local mosque.<ref name="funerals"/>{{efn|The shrouding was useful to hide the fact that Christian men, unlike Muslims, were [[circumcision|uncircumcised]].}}

===Superstitions around death===
Owls are traditionally viewed as bad luck in Asia Minor.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Üyesi Ece Serrican Kabalcı |title=Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar'ın Romanlarında Baykuş |journal=Karadeniz Araştırmaları |date=2021 |volume=71 |pages=763–774 |trans-title=Owl in the Novels of Hüseyin Rahmi Gürpınar |language=tr |issn=2536-5126}}</ref> According to local superstitions in [[Dumanlı|Santa]], an owl on the roof was a sign that someone would die. Other superstitions around death also existed: for example, a dream about losing teeth indicated the death of a relative. Superstitions varied between regions. In Santa, after a death, the family would empty all the water jugs in the house, chase the cats outside, and open the windows. After a murder, the mother of the murdered individual would not eat meat from any animal killed during a hunt.{{sfn|Papadopoulos|1984|p=133}} It was also believed that a person could rise from the dead as a {{lang|pnt-latn|hortlak}} if they left unpaid debts.<ref name="funerals">{{cite web |last1=Topalidis |first1=Sam |title=Christian Greek Funeral Rituals in Pontos |url=https://pontosworld.com/index.php/pontus/customs-folklore/252-christian-greek-funeral-rituals-in-pontos-2 |website=Pontos World |date=2016}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
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* {{cite book |last=Bryer |first=Anthony |title=The Empire of Trebizond and the Pontos |date=1980 |publisher=Variorum Reprints |isbn=9780860780625 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9YcJAQAAIAAJ}}
* {{cite book |last1=Bryer |first1=Anthony |last2=Winfield |first2=David |title=The Byzantine Monuments and Topography of the Pontos, Volumes I and II|date=1985 |publisher=Dumbarton Oaks Papers |isbn=0-88402-122-X}}
* {{cite book |last=Bryer |first=Anthony |title=Continuity and Change in Late Byzantine and Early Ottoman Society: Papers Given at a Symposium at Dumbarton Oaks in May 1982 |date=1986 |publisher=University of Birmingham |isbn=9780704407480 |oclc=260168166 |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/260168166}}
*{{cite book |last1=Drettas |first1=Georges |title=Aspects pontiques |date=1997 |publisher=Association de recherches pluridisciplinaires |isbn=2951034903 |language=French}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Fann |first1=Patricia |title=Pontic Performance: Minority Theater vs. Greek Ideology |journal=Journal of Modern Greek Studies |date=1991 |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=107–122 |doi=10.1353/mgs.2010.0098 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Fann Bouteneff |first1=Patricia |title=Exiles on Stage: Greek Pontian Theater, 1922-1972 |journal=Journal of Modern Greek Studies |date=1996 |volume=14 |issue=1 |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/21737 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |issn=1086-3265}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Fann Bouteneff |first1=Patricia |title=Greek Folktales from Imera, Pontos |journal=[[Fabula (journal)|Fabula]] |date=2003 |volume=44 |issue=3–4 |pages=292–312 |doi=10.1515/fabl.2003.018}}
*{{cite book |last1=Fann Bouteneff |first1=Patricia |editor1-last=Buturović |editor1-first=Amila |editor2-last=Schick |editor2-first=İrvin Cemil |title=Women in the Ottoman Balkans: Gender, Culture, and History |date=2007 |publisher=[[I. B. Tauris]] |isbn=9781845115050 |pages=45–72 |chapter=Persecution and perfidy: women’s and men’s worldviews in Pontic Greek folktales}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Georgoulas |first1=Renee |last2=Southcott |first2=Jane |title=A case study of a Greek Australian traditional dancer: Embodying identity through musicking |journal=Victorian Journal of Music Education |date=2015 |volume=1 |pages=9–17}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Ioannidou |first1=Elena |title=Language Contact and Borders among Pontic Greek and Cypriot Greek in Karpasia, Cyprus: Yours Don't Match with Ours |journal=Languages |date=2022 |volume=7 |issue=253 |page=253 |doi=10.3390/languages7040253 |doi-access=free}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Janse |first1=Mark |title=Aspects of Pontic Grammar |journal=Journal of Greek Linguistics |date=2002 |volume=3 |pages=203–231 |publisher=[[John Benjamins Publishing Company]] |doi=10.1075/jgl.3.10jan |issn=1569-9846|doi-access=free }}
*{{cite book |last1=Kaltsa |first1=Maria |last2=Sitaridou |first2=Ioanna |editor1-last=Ralli |editor1-first=Angela |editor2-last=Joseph |editor2-first=Brian D. |editor3-last=Janse |editor3-first=Mark |editor4-last=Karasimos |editor4-first=Athanasios |title=E-Proceedings of 4th Modern Greek Dialects and Linguistic Theory |date=2010 |publisher=[[University of Patras]] |pages=259–279 |chapter=Topicalization in Pontic Greek}}
*{{cite thesis| last=Liddle |first=Valerie |date=2013 |title=Exile and migration of Pontic Greeks: the experience of loss as the presence of absence |type=PhD |publisher=[[University of Adelaide]]}}
*{{cite book |last1=Liddle |first1=Valerie |editor1-last=Hemer |editor1-first=Susan R. |editor2-last=Dundon |editor2-first=Alison |title=Emotions, Senses, Spaces: Ethnographic Engagements and Intersections |date=2016 |publisher=University of Adelaide Press |isbn=9781925261271 |pages=49–65 |url=https://www.adelaide.edu.au/press/ua/media/124/uap-emotions-ebook.pdf |chapter=Pontic dance: Feeling the absence of homeland}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Mackridge |first1=Peter |title=The Pontic Dialect: A Corrupt Version of Ancient Greek? |journal=Journal of Refugee Studies |date=October 1991 |volume=4 |issue=4 |pages=335–339 |doi=10.1093/jrs/4.4.335 |publisher=Oxford University Press}}
*{{cite thesis |last=Michailidis |first=Nikos |date=2016 |title=Soundscapes of Trabzon: Music, Memory, and Power in Turkey |type=PhD |publisher=[[Princeton University]]}} 
*{{cite journal |last1=Morgan |first1=Gareth |title=The Mummers of Pontus |journal=Folklore |date=1990 |volume=101 |issue=2 |pages=143–151 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1260317 |publisher=Taylor & Francis|doi=10.1080/0015587X.1990.9715788 |jstor=1260317 |url-access=subscription }}
*{{cite thesis |last=Papadopoulos |first=Steve |date=1984 |title=Events and Cultural Characteristics Regarding the Pontian-Greeks and Their Descendants |type=PhD |publisher=[[New York University]]}} 
*{{cite journal |last1=Şentürk |first1=Onur |title=Karadeniz Kemençesinin Yunanistan'daki İcra Geleneği |journal=Erdem |date=June 2020 |issue=78 |pages=189–212 |doi=10.32704/erdem.749159 |trans-title=Traditional Playing of the Black Sea Fiddle in Greece |language=Turkish |issn=1010-867X|doi-access=free }}
*{{cite thesis |last=Tsekouras |first=Ioannis |date=2016 |title=Nostalgia, Emotionality, and Ethno-Regionalism in Pontic ''Parakathi'' Singing |type=PhD |publisher=[[University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign]]}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Tsekouras |first1=Ioannis |title=Pastures of Love, Mountains of Sacrifice: Ιmaginings of Pontic Homelands in Parakathi Singing and the Postmemory of Trauma |journal=[[Journal of Modern Greek Studies]] |date=2022 |volume=40 |issue=2 |pages=395–423 |doi=10.1353/mgs.2022.0027 |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Tyrovola |first1=Vasiliki |last2=Karepidis |first2=Ioakeim K. |last3=Kardaris |first3=Dionysios G. |title="Ποντιακοί Χοροί": Παρελθόν και Παρόν Δομική-Μορφολογική και Τυπολογική Προσέγγιση |journal=Inquiries in Sport and Physical Education |date=September 30, 2007 |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=240–263 |trans-title="Pontic Dances": Past and Present Structural-Morphological and Typological Approach |language=Greek |issn=1790-3041}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Tzedopoulos |first1=Yorgos |title=Public Secrets: Crypto-Christianity in the Pontos |journal=Bulletin of the Centre for Asia Minor Studies |date=2009 |volume=16 |issue=165 |page=165 |doi=10.12681/deltiokms.15|doi-access=free }}
*{{cite journal |last1=Vavritsas |first1=Nikolaos |last2=Moisidis |first2=Kyriakos |last3=Vavritsas |first3=Georgios |title=The Pontic dance 'Tik'. Ethnographic and rhythmic element. |journal=Research in Dance Education |date=January 2014 |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=83–94 |doi=10.1080/14647893.2012.721761 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |issn=1464-7893}}
*{{cite book |last1=Zografou |first1=Magda |last2=Pipyrou |first2=Stavroula |editor1-last=Meglin |editor1-first=Joellen A. |editor2-last=Matluck Brooks |editor2-first=Lynn |title=Preserving Dance Across Time and Space |date=2016 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781134906383 |page=267 |chapter=Dance and Difference: Toward an Individualization of the Pontian Self |quote=The Pontians are a population that originate from the historical area of Pontus in Anatolia, originally located around the southern and eastern coasts of the Black Sea.}}

==External links==
*[https://www.cyberpontos.com/ CyberPontos], a blog which focuses on Pontian folktales

[[Category:Pontic Greek culture]]
[[Category:Culture of West Asia]]
[[Category:Culture of Greece]]
[[Category:Culture of Turkey]]