Glendi means Party in Greek
In Sonoma County, party means song and dance. It means diverse, homemade food, art, singing and celebration. On one weekend a year for 26 years, thousands attend Glendi and experience the authenticity of the local Orthodox community.
Glendi started in 1989 as a means to expand the church. ‘The hall’ was just too small. That’s when a Greek couple from Portland suggested a ‘Glendi’, the Greek word for party. Given the food festival had been successful in Portland and other regions, the parishioners felt they had a shot. They established that the […]
Read more "The Beginning"
The Food Glendi has taken place on the third weekend of September for 26 years. Celebrating cultural diversity, the parishioners of Saint Seraphim church set up booths that serve a wide variety of European foods, from Greek to Balkan and Russian to Italian. This is to celebrate the origins of all Orthodox Americans who arrived […]
Read more "The Big Draw"
Part of the power of Glendi is in its ability to bring youth to the parish, yet uphold tradition. My grandfather, who served as an Orthodox priest most of my life, guided a tiny parish in San Francisco, made up of seemingly no youth at all except for on holidays. This left the impression that […]
Read more "Youth & Tradition"