Masterfully-prepared souvlaki and tzatziki will have you crying "Opa!" with a smile at Folklorama's Greek Pavilion this year.

Nikoletta Mattheos, a coordinator with the Greek Pavilion, has been involved with Folklorama for as long as she can remember since coming to Winnipeg in 1970. Born in Greece, Mattheos says growing up was "the best part of my life.

"I come from a beautiful village; a seashore, swimming every day in the summertime, trees and green, the sea and ports, good food, and I miss those things."

She has brought some of the best parts of her culture to Canada with her, and uses a variety of ways to remain in touch with her Greek heritage. Food, religon, and her profession as a Greek schoolteacher have all worked in her life to keep her close to her homeland.

"All the traditions that we brought from Greece ... we continue here."

Religion has particularly played a role in Mattheos' life, she says. "I never left church, I always pushed my kids to the church so they belong somewhere."

In fact, Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church where Mattheos attends is where the Greek Pavilion is held each year during Folklorama, with this year being an exception and the pavilion moving to the RBC Convention Centre for Folklorama's 50th year.

Food, another large part of Greek culture, is something that Mattheos has kept alive since coming to Canada. She says that when they first arrived in the country, she was appalled at the plain foods without proper flavouring. "Nothing with sauce, nothing with Greek olive oil," Mattheos expressed, "so we keep our traditions from back home with nice soups, nice sauces with green beans and [other dishes]."

Church every Sunday with friends and family, saying prayers, and eating lamb every Easter, "those are our traditions," Mattheos says.

At home, she works to keep the Greek language alive in her family, and Mattheos' children are all bilingual, speaking both Greek and English. Her grandchildren speak a little, but they have been a little harder to teach, the pavilion coordinator says.

The coordinator says that she has returned to visit her home country a few times, but despite the ties she will always have to Greece, Canada is what she considers to be her home now.

"Home is here now, but always in our heart is Greece, is our village."

When it comes to preserving culture, Mattheos has a simple thought: "How can you not?

"I am Greek. I have to ... I like to. I'm Greek in my heart. So I like to keep my traditions to keep it alive for my kids, for my grandkids. You can't erase that you're Greek."

The theme of the Greek Pavilion this year is "Opa!," and Mattheos explains that the meaning behind the word is one of celebration and exclamation.

"It's something for joy. When you say you are happy, you say 'Opa!'"

The phrase is also used in a particular enthusiastic Greek dance that involves the breaking of plates. "When you want to express yourself, you say, 'Opa!,'" says Mattheos. 

Visit the Greek Pavilion during the first week of Folklorama from August 4, 2019 until August 10, 2019 at the RBC Convention Centre (375 York Ave., north building on the main floor).