Karyae or Arahova, two words with the same meaning, place of the walnut trees, is synonymous with grandeur and fame, a place of historical evolution and admiration. In any period of history, either as Karyae or Arahova, it is associated with grandeur and is interwoven with history-making events.

The great Arahova, which in ancient times was called Karyae, and which again in 1932, through the efforts of its then president, George Th. Scuris, restored its ancient name of Karyae, is commemorated in many songs. It is situated in the western foothills of the mountain Parnon at an altitude of about 3,000 feet. It is a beautiful town resting among the walnut trees and surrounded by mountain slopes, some of which are jagged with rocks and some others covered with wild oak trees. It is famed for its cool summer climate, its many natural springs of crystal clear water, its shady forests, and its joyful and magnificent festivals. Every foot of ground, every hill and valley, every grove and forest, every rock and rill, every river and mountain is connected with some historical or legendary event through its more than 3,000 years of recorded history. The student of history will find an inexhaustible amount of material in references about Karyae and Arahova, for many historians, old and new, Greek and non-Greek, have written about Karyae and Arahova. We will not attempt here to write in detail the fluctuations of life in our hometown through its long history, but in this the 49th anniversary of our society we will attempt to give a comprehensive history of this town which we hope will be of interest to our children, our friends, and all those who are interested in learning about the town from which we all have come.

Let us go back 3,172 years or the year 1200 BC. At this time we find Karyae has been developed into a strong and respected power. It is an integral part of the city-state of Sparta, and due to its location in the North central part of this domain between Sparta and Tegea of Arcadia, it must have been the bulwark of Sparta's defenses, and it must have exacted many rights of free living and development. Karyae was also respected as a sacred place because here Zeus, the greatest of all gods of ancient Greece, was worshipped and a temple dedicated to "Skotita Zeus" was erected. Another famed and well-known temple was erected to his daughter Artemis, the huntress goddess of chastity, the guardian of youths and maidens, moon goddess and protectress of the beasts of the field.

All evidences tend to prove that the temple of Artemis was situated where the church of "Panagia" is now situated. This temple was dedicated by the Karyatans in gratitude for her revelation to them that Dionysus had transformed Karya, a nymph, into a tree to protect her from the other nymphs of the forest. We do not know whether this temple of Artemis was also an oracle to give advice, as other temples of Artemis were, but we do know that this was a sacred place where priestesses gave honours to the Goddess, with the participation of virgin nymphs. Sparta respected the sacred power of the goddess, and for this reason designated Karyae as a place where her armies sacrificed before leaving for different expeditions. History distinctly tell us that Menelaus, the King of Sparta, ordered that his armies be assembled in Karyae where sacrifices were offered to the Goddess and festivities were held before leaving on their expedition to Troy to punish Paris for the abduction of his wife, the "Beautiful Helen of Troy". It seems that his sacrifices were accepted from the Goddess, for legend tells us that, in commemoration of this event, Menelaus ordered that four maple trees be planted in the yard of the temple. Those maple trees, after 3,000 years, still stand there today, huge and magnificent.

In Karyae, another Spartan king, Leonidas, and his 300 brave Spartans assembled before leaving for Thermopylae where, by heroically sacrificing themselves in the face of insurmountable odds, brought fame and glory to themselves, Sparta, and the whole Greek race.

From many indications we gather that Karyae progressed and flourished as a centre of art. In the second century before Christ, the famous tourist Pausanias, who toured all of ancient Greece, writes thus about Karyae, which he visited in 175 BC: "The village goes by the name of the Goddess Artemis, and the Karyatans have erected her a statue. Here the Lacedaimonian maidens gather once a year and dance their own peculiar dance". It seems that this dance of the Lacedaimonian maidens was of such rhythmic excellence and expressive of the best in beauty, ideals and idyls, and the Karyatan maidens so lovely and beautiful in their home-made clothes of such fine art and texture that ancient Greek sculptors and architects have made them immortal by adopting the form of a beautiful maiden and using it in columns adorning their most famous buildings. These beautiful columns they called Karyatides and they are still known by that name today. One of the most famous of these buildings was the Erechtheon on Acropolis of Athens which was adorned with six such columns. (Only five of these now standing, the sixth having been taken to England by the infamous Englishman Elgin). Erechtheion, as the rest of the buildings and statues of Acropolis was built during the time of Pericles and the construction was under the direction of one of the most famous of the ancient Greek architects and sculptors, Phidias, assisted by the also famous Ictinus, Kallistrates and Mnesicles.

The quarrels between the Spartans and Arcadians for the possession of the strategic location of Karyae resulted in the destruction of the village in the year 368 BC. The destruction of Karyae was followed by invasions of Greek city-state and foreign armies. The people of Karyae were dispersed and later built different small communities in and around the location of ancient Karyae.

We do not hear anything of importance about Karyae until around 500 AD when the inhabitants embraced Christianity. From then on, the population began to decline due to invasions, people moving away, and deaths. Byzantium, seeing that Lacedaimon was becoming deserted, sent people of Slavic origin to settle in this region. Some of these people settled near the location of ancient Karyae where they were intermingled with the local inhabitants. The love of the Slavs for the people and the location of their new habitat, which was abundant with walnut trees, caused them to call this place with their Slavic name Arahova, which means a place of walnut trees, a name by which our hometown was known from the seventh century after Christ until today. By now, although the name has been changed again to Karyae since 1932, the town is better known by the name Arahova and its inhabitants as Arahovitai rather than the more proper official names of Karyae and Karyatai.

Around the 19th century AD this region where Arahova is located was overrun by the Franks, who ruled it for a long time and who left indelible marks of their rule throughout the area in the form of castles. The ruins of such a castle are still found in the western approaches of Karyae and on the top of a hill to the right of the road leading into the town. There are many legends connected with this castle, especially of how it was defended against many attackers. Space does not permit us to go into these legends now.

The rule of the Franks and the flourishing of the castles was followed by the Turkish invasion and the nearly four hundred years of yoke under their tyranny. Arahova, as the rest of Greece, suffered untold hardships and privations. In order to better protect themselves against the attacks of Turkish bandits and tax collectors, the inhabitants of the many small communities in and around ancient Karyae concentrated into one big community located where the town is located today and specifically between two natural springs -those of "Panagia" and "Lower Spring" (Kato vrysi), the water of which was used by the inhabitants for drinking and for irrigating their crops. The new community was known as Arahova the Great. (Megali Arahova). This must have taken place around the year 1700 AD. Soon Arahova grew into a large village of four parishes, or mahalathes as they were known by their Turkish name - the "upper", the "lower", the "Maurianikos" and the "koutsos" mahalas. In 1717 a church of Byzantine architecture, dedicate to St. Paraskevi, was built in the extreme southern part of the "lower" mahalas. This church is still standing there today and church services are held there every third Sunday. On St. Paraskevi's Day, commemorated on July 26, great festivities were and are still held in Arahova.

Then came the war for the independence of Greece which started in 1821. The Arahovitans were among the first to take active part in it and we see Arahova burned to the ground on May 12, 1826, by the forces of Ibrahim. The people of the town took refuge in the forests and in caves. After the liberation of Greece, the Arahovitans again built their town and strived for vigour and determination to develop it into one of the leading towns in the area.

Because of the fact that Arahova is located on the slopes of the mountain and the ground is not fertile enough to provide for the necessities, save the luxuries, of life of the inhabitants, they are forced to seek better opportunities elsewhere. Many leave for Russia, other for Bulgaria and Romania, and others for Athens and other parts of Greece, and to their credit, we are proud to say, that many of them prospered in their new homes. Around 1890, a few Arahovitans made a longer journey - to far off America. They sent back glowing reports of a land of freedom and liberty, of riches and opportunities. Around 1900, wave after wave of Arahovitans left their beloved town and came to America seeking riches and a new life in a new and strange country. The new immigrant worked hard, very hard in his new country, saved some money, and sent much of it to his hometown to pay the debts of his parents, to pay a dowry so his sisters may get married, to fix the old house of his parents, and to pay for the doctor's bills for his relatives.

Beside the individual obligation, the immigrant felt and still feels obligated to help that little village, which he still calls his village, and its inhabitants whom he left behind. He wants to elevate the living standards of his compatriots and beautify the town where first he saw the sun rising. With this purpose in mind, a handful of Arahovitans in September 1923, form an organization by the name of Adelphotis Arahoviton "Karyae", with headquarters in Gastonia, N.C. Soon almost every Arahovitan of the new world joins, and we find chapters of this society established in New York, Boston, Chicago and Toronto. Almost instantly, plans for action are drawn and put into work. It is agreed that the first need of Arahova is drinking water, for it is indeed a hardship for the Arahovitan women to go to the spring at one or the other end of the village and stand in line to fill the small jug or cask with drinking water and bring it home.

The members of this organization, our society, raise the necessary funds, $25,000, and soon there is running water in 24 locations in the village. We add here that due to the efforts of our society today every house of Karyae has running water.

The education of the Karyatan youth is also of great concern to the members of our society, so we send money to at first repair the existing schools and finally send $6,400 for the building of a beautiful new elementary school.

"A sound mind in a sound body" said our ancestors. The Arahovitan of the new world feels likewise; therefore, in addition to the money for the new school, our society sends money to help the Athletic club of Karyae, then in existence, to enlarge and improve the athletic field. Many more thousands of dollars are sent to repair the churches, improve the roads, and beautify the town.

The Second World War finds Karyae a progressive and thriving community due to the vitality of its inhabitants and the financial support of our society. It attracts many tourists during the summer months every year. But alas! The Karyatans being liberty lovers and mindful of their heritage, cannot endure the tyranny of Hitler and Mussolini and are among the first to revolt against them. Hundreds of Arahovitans take up arms and harass the Nazist and Fascist armies of occupation. Yes, some of the leaders of the partisans are Arahovitans. In retaliation, the Italians burn and loot some houses in Karyae and finally the "braves" of Hitler burn to the ground our beloved Arahova on March 14 & 15, 1944, when liberty was dawning again in Greece. Nothing is left but a few houses, and those due to the heroic action of the women of Karyae, who were the only ones left in the town. Destruction, desolation, and misery reign supreme, but the spirit of the inhabitants is still high. Freedom shines again in Greece and Karyae.

The help of our society to Karyae, which has stopped during and on account of the war, starts again. Now the needs and demand of our town are great. The first concern is the sending of clothing and medicines to the poor ragged, and sick inhabitants. Five thousand five hundred dollars is spent for this purpose. Since the beautiful school of Karyae was blown up by a German mine, our society sends $5,000 and a new modern school building is built. The irrigation of the farms of the Karyatans, in order to increase the agricultural production of Karyae and elevate the living standards of its inhabitants, is also of concern to our society. Twenty-five thousand dollars is spent for a water reservoir, new wells and irrigation aquaducts.

Money is also spent to repair the churches, to finance the work of HEN (YWCA) and Philoptohos Society of Karyae, to buy a movie projector for the school, to repair the water works, and other projects too numerous to enumerate here. Some of the latest projects of our society have been the building of a modern Community Building in Karyae and which has cost about $16,500 including the land, and the electrification of the town for which our society has sent $20,000 and the Society of Chicago $4,000. Another project towards which the Arahovitans of the United States and Canada have contributed heavily is the new church of St. Andrew.

While Adelphotis Arahoviton "Karyae" is concerned with the betterment on Karyae and its inhabitants, it has not neglected the well-being, enjoyment, and fellowship of its members in America and that of the Greek race and Orthodox Church in general. In 1927 our society bought a picturesque park on Crowders Mountain, near Gastonia, N.C., which it named "Karyae Park" to perpetuate the name of the town of the origin of its members. In this park the annual conventions and picnics of the society have been held since 1928. These picnics and conventions have been unique in festivities and attract thousands of people, Arahovitans and not, from all parts of the New World. The Arahovitan has brought with him from the "Old Country" many customs and traditions which one visiting our park during our picnics can see perpetuated in the adopted country of ours - our dear, dear beloved America. Because the Arahovitan is a very religious and devoted Christian and has a special reverence for "Panagia", the Virgin Mary, we see him in 1930 building a little church dedicated to the Assumption of Theotokos, where church services are held during our picnics and several other occasions.

In order to help the Greek Orthodox youth of America remain faithful to the Greek traditions and ideals, our society in cooperation with the organization of GOYA and fifth diocese of America, is sponsoring since 1957, a summer camp for boys and girls of the Greek Orthodox faith. This is the only such camp in America where the children are under the supervision of a trained camp director and a resident Orthodox priest at all times. Hundreds and boys and girls, from as far as New York and Florida, take advantage of this opportunity every year.

The Arahovitan respects the dead and honours the heroes, so we see a Memorial Monument erected in the Park in 1948 in honour of those who served in the armed forces of the United States and Canada during the Second World War. Special mention if made of those who made the supreme sacrifice in order that we may live in dignity and peace. In front of this monument, memorial services are held every year during our conventions for all dead Arahovitans and their friends.

The Arahovitan loves athletics and the out-of-doors, so we find that he has built a small athletic field in the park where games are enjoyed by youngsters throughout the year, and a track meet enjoyed by young and old is held during our annual convention. A tennis court, and lately a swimming pool, have also been built for the enjoyment and recreation of everyone.

He loves dancing and good times and he proves it during his conventions. He has built in the Park for this purpose a dining hall and a dancing pavilion where entertainment at its best is enjoyed in the form of singing, dancing, fellowship, presentation of skits, speeches, poems, and personal achievements.

He likes to perpetuate the Society and its progressive, benevolent, and charitable work so he built an administration building where he holds the meetings of the organization and keeps the archives of the Society. Its main room is now like a museum with commemorative pictures hanging on its walls and important papers, letters, pamphlets, bulletins, books and documents displayed in a glassed-in case. History is recorded here, the history of Adelphotis Arahoviton "Karyae".

Karyae, Arahova, Adelphotis making history together. The past is grandeur, glory and progress. The future looks bright. With faith in God, hard work, patience and perseverance we must march on to greater achievements. History is continuing. We are part of history and we are making history. Let us hope that the future generations will look back with respect and admiration for the present.

By George Diamaduros and George Kakaris