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Culture

The arts have been integral to Cretan life since ancient times. In summer, Greek dramas are staged in the theatres where they were originally performed. Greek literature's ancient heritage spans poetry, drama, philosophical and historical treatises, and travelogues. Western civilization's mania for logic and 'ideas' can be traced directly back to the musings of ancient Greek philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, and the west's sciences, arts and politics are also deeply indebted to classical Greece. El Greco (Dominikus Theotokopoulos) was born and start to paint his fabulous creations in Fodele, a small village near Heraklion.Mikis Theodorakis (Zorba the Creek, Margarita, Braho breho etc),  Manos Hatzidakis(never on sunday), Giannis Markopoulos, Stauros Xarhakos, Nana Mouskouri are very famous Greek artists in all over the world and they born in Crete. These days, the novelist Nikos Kazantzakis is the most widely read Cretan writer, and there is a vibrant poetic tradition in modern Greece that includes the Nobel laureates George Seferis and Odysseus Elytis. A thriving visual-arts scene exists, and traditional folk crafts such as pottery embroidery, weaving and tapestry continue. Cretan folk music, with its themes of love, poverty, suffering and Cretan folk dances is becoming increasingly popular among young people. Greece's most acclaimed film director is Theodoros Angelopoulos, whose films include The Beekeeper and Traveling Players.

The Greek language is probably the oldest in Europe, with a 4000-year oral tradition and a 3000-year written tradition. Today, Greek constitutes a large part of the vocabulary of any Indo-European language, and much of the lexicon of any scientific repertoire. Modern Greek is a southern dialect adopted as a standardized version of the language and differs substantially from Katharevousa, the artificial language loosely based on Ancient Greek that was instated by various right-wing puritanical regimes this century.

 Crete also accepts visitors who are interested in economical activities in the area, as well as scientists and educators, who are interested in historical files, historical monuments and museums or are interested to visit the Technical University of Crete, which is an important research center. There is also in Heraclion the university of Crete one of the most important research center in modern technology.

 About 99% of Cretans are Greek Orthodox; the rest of the population is Roman Catholic, Jewish or Muslim. Religion is integral to life in Greece and the Greek year is centered on the festivals of the church calendar.

 Much of Cretan's culinary heritage can be sourced to the Ancient years , particularly most of Cretan food is based in olive oil and healthy products. Appetizers such as dakos (bread and soft white cheese in olive oil) and octopus pickled in lemon juice and olive oil. Cheap snacks such as souvlaki (skewered, grilled meat in pita bread) and spanakopita (spinach and cheese pie) are easy to find. Popular main dishes include moussaka (eggplant baked with minced meat and béchamel sauce), stuffed tomatoes, and freshly grilled seafood. The mainstay of the Cretan diet is the ubiquitous horiatiki salata (country salad), consisting of cucumber, tomatoes, onions, feta cheese and olives. Greek yogurt, more like sour cream than the thin sharp-tasting version available in most countries, is delicious and sold everywhere.