A particularly emotionally charged moment, with a strong Greek connotation, was broadcast on French television and the set of the show La Chanson Secrète, presented by Nikos Aliagas.

In the festive episode, the roles were reversed, with the host sitting in the guest’s seat, and his colleagues preparing a series of surprises.

Specifically, as part of the tribute, Lara Fabian and Ycare performed songs in Greek, while the evening continued with traditional sounds by clarinet virtuoso Vassilis Saleas and the participation of the presenter’s friends from Stamna, Aitoloakarnania, in traditional costumes. In fact, Nikos Aliyagas danced with them.

The surprises didn’t stop there, as Antonis Remos appeared on stage and sang his song “Deutera.”
In a post, Nikos Aliyagas described in a highly emotional tone the surprise he received on the TV “air” when the people from Stamna travelled without a second thought to honour him and stand by his side.

As he noted, among other things, it was not an act of sensationalism or presence in front of the cameras, but a spontaneous act of people who came as a family, from his father’s place, to honor their compatriot.

The post by Nikos Aliagas:

“They came from Stamna without a second thought to surprise me on air. They came from my father’s village to honour their compatriot. The grandchild of Nikos and Maria, the son of Haroula and Andreas. Tina’s husband, Agatha, and Andreas’ father. Maria’s brother…

They didn’t come for the show. They were never interested in cameras and selfies. They came as a family, wearing their formal (our formal) to surprise us with Basil Saleas. I thank them deeply. For their eyes expressed the visible and the invisible of our Aetolian land.

Tradition is not folklore. It is consciousness and the stature of the soul. It is the baton handed down to us by those who have gone before, to be carried on responsibly, in our own steps. Every movement mystically exhales the eternal dance of the olive groves. A primordial dance that is not taught, but transmitted. From the earth to the body. From silence to step. Where man learns to stand on his feet in the ephemeral journey of life.

The place shapes us long before we call it home, it molds us.

We in Stamna have been honoring Saint Agatha for centuries, just as others honor St. Simios, St. George and St. Elias. In the same places, they honored other gods, with flutes and drums, with the same sanctity and devotion that we experience… Every year with our brothers and sisters from Aetoliko we share the experience of the festival of Agia Agatha. We take an oath.

I may wear costumes in front of the cameras. But inside me, I still command a dry cleaner. And a zoomer touches my most secret cell every day I live. The garments of the armadillos are not a disguise; they are heavy, consciousness and testimony. They connect us to the fallen of the Exodus of Mesolonghi, whom we will honour this year, two hundred years after that tragic night. They bind us to those who stood up before us, so that we too can stand today.

My whole life, a baton on the cobblestone streets of the dunce’s cobblestone streets. With a bunch of basil on my lips. Thank you, brothers and sisters.”