Save the date for the 49th Annual Greek Festival, September 24-26 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Holy Trinity’s annual festival is held in late September and is the oldest ethnic festival in Tulsa. It is known to many Tulsans as Greek Holiday, Glendi, or simply “the festival.” We proudly serve and entertain more than 5,000 Tulsans and other visitors each year.
At the festival, patrons enjoy authentic Greek cuisine, including calamari, lamb kabobs, charbroiled shish kabobs & mouthwatering, homemade Greek pastries. Available for purchase are imported Greek souvenirs, gifts and fine jewelry. Everyone enjoys the fabulous Greek music and festive folk dancing! We also offer tours of our Parish and films about our Orthodox faith.
Festival Preparation
Everyone in our Parish works together as a community and family to prepare for our annual festival. Planning, ordering supplies, scheduling and some baking begin in early June. The order, which includes 500 pounds of butter, 16 cases of filo dough and 350 pounds of nuts, must be placed early so the ladies (and a few men) can prepare the pastries in our church hall. The older youth help with the food preparation and multiple tasks before we invite the Tulsa Community to spend time in little “Greece.”
Flyers and dinner tickets are designed and printed. Advertising is scheduled. Dinner tickets are distributed to the parishioners to sell. Items selected to sell in the “Marketa” are ordered. Long hours of dance practice are scheduled. Children and ad
ults dust off their Greek costumes and begin dance practice. Church tours are organized. School groups and senior groups are scheduled for lunch, dance lessons, a church tour and a brief visit to little “Greece.”
Baking and fellowship
Early baking and freezing of our pastries ensure that we have enough to serve and sell at our festival. The traditional Greek pastries available are koulourakia, finikia, baklava, kourambiedes and galatobouriko. Prepared at the festival are our famous “honey puffs,” or loukoumades. Ladies of all ages gather to prepare the pastries throughout the summer. The young women, under the age of twenty, learn the art of making the sweets from the Yiayias (Grandmothers).
While the ladies are making pastries under Freda’s supervision on one side of the church hall, the children are in dance class with Renee in the opposite side. As one Yiayia said, “it is a blessing to see the young children in the same room learning our traditions.”
The Easter cookie we bake is the koulouraki. This traditional sweet butter cookie is found in every Greek home at Easter time. They are given to friends in gift baskets and usually served year round with Greek coffee, Ellinikos Kafes.
Preparing baklava
The preparation of baklava for the festival takes many days. During the first week nuts are chopped, the dry ingredients measured and the butter clarified. When this is completed, we measure and mix the nuts with the dry ingredients. When we gather to assemble the baklava we work in teams of two. This is important because 
the filo dough dries quickly. Every layer of filo dough must be buttered. The filo layers are scored before they are frozen, so that cutting is easier after baking. Lastly, the honey syrup is poured over baked baklava.
September 24-26, 49th annual Greek festival in Tulsa Oklahoma!
The baking is done. Now it is time to practice our dances, ensure the delivery schedule of all the food we will cook and serve during the festival, advertise and recruit volunteers.
At our festival, you can build your own Greek dinner, buy a Greek cookbook with an area flavor, and imagine the sights, sounds, and smells of Mediterranean life at Greek Holiday, the 49th Greek festival, Sept. 24-26, 1206 South Guthrie, Tulsa (south of the Broken Arrow Expressway, between Denver and Houston Streets).
Greek Holiday, Tulsa’s oldest ethnic festival, will be open Sept. 24, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. and Sept. 25 and 26, 11 a.m. – 11 p.m. Admission is free before 4 p.m. daily or at anytime for anyone with a Greek Holiday food ticket purchased in advanced. Children 12 and under will be admitted free throughout the festival when accompanied by parents.
Sponsored by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (Holy Trinity), Greek Holiday features a wide variety of activities–dining from a menu full of delicious home-cooked Greek foods, ethnic dancing, shopping for home-made Greek pastries, Greek jewelry and gifts, and imported foods. 
“The people of Holy Trinity have hosted a Greek festival for more than 48 years and we are truly grateful for the support we annually receive from the Tulsa area,” said Demetrius Bereolos, general chairperson.
“For a few days each year, we invite Tulsa and the surrounding cities to our ‘house’ to share our faith and culture. Our parishioners and their friends have a great time hosting the festival.”
Greek Holiday organizers expect 4,000 to 5,000 guests to enjoy the new a la carte food line, which replaces the traditional Greek festival dinner. Greek holiday guests can build their own Greek dinner from 10 home-cooked items such as chargrilled chicken or meat shish kabob, gyros sandwich, lamb wrap sandwich [slices of baked lamb on pita bread with a fresh, creamy lemon-cucumber sauce (tsatsiki)], calamari, Greek-style potatoes, Greek salad with feta cheese and Kalamata olives, rice pilaf, and pita bread. The new a la carte menu also offers a Greek appetizer plate–dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with rice), tiropiita (cheese pie), keftethes (Greek meatballs), spanakopita (spinach pie), feta cheese and Kalamata olives.
What’s new this year?
In 2009, we are adding pastitsio, a layered, baked Greek lasagna. It’s different than lasagna that you’re use to having in restaurants, as one of the many layers is an egg-based custard and nutmeg is sprinkled on top. It’s very rich and delicious – I encourage you to try it.
To rinse the taste of garlic and oregano that accents many Greek foods at Greek Holiday, there will be beverages and Greek coffee. Wine and beer can be purchased in the Taverna.
A meal of Greek food and beverages would not be complete without tempting Greek desserts such as the famous baklava (layers of philo dough filled with cinnamon and nuts and covered with honey). Also available is galatoburko (a custard pastry), kourambiedes (a butter cookie covered with powdered sugar), koulourakia and finikia (baked cookies best served with coffee), and loukoumades (honey puffs).
In addition to a new, official Greek Holiday tee-shirt, a cookbook of favorite recipes from Tulsa-area Greeks, “Cooking Greek for Tulsa,” is on sale in the marketa (marketplace).
Ancient traditions will come to life on stage, as dancers in authentic ethnic costumes, age 5 to 55, perform dances that are hundreds of years old and that tell stories of harvest, wars, love, and passion for Greece.
To learn more about the role Greek Orthodox religion and traditions play in our culture, tours of Holy Trinity will be conducted throughout Greek Holiday, under the direction of Father William Christ.
Portions of Greek Holiday proceeds will be donated to Tulsa-based charities. In the past, American Red Cross, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Emergency Infant Services, Habitat for Humanity, John 3:16 Mission, Make-a-Wish Foundation (Oklahoma Chapter), and Resonance have received donations from Greek Holiday.
For more information about Greek Holiday or to buy advanced tickets (including free admission to Greek Holiday), call 583-2082. Visit the Greek Holiday website.”
I married long-time friend, Demetrius Bereolos, in June 2005. He is chairing our festival for the fourth time, and we are preparing for our 50th annual Greek Holiday. We, along with our parish, invite you to our home for food and entertainment and a wonderful “taste of Greece.”
Get your Greek on!
Greek Foods are tasty and delicious maybe because of the spices they put in it”.*
my father is greek that is why i also love greek foods. Greek food in my opinion is one of the world’s best tasting food**~
Italian and Greek Foods are indeed very spicy. sometimes they are so spicy hot ‘:~