Στον καλό της για ν' αρέσει

In the following song what do the words in bold mean in this context:-
Καραγκούνα πάει να πλύνει
κι ο βοριάς δεν την αφήνει.
Τα ποτάμια παγωμένα
τα νερά κρυσταλλωμένα.

Άστηνε βοριά να πλύνει
και νυφούλα θε να γίνει
να τα πλύνει να τα απλώσει
να στεγνώσουν πριν νυχτώσει.

Πλεν’ την προίκα που `χει γνέσει,
στον καλό της για ν’ αρέσει.

...
For her loved one to like her.

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Karagouna - The Swing Shoes



Karagkouna - Trio Tekke



Karagouna Dance - Laurel & Hardy

daeman said:

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Thanks, 'Man! I could never have guessed that; so καλός here means 'loved one'. I haven't met that meaning before. Thanks for the videos too! I heard the song first at Yippee! I've got the video!!:) :)

Ο καλός μου/η καλή μου = my darling, but not so sentimental. It's in current, everyday use.

Thanks, Παλ-αύρα. I find these traditional folk songs & dances fascinating, though it must be said that older videos of the dances seem more spontaneous & less stylised. But this is not intended as a criticism, only an observation. Perhaps, though, this observation is wrong! :)

Of course they are. This type of music is no longer mainstream, so people you see in such videos are usually members of cultural folk associations. Think of it as a sort of preservation.

Thanks, Palavra. I noticed in some videos that there were men (usually) who seemed to be in charge of the choreography & going around giving instructions & taking photographs during the performance. So cultural fossils though they are, they seem well worth preserving.

Men are usually in the forefront in these dances, and they have the most elaborate moves, which women are usually not allowed to make, as they are supposed to dance modestly. The only place in Greece where a woman can traditionally lead the dance, even if it's not her wedding day, is Crete, but even there it would be unthinkable for her to dance exactly like the men, making πατιές: the shock alone would be enough to kill most of the specators (Still, pentozalis is one of the most beautiful traditional dances, in my opinion - and makes for excellent cardio exercise, too :) )

Palavra said:

Of course they are. This type of music is no longer mainstream, so people you see in such videos are usually members of cultural folk associations. Think of it as a sort of preservation.

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Well, you should see them dance at a local feast or wedding or any other large event or small gathering in the country, especially after the spirits take effect, leading to high spirits. It may be only preservation in urban settings with folk societies and such in the big cities, but it's still common music and dance elsewhere. Trust me, I've been there although I haven't done that. But I would if I could, yes, I would, when properly and adequately aroused. Of course that's not to say that it's not frequently made up, artificial and staged; just that a lot of people still entertain themselves with folk music and dance, carried away by their own stream of traditional tunes, consciously and subconsciously imbued since childhood. To the point in question, particularly in the plains of Thessaly there's still no feast without Karagouna, since Karagounides take enormous pride in that song and in "modern" variations thereof. "Mainstream" is not the same thing in the city and in the country. I guess it depends on the stream, although most popular trends do spill over.

According to one of my folk dance teachers (yes, I had lessons in London), the traditional way is for the first dancer to do all kinds of fancy things, and the rest follow with simple walking steps, whereas nowadays (and for as long as I remember) everyone does the same fancy footwork and the first dancer does even more elaborate things.

However I would disagree with Daeman, the way I understand στον καλό της για ν'αρέσει is as a continuation of the previous verse, she launders the dowry she spun by herself, so that her beau will like it (the dowry).

Well said, Daeman. Though it is true that things are no more what they used to be, one can still witness instances of authentic music and dance performance in festive occasions in many parts of the country. Many a times I have been blessed with the experience of watching a company of people, or a big gathering, or even a whole village taking part in a traditional dance (in Macedonia, in the Cyclades, in Continental Greece, in Crete) —provided always that the musicians perform respecting the tropes of traditional music and carry the appropriate ethos.

SBE said:

According to one of my folk dance teachers (yes, I had lessons in London), the traditional way is for the first dancer to do all kinds of fancy things, and the rest follow with simple walking steps, whereas nowadays (and for as long as I remember) everyone does the same fancy footwork and the first dancer does even more elaborate things.

However I would disagree with Daeman, the way I understand στον καλό της για ν'αρέσει is as a continuation of the previous verse, she launders the dowry she spun by herself, so that her beau will like it (the dowry).

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Yes, but women are not allowed to do the same things that men do. Hell, in some parts of Greece it's considered inappropriate -or at least unbecoming- for women to dance the tsamikos.

I agree about the meaning of the verse.

Palavra said:

Yes, but women are not allowed to do the same things that men do.

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Tsamikos is a men's dance. There are dances for women that are considered inappropriate for men, and there are also dances for both men and women. Women's steps are more suited to someone wearing long skirts, more about elegance and poise than strength and stamina.

SBE said:

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However I would disagree with Daeman, the way I understand στον καλό της για ν'αρέσει is as a continuation of the previous verse, she launders the dowry she spun by herself, so that her beau will like it (the dowry).

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Now that you've pointed it out, I would disagree with yesterday's Daeman, too.
Dunno what came over him last night. Perhaps because he didn't marry a Karagouna. Μπισάιντς (sic), τι να τα κάνεις τα σκουτιά και τα σεγκούνια τη σήμερον;