Modern Greek folklore

Greek folklore consists of demotic music, legends, traditions and customs. Greek folktales include Myrsina, Anthousa, Xanthousa, Chrysomalousa, How the dragon was tricked and others, while legends include those of the Nereids, the Kalikantzaros, the Lycanthrope and the Vrykolakas, which is similar to the Vampire of slavic folklore.

Music and dance

Greek traditional music, or demotic music, varies by region in style, sound and rhythm and has evolved from Byzantine music tradition, which itself evolved from ancient Greek music. Common instruments are the Lyra, which is used by the Greeks of Pontus and Crete, the clarinet, which is used all over mainland Greece, as well as trumpets which are used mostly in the northern parts of the country, which has generally replaced the more traditional zournas. Bagpipes are also used in the regions of Macedonia and Thrace. Other instruments include forms of the floghera, which are common all over Greece, the Qanun which is used among Anatolian Greeks, the name of which comes from "κανών" ("kanon" rule, law), the toubeleki. Mirolóyia (laments, or mournful tunes) are mourful songs typically sang by older women in the regions of Epirus and Mani accompanied by no music. In other regions, such as Macedonia, they may only be music without any singing. In Epirus there also is a popular polyphonic tradition. The oldest Greek demotic song is the Dead brother's song, which dates back to the 9th century.

Each genre of traditional music is typically accompanied by a different dance. There are more than 10,000 folk dances from different regions of Greece, along with some pan-Hellenic dances that are catholic and known among all Greeks; although they might slightly differ by region. Most of the Greek dances are usually danced by groups in either a circle or a line, and might be for a specific gender only. Pan-Hellenic dances include Hasapiko (which originated in Constantinople but was later adopted by all Greeks), Syrtaki, Kalamatianos (which originated in southern Peloponnese), Zeibekiko (which originated in the Greek-inhabited regions of western Anatolia), and others; while known region-specific dances include Pentozali (a war dance danced by men in the island of Crete), Serra (a war dance from Pontus), Leventikos from Macedonia, Berati and Tsamikos from mainland Greece, Ikariotikos from Icaria, and others.