Alkistis Protopsalti sings the song Tou Ai Giorgi, a Greek song which translates to ” Of St George” in English. Tou Ai Giorgi is the Greek version of the renowned song Ederlezi, composed by Goran Bregovic. The lyrics of the song are written by Lina Nikolakopoulou. It is one of the songs of the Album Paradechtika, which includes many songs from the movie The Time of the Gypsies, by Emir Kusturica.
The song got its name after Ederlezi which is a Spring festival, especially celebrated by Roma people in the Balkans (and elsewhere around the world). This holiday celebrates the return of springtime. Ederlezi is the Gypsy name for the Serbian Feast of Saint George (Djurdjevdan). It’s celebrated on the 6th of May and is a very important holiday for the Serbs.
Although Bregovic is the composer, the song is a folk song of the Roma Gypsies, and the composer should be accredited with the arrangement of the song, which made it known to the World through the movie. As in the original song, in Lina’s lyrics the woman’s sadness covers everything because on the day of St George, when spring is coming, all the songs heard around are talking about love – but her love is missing and will not come back.
Whether you hear the song Ederlezi or the Greek version, tou Ai Giorgi, you will feel the Balkan soul which unites the people of the region, under the umbrella of the same mentality and way of expressing feelings.