Anyone you ask on the island about her will identify her as the soul of the Mykonos Folklore Museum.
A woman who has served the tradition that has kept memories of the past alive despite frantic tourism development. Dimitra Nazou has what we call in Greece “the golden touch”. A lover of handmade creations and an artist, she was active in the Cultural Folklore Women’s Society of Mykonos, the Society of Friends of Delos & Rineia, the Asia Minor Society of Mykonos and the Society of Friends of the Mykonos Folklore Museum, in an attempt to spread a simple idea: That the past is as important as the present and determines the future. To this day, this woman continues on this same course. She supports folklore events, she researches and records Mykonos folk culture, and she is passionate about weaving and traditional textiles. She has conducted significant research on the renowned Mykonos textiles of the 20th century in cooperation with archaeologist Panagiotis Chatzidakis, as well as on lace and its manual techniques.
Dimitra Nazou is the soul of Lena’s House Museum. A branch of the Folklore Museum, located at Tria Pigadia in the town of Mykonos.
When you speak with her, a different Mykonos enchants you. A Mykonos that still dances at fairs, that remembers island stories, myths and legends, that is full of colloquialisms, still uses a crochet hook, weaves on a loom, and, mainly, breathes and draws its strength from its roots. Dimitra Nazou believes in the continuation of customs and traditions, and in the power of women to use what was delivered to them by previous generations, turning it into cultural wealth.