Sunset at Lefcada town

Kytherian-Lefcadian-Irish, Lafcadio Hearn was born on Lefcada.

It is worthwhile understanding Lefcada better.

When you visit Lefcada town, you must visit also the Church of Agia Paraskevi, where Lefcadio Hearn was baptised and the Charamogleion Library, which contains a vast number of books and research papers about Hearn.

http://www.greece-japan.com

Lefcadio Hearn. Koizumi Yakumo.

The morning of June 27, 1850, Patricio Lefcadio Hearn was born on the island of Lefcada whose citizens are called Lefcadio. His Mother Rosa gave her son an Irish name, "Patricio," and the name "Lefcadio," a citizen of Lefcas Island.
Lefcadio's Mother was the exceptionally beautiful Rosa Antonia Kassimati (1823-1882) of noble Cerigate lineage through her Father, Anthony Kassimati. Irishman Surgeon Charles Bush Hearn (1818-1866) was an officer on the British Imperial Army Medical Staff at the Fort Santa Maura Military Post on Lefcas, Island.
In Ireland, Lefcadio was "Patrick Hearn." In the U.S., at the age of 19, Patrick decided to be forever known as "Lafcadio Hearn. At the age of eleven days, July 8, 1850, Lefcadio was baptized in the Greek Orthodox parish church of Agia Paraskevi. Lefcadio's body was immersed three times, face turned toward the east while the priest chanted "...in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost..." Rosa made 3 tiny cuts in the calf of each leg. This represented the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Rosa had Lefcadio's ears pierced for gold earrings. The following month, August 17, 1850, her first son, year-old George Hearn, died. Rosa was devastated. She poured her love on Lefcadio, carrying him everywhere she went.
Every day there was new pleasures and new wonders on Lefcas Island to enchant Lefcadio. At bedtime, Rosa told stories to Lefcadio that made him tingle from head to foot with pleasure. When the pleasure became too great, Rosa sang a little song that brought sleep.
In July, 1852, Lefcadio and his Mother sailed to Liverpool, England, via Malta. They crossed the Irish Sea to Dublin, Ireland, to live in Dublin with Lefcadio's relatives. Lefcadio never returned to Lefcas.
On these islands of old tragedies and romance, the child, Lefcadio, was born into a life always to be shadowed by tragedy and romance to an extent almost fantastic in our modern workaday world.

David Baldwin
author of Lafcadio Hearn Virtual Diary
Osaka
JAPAN

http://www.lafcadiohearn.org/