Salma Hayek is currently relaxing in Mykonos with her husband, François-Henri Pinault, daughter Valentina and some other family members. I don’t know why they are in Mykonos other than wouldn’t you be in Mykonos if you could? I keep forgetting that if you live outside the US, other countries will let you visit. Anyway, Salma is there, posting enviable vacay shots to her IG, making us even more jealous of her billionaire lifestyle than usual. Then yesterday, Salma posted a video (last video if you scroll through the IG below) of her smashing plates at the end of a long dinner and reminding us that it’s “customary.”
Salma’s caption accompanying the videos read:
I started the night looking #fresh, patiently waiting for my dinner. Six hours later I was breaking plates like it’s customary in #Greece. 🇬🇷
She’s correct, of course, throwing plates on the ground is a custom in Greece. I’ve never known why and after a few moments on Google, I still don’t as there are many theories online. While I will defer to any Greeks we have here, common belief seems to be smashing plates began as a funereal custom. However, I like the idea of smashing plates to trick evil spirits into thinking you were fighting with your spouse instead of celebrating and thus they stayed away. When given a choice, I will always pick the “tricking” option. However, it seems that plate smashing is mainly an activity reserved for tourists and film portrayals now, which makes plenty of sense given the cost of dish replacement and the time for cleanup.
Going off of photo assumption, this looks like a dinner at the place they are staying, not a restaurant. So my guess is they hired a traditional musicians and dancers to perform, in which case, I’ll bet the performers provided their own plates to smash. They seem to be the generic white plate that always gets smashed. That would also explain Salma’s Greek Goddess getup, which I love, btw. Between the six-hour dinner, dancing and plate smashing, it looks like it was a very indulgent evening and I say – go for it. I’m not a thrower, when I get angry, I get quiet, but just watching Salma smash that crockery was cathartic. I know she was in a good place mentally in her videos, but what I wouldn’t give to just throw sh*t on the ground and watch it shatter into a hundred pieces. And if I get to eat for six hours and dance it off afterwards, my gawd, that sounds like the perfect balm to the Pandemic Pouts I have right now.
Photo credit: Instagram
Yeah no one does it really. They throw money now instead. Of course the billionaires would cost the restaurant money in broken dishes instead of throwing money for the dancer. Please don’t go to Greece and start throwing plates; especially at dancers feet.
Theres so much I have wrong with that level of blagging. But I’m not a fan so I guess it’s no matter. Whatever. Rich people shit. Meanwhile normals can’t pay the rent. Good on you
I do love her and also enjoy smashing plates.
However, I feel like it’s a little insensitive to post happy photos from holidays. Given how many people can’t travel because they are struggling financially or are considered high risk. It just feels like self absorbed humble bragging whether it’s celebrities or everyday people on my personal feed. You can fully enjoy a holiday, take photos and not immediately post them on social media.
Having access to private jets is of the main reasons billionaires can still travel. It allows them to travel in and out of countries like the USA. (Just a general observation. I have no idea how Salma Hayek and her family travel).
Anyhow I think she’s a talented actress so I’m still a Hayek fan. That’s just my two cents on public social media posts about travel made during a global pandemic.
I don’t know about this, social media presents the good and beautiful anyways and if I’m not interested to be envious, I just scroll through or unfollow. In fact I’ve been cutting down on social media and clicking Not Interested on TikTok to avoid envy and maintain a healthy self esteem. I’m not going to police wealthy people on their social media posting or spending unless they’re knowingly in crime or tax evasion.
Also if she had spent on domestic tourism, I think that is a nice thing to do. Give them some business and promotion via her social media. She doesn’t stay in Greece (I think) so that’s not what she’s doing here, but just a thought. For example, Malaysian celebs can’t travel and are showing their domestic holiday pics and I definitely appreciated the shout out. Beautiful country.
Her whole family lives mainly abroad they do have a home here in USA but her husband’s work is in Europe
For her domestic travel would be France but as someone who lived in Paris for ten years it’s $100 sometimes even less to go to the country next door.
Alot of these countries are handling the pandemic ALOT better than people in the United States so I don’t think so it’s insensitive that they went on holiday which is a boost to the tourism of the country that they’re going to.
Also Mykonos is unreal pretty one of my favorite holidays
everything you said @angela
Agree with @angela. I’m on an averge person on a normal salary in germany and I went to greece because a) they really got the covid19 regulations under control. b ) since greece relies on tourism and their economy has been hard hit in the last decade by EU regulations, eu currencies, migrants, etc now covid19, it was the ethical thing to do for me as someone who is privileged in germany.
I went there, had a great time, spent my money on the local tourist industry and came away with fond memories. Not everything is always about america.
I actually love seeing pics or videos from people who can do that. In other places he pandemic is at a different stage. Why would I want to wallow in my misery when I can dream of beautiful places. I follow some you tubers in Japan, and some of them are traveling not far from home, as is one of my cousins in Germany, who were recently in the Czech Republic and Northern Italy.
I wish things were better, but are actually depressing, so it is a bit of escapism, and they are actually helping the economy, where I live, people who worked in the tourism industry are suffering terribly.
She is not interrupting a news broadcast to show off her holiday, it’s to her followers and if someone is in a bad place and can’t stomach seeing her having fun, then they click unfollow.
The plate throwing thing is kind of a tourist trap. I’ve been to Greece several times and am half Greek. The only time I’ve been around actual Greek people throwing plates is at weddings. Even at expensive weddings, you aren’t throwing the China. The Yia Yias all switch out the plates for cheap Walmart $1 plates. Although, Selma is married to a billionaire, so maybe she’s throwing around wedgewood.
I’m half Greek and lived there for a year. We don’t throw plates at restaurants.
Also, what’s with this obsession with Mykonos? I know it’s a hotspot but I’ve been there and while it has some very nice hotels, it’s not exactly the most beautiful of the islands? Naxos, Zakynthos, Santorini, I could go on. I guess Mykonos has a few Instagram-worthy spots? But it is small as hell, I can’t imagine the masses during non-Covid seasons. We went in October and it was still not exactly empty.
Anyway. Don’t discount the mainland if you travel to Greece!
Let them all go to Mykonos and Santorini. The rest of us can go to Milos and the lesser hotspot islands, or Lefkada and Chalkidiki away from the plate throwing tourists.
I do want to go to Santorini at some point, probably for Orthodox Easter. It’s supposed to be amazing. I was supposed to travel to Chalkidiki in June again, broke my heart that I couldn’t. The water is something else.
@emmy santorini is very very beautiful but very crowded (well maybe not now). You are packed like a sardine to watch the sunset at Oia. The waters are fairly cold and rocky compared to off mainland, where they’re warm and sandy. So it’s like a toss up because of the beauty, and the blue and white architecture is so iconic – you won’t get outside of that area really. I’m glad I went but would probably not go back; maybe when kids are older and can trek the volcano frontier.
I love Chalkidiki, my godmother owns a house in Afitos and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Beaches are amazing too!
Mainland Greece is so underrated. I went to the Peloponnese and absolutely loved it. Also the beaches are much clearer than on the islands (I found).
I got a feeling all these celebs are paid to travel there in order to promote tourism for their sponsors
I don’t think this is the case with Salma. They’re beyond wealthy.
Hi,
I am Greek and I have never seen the throwing plates “custom”.
I think the did it at bouzoukia in the 50’s but these days they only do it for the tourists.
In most places it forbidden in order to prevent accidents, so this was only for Salma Hayek.
(They plates Usually are made for smashing and are cheap or made from clay, they are not the ones for dining)
You are right that in In some places (few I think ) of Greece they do it as a funeral custom. When my grandfather died in 2007 my grandmother smashed a plate in front of her house entrance.
I never used to mind her but since I read about her involvement in that cult I side-eye everything she does. Although I do wonder if the rich hubby is in the cult as well …
What “cult”? I’ve never ever heard anything about this.
Ramtha’s School of Enlightenment – the woman who runs it, JZ Knight, channels a “male energy” spirit named Ramtha. Sounds very fishy and is probably a way to suck money out of rich celebrities and wannabes.
Greek reader here! As a few others have pointed out, plate smashing is not actually common in Greece at all (I grew up here and have never actually witnessed it firsthand). In fact, it is more or less seen as a Greek-American custom, and people are sort of mystified by it (as they are of the general portrayal of Greek culture in My Big Fat Greek Wedding).
On another note, while I personally would not go to Mykonos this year (it’s gorgeous, but it has seen a more Covid cases than most islands because the party people are selfish and reckless), I am not a billionaire with a yacht I can just park in the harbor so….I’m sure Salma’s experience has been juuuuust fine.
Most European countries have imposed a quarantine/mandatory testing for any incoming travellers. The Greek government recently clamped down on Mykonos because of a huge surge in COVID as a lot of incoming tourists are completely disregarding quarantine/social distancing. On one hand, I understand that the tourism industry and all the people depending on it need to make a living, on the other, there has to be some long term view of curbing this pandemic.
I just saw the movie “Frida” last night on Netflix, and I LOVED it!!! I knew a lot about Frida Kahlo, and was very impressed with the tastefulness and creativity used telling her story. Salma was great!
Why is she in Mykonos you ask? Vacation. Why is she smashing plates on instagram? Showing off her rich life. Tone deaf.
I live in Houston, and I know of several Greek restaurants that have dancing and plate smashing one night a week. It’s quite fun.
Her nose looks smaller than ever, and her face looks botoxed to the hilt. Even with extreme wealth and beauty, she feels forced to continue to do this? Sigh.
When I visited Greece we went to a place where this was done. All I remember about it was drunken people throwing plates too close to the entertainers and them wincing away from them. It isn’t a good memory. It may be fun for the throwers, but it sure didn’t look like fun on the other side. If you do it, make sure it’s safe distance from others please.