The writing and publication of honorary volumes, with studies by students, colleagues, and friends of the honoree, for professors who have served science successfully, is an ancient academic tradition. Following this tradition, we started the effort of writing and publishing an honorary volume for the Honorary Professor of Folklore, Mr. Minas Al. Alexiadis, already from the beginning of 2016. In our first invitation, the response was enthusiastic, a fact that reflects the impact of the honored professor in the field of folklore and in the scientific community, both in Greece and abroad. It is characteristic that many people, upon learning about the publication of the volume, rushed to contact us, asking to participate with their own studies. This is undoubtedly the result not only of his scientific knowledge but also of his inherent kindness. He has always been willing to offer help throughout his many productive years of his career.

The details of his life and work are presented below, but it is worth noting here that Minas Al. Alexiadis is beloved and respected by all those who had the privilege of knowing him personally, and this is reflected in the pages of this volume.

We warmly thank all the contributors to this volume, especially Ms. Nantia Maha-Bizoumi, PhD, who undertook the weight of the secretarial support and, as always, completed it impeccably. We also thank the publishing house K. & M. Ant. Stamoulis of Thessaloniki for our collaboration and the excellent publishing result, as usual, as well as our anonymous and named sponsors, as without their tangible support, we would not be able to complete our work.

In conclusion, we wish the honored Honorary Professor Minas Al. Alexiadis many years ahead. Joyful, prosperous, healthy, productive, and creative years, so that he can continue his research, writing, and teaching activities for a long time, enriching Greek folklore bibliography, training new folklore researchers, and setting an example for all of us with his daily social and scientific practice.

M. G. Varvounis - M. G. Sergis