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Courtsey
DEPAP
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Hellenic Festivals SA
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By David
Berry
Greece is a country full of surprises
and wonders. Amongst mountains and myths, sun and
sea, festivals and fire-walking, the ever friendly
people of this beautiful country go about their
daily business safe in the knowledge that they are
the envy of many a visitor. It is impossible not
to be stirred by the myths and monuments, the processions,
the festivals - and of course the locally produced
food and wine.
The national flag is a reflection
on the soul of a country that found itself a new
spirit after its liberation from the Ottoman empire.
The importance of the Orthodox Church in the struggle
for freedom is recognized by the white cross in
the upper left corner of the flag. The nine blue
and white stripes represent the number of letters
in the Greek word for freedom, eleftheria, as well
as symbolizing the unrelenting tides and the white-crested
waves of the Aegean Sea.
Choosing a time of year to go is
not easy. There are so many things to do, see and
experience that whenever you go you are sure to
be stunned by what Greece offers - and will yearn
to stay that bit longer to see what is round the
next corner.
Summer is the most popular time to
visit, and it can be difficult to find accommodation
until late August. However, the cloudless skies
and variety of cultural festivals lure people from
far and wide.
Fall is more tranquil, with fewer tourists but still
all of the facilities open. The sea is at its warmest
for swimming, and the wild flowers come into bloom
for the second time in the year.
Winter signals the start of the skiing season, with
snow capped mountains seemingly a million miles
away from the sun parched peaks found in summer.
Rain comes to lower lying areas, although not too
much to spoil the experience.
Spring is one of the most beautiful
seasons, a time when flowers bloom and fruits start
to ripen. The fishing season begins, heralding the
glorious catches of fresh fish and calamari, squid,
hung out to dry on the verandahs of idyllic seaside
tavernas. Of course, religion plays an important
part in Greek culture, and more so in Easter, when
the holiday festivities grab the attention of the
entire country.
JANUARY
Greeks welcome in the New Year by celebrating the
Feast of Agios Vasíleios (Saint Basil). People
exchange gifts, hailing each other with the traditional
New Years greeting of Kali Chronia. On this day,
known as Protochroniá, the old Byzantine
custom of slicing the Vassilopita (Basil cake or
New Year cake) is performed in homes across the
country. The cake contains a gold or silver coin
and promises a year of good luck to its finder.
Another national holiday follows shortly afterwards,
with Theofánia (Epiphany) falling on January
6. Traditionally, the kalikántzari, hobgoblins,
who ran amok during the twelve days of Christmas
are banished to the underworld by religious rites.
In one of these ceremonies, priests perform the
Blessing of the Waters, throwing crucifixes into
the rivers and seas, which are retrieved by youthful
divers plunging into the depths - Pireaus being
one of the most spectacular places to see the event.
Gynaikokratía (8 Jan), mainly celebrated
in Macedonia and Thrace, sees men and women change
roles for the day. Women take over the bars and
cafes and the men stay at home to do the housework
- all in honor of female dominion, or matriarchy.
FEBRUARY
Ypapantí, or Candlemas, (2 Feb) is an Orthodox
feast day in the calm before the storm of mid February,
when carnival season gets underway.
MARCH
Apókries, Carnival, is roughly equivalent
to a combination of Halloween and Mardi Gras. Seven
weeks before Easter, Katharí Deftéra
(Clean Monday) marks the start of three weeks of
frantic festivities, rooted in pagan customs but
combined with more modern Christian preparations
for Lent. Masses of people head out into the countryside
to fly paper kites. During the period people participate
in Carnival parades and the donning of fancy dress
costumes to bring good luck to their village or
town. Other spectacles include majorettes, concerts
and dances, with the streets and squares filled
with partygoers.
Independence Day is a national holiday marked by
parades and dances throughout Greece. On March 25th,
1821, Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the banner
of revolution against nearly 400 years of Ottoman
rule over Greece. He chose this date to coincide
with one of the holiest days in the Orthodox calendar,
Evangelismós (deriving from the Greek for
‘good news’), commemorating the day that
the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary
that she would bear the divine child.
APRIL
Megáli Evdomáda (Holy Week), including
Páscha (Easter Sunday), can fall in either
April or May. It is perhaps the most widely celebrated
of all the events in Greece and possibly the most
beautiful and exciting time to visit. Processions,
blessings, bonfires, parties and feasts, are a small
selection of the events that take place nationwide,
and are all helped along by lashings of local wine.
Easter this year falls on May 1st, and next year
on April 23rd.
The Feast of Agios Geórgios, St George (23
Apr), the patron saint of shepherds, traditionally
heralds the start of the grazing season, and in
Arahova, near Delphi, festivities continue for three
days non-stop.
MAY
May Day, Protomagiá (1 May), is a national
holiday famous for the exodus of many families to
the countryside, picking wild flowers and making
wreaths with garlic, hung above doors, off balconies,
on fishing boats and in many other places, with
the intention of warding off evil and ushering in
the spring season.
In Macedonia, fire-walking ceremonies (Anastenaria)
are popular, held in honor of Agios Konstantínos
and Agía Eléni (21 May). People walk
and dance across burning charcoal embers clasping
icons of Constantine and his mother Helen, the first
Orthodox Byzantine rulers.
The unification of the Ionian Islands with the rest
of Greece is also celebrated, mainly in Corfu. Análipsi,
Ascension, usually falls in late May, 40 days after
Easter, and is considered such a great holiday that
"even the swallows do not build their nests"
on that day.
JUNE
Pentikostí, Pentecost or Whitsunday, is another
feast day, held seven weeks after Easter. Also starting
in June is the Athens Festival, where both international
and Greek artists have come together to perform
every summer since 1955. The ancient Herod Atticus
Odeon, an open air theater found nestling beneath
the Acropolis, plays home to modern and classical
dramas, dances, orchestral symphonies, opera, ballet
and even jazz. The festival, which lasts until mid
September, is a multi-venue event, encompassing
the Lykavittós Theater, with its spectacular
panoramic views of the city. 100 miles away, in
the Peleponnese, the Epidaurus Festival complements
the Athens Festival, with more open air theater
performances.
Agios Ioánnis, St John’s Day (24 Jun)
is a nationwide celebration of the birth of St John
the Baptist. The night before, Midsummer’s
Eve, sees bonfires being lit, people jumping through
the flames, and the wreaths so loving gathered in
May consigned to the flames.
JULY
Profitis Ilías, the Prophet Elijah (20 Jul)
is celebrated widely at mountain-top shrines and
in churches and monasteries.
The Epirus Festival is a showpiece for authors,
paintings, popular art, theater, dance and concerts.
It runs from July until August. Many villages take
part in the festival of Agía Paraskeví
(26 Jul) but more so in Epirus.
Agios Panteleímon is revered for being the
patron saint of hospitals. He was a doctor who became
beatified, and is held in high regard in rural areas,
with special celebrations held in his name in the
village of Anaxos on the island of Lesvos.
AUGUST
Metamórfosi, the Transfiguration of Christ
the Savior (6 Aug) is another important feast day
for the Orthodox Church, shortly followed by Koímisis
tis Theotókou, Assumption of the Virgin Mary
(15 Aug), the second biggest religious holiday after
Easter. Pilgrims flock to the island of Tinos, crawling
on hands and knees up to the church to pay homage
to the holy icon inside. It is customary for Greeks
to return to their home towns and villages to spend
time with their families. Lesvos is the main focus
of activities, with a wide variety of cultural events
taking place in Agiasso, Petra and Stipsi.
SEPTEMBER
Génnisis tis Theotókou, the birth
of the Virgin Mary (8 Sep) is one of two important
feast days in September, the other being Ypsosis
tou Timíou Stavroú, the Exaltation
of the True Cross (14 Sep) which is thought of as
the last of the major outdoor summer festivals despite
taking place in Fall.
OCTOBER
Many Greeks celebrate Agios Dimítrios (26
Oct), particularly in Thessaloníki where
Dimitris is the patron saint, which signals the
end of grazing season.
Ochi Day (28 Oct) translates as "No Day,"
the response Mussolini received from General Metaxas
when requesting free passage to occupy Greece at
the height of World War Two. Military processions,
wreath laying at war memorials, patriotic displays
and festivities commemorate the day that the Greeks
started to repel the Fascist forces back through
Albania.
NOVEMBER
Ceremonies take place on 8 Nov in the many rural
monasteries and churches named after the Archangels
Michael and Gabriel.
Eisódia tis Theotókou, the Entry of
the Virgin Mary in the Temple (21 Nov) is celebrated
around Greece, as it is an important Orthodox feast
day.
DECEMBER
Agios Nikólaos, Saint Nicholas (6 Dec), the
patron saint of sailors, travelers and children,
sees numerous processions heading down to the sea
and the many chapels named after him.
Christoúgenna, Christmas (25 Dec) is an important
national holiday and feast day, as is S_naxis tis
Panagías, ‘The Gathering Around the
Holy Family’ (26 Dec). Although Western influences
such as Christmas trees, decorations and presents
are strong, Christmas is not considered to be as
important as Easter, the most sacred time of year.
NAME
DAYS
It is usual in Greece to celebrate giortí,
name days, and not birthdays. The eldest son is
usually named after his paternal grandfather, and
the eldest daughter named after her paternal grandmother.
There are still very few exceptions to the rule.
Also, in many areas the tendency is for large numbers
of the populace to bear the name of the local patron
saint, and name days can turn into quite important
parties - with feasts laid on for family and friends,
and small gifts given to the person whose name day
it is.
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Greece 
