Three-course festivities with countless people, traditional instruments and music, dances and songs, tables full of local delicacies, varying from place to place, and wine flowing abundantly in picturesque squares with age-old plane trees, some of the most characteristic images that represent the meaning of the festival. Capturing in the most authentic way the cultural identity and temperament of each place, from the old years, the festivals were a way of carefree and an opportunity for fun and an instant getaway from the stressful and tedious everyday life.
Dedicated to the memory of a saint, they took place, and continue to this day, one day before or on the day of the saint's celebration, being a very good occasion for socialization and meeting of the inhabitants of each place where they were organized. Due to their peculiarity to take place in open spaces, they are usually organized mainly during the summer months, when the weather conditions allow it. Of the most famous, then, those of Agia Paraskevi and Agios Panteleimon, the prophet Elias and the Savior and, last and most important, that of Panagia.
With the coronary pandemic, however, having created a new reality, affecting the daily life of all mankind, it is unknown what future will be born, still, with the festivals in Greece this summer. That is why we remember the most important of them and take part, conceivably, in their glorious celebrations.
One of the most important cultural events on her island Lesbos takes place every year on July 19, with its roots taking us back in time, even before the liberation of the island by the Turks. With special splendor, therefore, on the three days of July 18,19, 20, XNUMX, events are organized to honor the memory of Prophet Elias, which end in the evening with an all-night party with live music and traditional food, which excites the crowds.
One of the most characteristic elements of this festival is the parade of horses in the village (and the awarding of the most beautiful last night), a revival of a custom from the very old years when on the eve of Prophet Elias only the men of the village rode their horses to Olympus , at the top of which is still the church of Prophet Elias. A process in which the men showed their beauty and bravery, dressed and adorned with their good pants and shirts, with the unique company of the also adorned animals.
Until the 1960s the festival of St. Markella in Chios It was compared in grandeur and repercussion with that of the Virgin Mary in Tinos, while it was characterized as a great social event not only for the island, but for the whole of Greece. Crowds gathered on the island to worship the image of the Saint, who was martyred at a very young age, finding a horrible death by her own father. He beheaded her and threw her head into the sea, while at the place where the bush was where the Saint hid, the temple of the monastery was built.
The festival takes place every year on July 22, in honor of the Chian Agia (her origin was from Volissos) in the monastery of the same name, 6 km from Volissos and about 45 km from the city of Chios. It is the most famous and majestic festival of the island, with the faithful walking up to the monastery and during the celebrations to make wax threads with which they surround the temple. It is worth mentioning that according to tradition on the day of the celebration of St. Markella the sea takes on a dark red color, like the blood of St. Markella.
The festive events last for two days in Amynteo, Florina, in honor of Saint Panteleimon. The customs begin every year on the eve of July 27, the day of the feast of the Saint, in the churchyard where a sacrifice (beef) is sacrificed, which is then cooked in large cauldrons and distributed to the residents and visitors of the village. The spree begins after the Evening of the Eve, while at the same time various events begin such as music and dance performances, concerts etc. On the day of the feast of the Saint, the feast lasts until morning, while the leading role is played by traditional music and dances.
Every year on August 5, crowds from every corner of Attica flock to the central square of Kalivia, to take part in the celebrations in honor of the Transfiguration of the Savior. The festival that is organized with great success in recent years lasts two days and begins on the eve of August 6 in the courtyard of the church of the Transfiguration, with feasts and dances in the presence of a traditional orchestra and singers. The attendees have fun with their souls, following the rhythm of the traditional songs, which cover a wide range -popular, Albanian, island- while large tables are set for eating and drinking until morning.
The symbol of the Pontians in Kastania, on the slopes of Mount Vermiou, in Veria, every year on the XNUMXth of August is flooded with thousands of believers from every corner of Greece who arrive here to worship the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary. The great festival that is set up in the area of Panagia Soumela, Panagia ton Pontion, is unique in all of Greece, as the customs and traditions of Pontian Hellenism have their honor. In an intensely religious and emotional atmosphere, the Pontian dances give the impetus for the long celebration that begins, among the cultural events organized in honor of the Virgin Mary.
The word August XNUMXth in Greece it is completely intertwined with the festival. And mainly in the Greek islands. There is no island destination in the country that does not celebrate this day, either with traditional music and dances, or with special customs and traditions that stand out for their unique atmosphere, which entices their visitors to non-stop feasts until morning.
One of the most characteristic of all is that of Panagia of Tinos, with the events lasting until August 23 and at the same time honoring the anniversary of the sinking of the destroyer Elli on August 15, 40 by the Italians. Dances with traditional costumes to the sounds of the violin, the lute and the tsambouna dominate in the mountain village of Filoti in Naxos, while in Amorgos abundant Amorgian roasted raki accompanies the traditional braised meat with potatoes served in Patagonia. donkeys.
The big event of the island for Paros is the celebration of the XNUMXth of August in Parikia, where a large crowd gathers at Panagia Ekatontapyliani, both for the procession of the icon, and for the traditional feast organized with plenty of wine and local delicacies.
Undoubtedly and without a second thought, the "star" festival, with a small dose of exaggeration, of the country is none other than the one organized in Lagada Ikaria. For many, in fact, it is a reason to choose the Aegean island for your summer vacation. Having developed into an "institution" of the island, it attracts countless visitors of all ages, locals and tourists alike, who come to Ikaria to experience this unique life experience.
If you ask someone who has taken part in this particular festival, he will tell you that it is difficult to describe the emotions he experiences here, and in fact all to a superfluous degree. The largest and most popular festival in the country is ecstatic and entices young and old to a non-stop dance under plane trees, in the surrounding area of the village chapel, from noon until the next morning. The preparations start days before, while on the day of the XNUMXth of August, early in the morning, the Divine Liturgy takes place with all formality.
At the same time, the organizers are preparing feverishly for everything to be ready, in the smallest detail, and for the people to enjoy the standard goat that boils in large cauldrons, as well as the famous juice, the first dish that is served and is truly amazing. The typical red Ikarian wine flows abundantly and everyone is looking forward to hearing the first Ikarian that is the signal for the unstoppable and unprecedented party that will follow until the next morning.