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Rethymno Festivals, Greece: Information about the Festivals of Rethymno, Crete Island

 
For Cretans, life is a celebration and all the opportunities are good to organise festivals and feasts which are always accompanied by excellent local food, alcohol, live local music and dances.

Here are some of the many religious celebrations (every village has its own church and is protected by a specific saint), festivals and cultural events organised by the prefecture of Rethymno.
During summer, at the end of July until the first ten days of August, the Municipality of Rethymno organises a Renaissance Festival (since 1987) in the town of Rethymno during which street performances, theatrical plays, music performances, exhibitions of paintings, speeches, dancing performances, pantomimes and film projections are taking place in the streets of the Old Town and in the Fortezza Theatre. The entire town is decorated with flags and pervaded by a great Renaissance atmosphere.
On the 8th of November the commemoration of the Arkadi Holocaust is taking place in the entire prefecture and a religious ceremony is held in the monastery of Arkadi where locals bring flowers to the hundreds of Cretan who died there in the 19th century in order to avoid surrender to the Turks.
In the beginning of August various cultural events and expositions of local handicrafts are taking place in the village of Chromonastiri.
The feast day of the Holy Cross celebrated on the 14th of September in the village of Axos followed by a huge feast.
 
In the end of July a Wine Festival is organised in the Municipal Garden of Rethymno Town.
Traditional Cretan and Greek folklore music and dances are performed and wine is free for everyone, giving the possibility to taste all the varieties of the famous and excellent Cretan wines.
In the middle of August the village of Anogia organises a Cultural Festival.
During this festival visitors have the possibility to listen the magical sound of the Lyra (traditional lyre) and experience all kinds of cultural activities.
In August the 15th the celebration of the Holy Virgin is held with religious ceremonies and great feasts with food, wine and dances all around the prefecture of Rethymno and in the entire island of Crete.
In the 23rd of April the feast day of Saint George is celebrated with a great festival in various villages of the Rethymno prefecture.
On the Easter Friday various festival and religious ceremonies are held in honour of Zoodichos Pigi (Source of Life).
 
The grandest Carnival of Crete is organised in Rethymno Town and is one of the most impressive of Greece, along with the one of Patras (in Peloponnesus). On Shrove Thursday a street party is organised and is the largest open-air party of Crete with all kinds of music, wine, appetizers and lot of fun. Another party is organised on the Sunday before the great parade during which the participating group are dressed up and perform various sketches. The party includes food, wine and dances until dawn. On Shrove Friday a “rehearsal” of the big day takes place during which all the participants present their masks and carriages. When Shore Monday arrives, the entire town becomes an explosion of colour and music; everybody is masqueraded and sings, dances and drinks all night long. During the same day, in the picturesque mountainous villages of the prefecture of Rethymno, old traditions and customs revive for a magical and unique Carnival with games, performances, happenings and satires.
During summer various cultural events are taking place in the village of Panormos

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