annual festival takes place on May 7th every year. Small treats are offered and traditional dancing goes on for hours.
Festival of Panagia Faneromeni:
The church of Panagia Faneromeni (The Appearance of the Virgin Mary) is located at the southern tip of the island and can only be reached by a fishing boat or ferry. Every year, the church celebrates its festival on Sept 7th with great flair and enthusiasm.
National Day:
Celebrated on the 25th of March, this is one of the two National Days in Greece. On this day in 1821, the bishop Germanos of Patras signaled the beginning of the War of Independence by hoisting the Greek flag over the monastery of Agia Lavra in the Peloponnese.
In Antiparos, children of the local school are pretty much the centre of all the festivities. Dressed in traditional Greek costumes, the children march in a parade to the tune of the school band playing the drums. They go from the school to the main church in the town’s square. Locals gather on the street dressed in their finest to also participate in the celebrations.
Once at the church, mass is celebrated for about half an hour after which the pupils march back to school again.
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the dancing goes on for hours on end as the sun sets in the horizon.
1st May:
Every Greek family including those on Antiparos makes a flower garland to hang over their front doors on the 1st of May. While most do it as part of an age old tradition without really knowing why, the more concrete explanations behind this practice include:
Since 1st May is also Labor Day, workers carried out processions in which carrying flowers became part of the tradition. This eventually developed into the tradition of making flower garlands.
Another explanation says that May 1st marks the end of winter and these garlands are made to celebrate the coming of spring.
It is difficult to say which explanation is more accurate. Maybe it is a combination of the two that has caused the tradition to develop.
Either way, you will see many beautiful garlands on that day. Part of the tradition also includes going to the countryside in groups to pick flowers.
Bonfire Night:
The garlands hung by the locals over their front door remains there until midsummer night on 23rd June after which they are all collected and piled up down at the port in several bundles in the sand along the waterfront. |
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of Agia Marina takes place at the port of Antiparos from the 15th to the 17th of July every year. The first day starts with yacht racing and continues with the Triathlon- swimming 150m, cycling 4000m and a running race 1000m.
There is also the awarding of the winning athletes and a music and dance performance by local dance groups.
The 2nd day sees another day of yacht racing, the litany of the sacred icon of Agia Marina, the mass held at the church of Agia Marina, a concert by a local band, awards given out to special recipients and traditional Greek plays.
The 3rd and final day is the most festive of them all and includes the litany of the sacred icon of Agia Marina, two running races of 2200 m and 10,000 m each, awarding of runners and endless eating, drinking, music and dancing.
Every year, Antiparos sees the revival of many age old traditions and customs in the form of these festivals. There is no better way to pass on the knowledge of these customs to younger generations and tourists alike for whom it is a splendid opportunity to interact with locals and become a part of magical Antiparos. |
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