in Greece and a festival takes place every year in Thessaloniki.
The country also has an interesting musical scene, especially during summertime, with many appearances from national and international bands.
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Cultural Events
 Religious
Festivals |
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| January 1: the New Year's Day |
January 1 is the Feast of Áyios Vassílios (Saint Basil), celebrated with church services. It is also the day of the “vassilopita”, a sweat bread with a coin inside which brings to its finder good luck for the future year. January 1 is also the day were the Christmas gifts are given to the children.
It is the feast of Ayía Theofánia, or Fóta, which celebrates the day when the “kalikántzari”or hobgoblins that appeared during the period of Christmas are re-banished to the netherworld by the church’s rites. During Epiphany, waters are blessed and evil spirits are banished. At lakeside, seaside or riverside locations, the priests throw a cross into the water and young locals dive to compete for the privilege and blessing of finding it.
| January 8: the Yinekokratia |
The feast of the Yinekokratia takes place in some villages of Thrace, a north region, where Saint Domenica is celebrated. It is a day where men and women reverse their daily roles for the day.
| January 31- February 22: The Carnivals |
The Carnival is called “Apokries” and is expressed by three weeks of feasting and dancing for three weeks before the Lenten Monday (Katharí Dheftera). Important celebrations take place in Patra, Xanthi and Cephalonia with a wonderful chariot parade and costumes parties.
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Easter is the most important festival of Greece and of the Orthodox Church, and it really worth to be seen.
The first ceremony takes place on Good Friday where the “Epitafios”, an imitation of the Christ’s funeral bier, is beautifully decorated with many flowers by the women of the parish. The “Epitafios” is then paraded through the streets of the villages or the neighbours of the cities. In some regions of Greece such as Crete, this ceremony is accompanied by the burning of effigies of Judas Iscariot.
A great celebration also takes places the Saturday after, for the Christ’s triumphant return. At the stroke of midnight, all the lights of the churches are extinguished to symbolize the darkness which envelops the Christ as He passes through the underworld. Then a priest appears at twelve o’ clock, holding aloft a lighted taper and chanting "Avtó to Fós… "(This is the Light…) and shares the Holy flame on the candles of near worshippers. Then, the worshippers share at their turn the Holy Light with their close neighbours until the entire church and the courtyard full of people are illuminated by the Holy Light. It is a beautiful spectacle.
Then, unorganised fireworks explode in the streets around the Church. In some places such as Agrinion, men throw impressive fireworks and accidents occur every year.
Worshippers then bring the burning candles home and make with the black smoke of the candle the sign of a cross above their home’s door. This custom is supposed to bring good fortune upon the house.
After midnight, families and friends meet to eat the “Mayeretsa”, a soup made from lamb tripe, rice, dill and lemon. The rest of the lamb will be manually roasted Sunday morning for the lunch, accompanied by wines and dances.
This festival is of great importance in all the region of Greece but some places are very famous for their Easter celebrations: Hydra, Corfu, Pyrgi on Chios, Olymbos on Karpathos and St John's monastery on Patmos.
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| August 15: Day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary |
This feast celebrates Mary’s ascent to Heaven. Great pilgrimages take place to Tinos and festivities are organised in Páros, Lesvos, Olymbos or Karpathos.
The feast is of great importance, as it is celebrating the birth of the Christ. The traditional Greek decoration used to be a wooden boat but today, the decorations are more similar to the western tradition.
It is a day were many religious and musical festivities take place but also huge shopping festivities, as in every other occidental country.
The 25th is also a day were children traditionally sing Christmas carols (kalanda) from door to door.
| National
Greece Dates |
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| March 25: Greek Independence Day |
It is the day of the celebration of the beginning of the Greek revolution against the Turkish occupants in 1821. It is celebrated with military parades all over Greece.
It is called “Protomayia” and it is a urban holiday when people traditionally go to the countryside for picnic and pick great bunches of flowers.
It is also a day where large demonstrations organised by the left wings take place
| October 28: National Anniversary |
It is the day of the National Anniversary of Greek Independence. The day is characterised by military parades and folk dances. The day is also called “Ohi Day” in honour of General Metaxa’s famous “Oxi!” (no!) as a refusal to Mussolini’s demand to occupy the country during World War II.
: Day of
the student rise against the Junta of 1974. |
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