Kleidonas Festival in Melanes

The celebration of Saint John Kleidonas is held on May 30th-31st and a special festival is held in many villages of Naxos, mostly in Apiranthos and Melanes. In the evening of May 30th, the single women of the village draw a jug of water from a well and pour it into a big jar in the centre of the village. From the moment they gather the water from the well till they pour it, they must not speak a word, that is why this water is called speechless water. They also have to pass their jars from three crossroads, three shelters and three churches. On their way to the square, boys tease the girls and provoke them to speak, but they must remain silent. If any girl of them speaks or laughes, they start the route again from the beginning. The water remains in the square for all night to get divination powers. Next morning, girls take speechless water to make a pie, named salty pie. In the evening, a big fire is lit at the square of the village and young women and men jump over the fire to drive evil spirits away. When they go to bed, girls put a piece of salty pie under their pillow and the tradition says that the name of their future husband will reveal to them in their dreams. This strange custom which has paganistic roots revives in many other Greek islands, too, except for Naxos.