January
January 1st - Feast of
St Basil. This is associated with a good start for the new year. An old
Byzantine custom of slicing the Vassilopita (Basilcake or New Year Cake) gives
the person who finds the hidden coin in his slice, good luck for the year.
In all the island there are special New Years
Celebrations.
January 6th - Epiphany is celebrated throughout Crete when
the Blessing of the Waters takes place. A cross is thrown into the sea, lakes or
rivers and retrieved by swimmers who are then entitled to good luck. The event
is particularly spectacular in Chania old harbor.
January 7th - Name Day for Yannis and Yanna.
January 17th - Saint Andonis day.
January 18th - Saint Athanasios day.
January 27th - Saint Crisostomos day.
February
In late
Mid February Greece's
Carnival Season called Apokrias, begins and lasts two weeks. It makes everybody
to feel free and the festivities are particularly enjoyable in Malia, Kalives(16km east from Chania), Heraklion, Rethymnon and especially in Patras
and Athens Plaka.
February 1st - St Tryphon's name day.
February 3rd - Symeon and Annis Day.
February 10th - Names day for Heraclia and
Haralambos.
February 14th - Day of Saint Valentina.
March
Clean Monday or Katheri Deftera 40 days
before Easter, marks the first day of lent and it is customary to go out in the
country and fly paper kites.
March 25th - The Greek National Anniversary and a major religious holiday with military
parades in the larger towns and cities. This celebrates Greece's
victory in the war of Independence against the Turks who had occupied the country for 400 years.
25th of March was actually the day Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the flag of national
rebellion at the monastery of Agia Lavra in the northern Peleponisos.
March 2nd - Saint Theodore day.
March
19th - Crysanthos Day.
April
Easter Celebrations begin in April or May. Check
with your local Greek church for exact dates since it changes every year.
On Good Friday the people of the towns and villages
carry candles and follow the procession of the Epitaph.
Saturday
in Holy Week the ceremony of the resurrection takes place in the courtyard in
front of all churches and bells are rung all over the towns and cities. Candles
are lit one from the other and then the people make their way home for the traditional
feast of dyed red Easter eggs and Mageritsa soup.
Easter Sunday is the biggest church holiday in Greece. All
over the country lambs are roasted on a spit and there is wine in abundance.
Red eggs are cracked against each other and the person with the last remaining
uncracked egg will have good luck. This is the most beautiful time to be in Greece if the
weather is good.
In Crete the village of Harakas
Monofatsiou have a special Easter Sunday
celebration in which they burn an effigy of Judas Iskariot.
On the island of Crete you
will find many villages who prepare for the bonfire effigy of Judas. Just
take a trip through any rural area in the week leading up to Easter Sunday and
enjoy the sight of men and women on their donkeys gathering sticks and branches
in preparation for the effigy burning.
Anastasia and Anastasios celebrate their name day
on Easter.
Saint Thomas name day is celebrated the Sunday
after Easter.
April 23rd - Feast of Saint George is celebrated. In Assi Gonia
near Chania in Crete the religious celebration
is followed by a sheep-shearing contest among the local shepherds.
April 15th - Leonidas name day.
April 24th - Elizabeth's name
day.
April 25th - Saint Markos name day.
May
May 1st- Labor
day and the Feast of the Flowers. There is a general exodus to the country for
picnics and the sky is filled with kites.
May 21st - In Chania and Rethymnon they celebrate the
anniversary of the battle of Crete.
May 21st - Celebration day of Saints
Constantine and Eleni.
June
In June in the village of Krousta in Crete is the Feast of the Klidona.
At the
end of June and early July, Navy Week is celebrated with entertainment in many
of the ports of all Greece.
July
In July the village of Rethymnon in Crete has a
wine festival while in mid July another wine festival is held in Heraklion.
At the
end of July in Sitia on the island of Crete is the Sultana Raisin Festival.
In July and August the Odeon of Herod Atticus
Festival is held in the famous theatre next to the Acropolis with well known
performers from all over the world.
The Heraklion Festival is held from July through
September and features some of Greece's most popular musicians as well as
theatrical performances.
July 20th - The Panagiri day for the Prophet Elias,
usually held at the highest church or monastery.
August
In Rethymnon Crete the Sultana Raisin Festival is held.
The first week of August in the village of Anogia,
Crete a festival is held with hospitality offered to visitors.
August 15th - The day of the Panagia (Virgin Mary) This is the second biggest religious holiday after Easter and on the island of
Tinos this day is celebrated like on no other. Pilgrims by the thousands come
here to crawl on their knees up the steps to the church that holds the holy
Icon. But this day is also celebrated in almost every town and village in
Greece.
Anywhere you go there will be a celebration at one church or another with dancing, food and services. Usually they go on until
dawn. The best ones are held in the Monasteries like Profit Elias.
August 30th - Names day for Saint Alexandros.
September
September 7th - The name day for Saint Mary Gouves Church.
September 29th - The name day for Saint Kyriakos.
October
October 21st - The month is the Chestnut
festival of Elos near Kissamos, Crete.
October 21st - Names day for Socrates.
October 26th - Names day for Saint Dimitris.
October 28th - Ochi Day, celebrating the Greek refusal to let Italy occupy the country during World War II. The Italians invaded and
were driven back into Albania and nearly back to Italy. There are military
parades in the major towns and cities.
November
November 17th - Anniversary of the
student uprising at the Polytechnic University in Athens in 1973. The
demonstrations against the military dictatorship gained momentum and was
crushed when tanks crashed the gates of the university killing many students.
The first week of the month is the anniversary of
the holocaust at the Arkadi Monastery in Rethymnon Crete.
November 8th - Celebration day for Michael and
Gabriel.
November 14th - Names day for Philippos.
November 21st - Names day for any Mary that is
a virgin and children.
November 30th - Name day for Saint
Andreas.
December
December 4th - Saint Barbara day a big day for the
Military since Barbara is their Patron Saint.
December 5th - Saint Savas day.
December 6th - Saint Nicholas day.
December 9th - Saint Anna day.
December 13th - Names day for Saint Efstratos.
December 17th - Names day for Dionysos of Zakynthos.
December 24th - Christmas Eve and young children walk around singing carols on streets squares and neighborhoods.
December 25th - Names day for Christos.
December 27th - Names day for Stefanos.
New Years Eve is spent celebrating playing cards with friends on a green card table, while children sing carols and people
exchange gifts.
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