Galery

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Epiphany, blessing of waters, tossing the cross ... The year begins with this great holiday, and the best thing you can do is enjoy it by a trip combining traditions and a different atmosphere.

Despite the intense cold, this year many people jumped into the icy waters to find the cross, according to the custom of Epiphany. If you are not one of them, you can just watch and become familiar with the customs of Greece. Here are some places where you can spend this beautiful Christian holiday.

Ioannina: diving in the lake

The people in the largest city of the region of Ioannina toss the cross in Lake Pamvotida. Despite the cold, there are always people who dive to take it out. A procession to the main church of the city, to the accompaniment of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Ioannina Municipality, follows afterwards. In Ioannina you can enjoy the beautiful scenery or take a walk in the old town, around Its Kale castle and Litaritsia park to know better one of the most beautiful cities in Greece.

Drama: chasing evil spirits

In Drama they seem to have a lot of work on Epiphany. If you are nearby it is worth seeing the ritual in which every year on the eve of Epiphany women chase evil spirits scattering ash with their right hand around the house. The next day the residents go to church wearing animal furs and holding a bag with ash in hand with which they hit passers-by to scare away evil spirits, or dance in the street adorned with bells, again for the same purpose (this tradition is typical of the city of Kavala as well). Besides traditional customs, the city impresses with its beautiful nature, parks, mills, buildings, monuments and Byzantine walls.

Ermioni: Epiphany with songs

Ermioni, Argolis region, about 85 km southeast of Nauplion, celebrates Epiphany in a different way and the townspeople are proud of their customs. Every year they respect the custom "Yala Yala," in which young men dress in traditional sailor uniforms, and on the eve of Epiphany, almost at dawn on January 6, they sing along the narrow streets and receive treats. On Epiphany, they board decorated boats, drink brandy and sing while strongly shaking the boats until they dive to find the cross. These customs celebrate the return of the sailors, which, over time, has been associated with Epiphany.

Halkidiki: people, camels and...sticks

In Halkidiki the customs relating to this day are many in number and different. First, Paleocastro respects the custom "Fotarades" in which the people place a wooden pole with a sausage on it in the village square and men dressed in national costumes, the so-called "Fotarades", dance around it, protecting with wooden swords the sausage from those who try to steal it. Meanwhile, their "king" leads the round dance and all "Fotarades" join it as well. The sausages are involved in the ritual "Foutari" in the village of Agios Prodromos. The custom involves young men who sing carols and collect meat and sausages, and on the day of St. John they dance a ring dance in the village square, throwing their sticks high and playing to mark the end of the holidays. In Galatista they decorate a dummy camel that covers men who walk, keeping the time, sing and dance. This custom is based on the fact that, in the late 19th century, a Turk, in his attempt to take back his beloved, organized a feast, made a dummy camel and hid the girl inside it, thus taking her away to marry her.

Kastoria: carnival spirit

Against the background of the beautiful lake in Kastoria, Epiphany is certainly different with the custom "Rangoutsaria" in which children and grownups put masks on their faces, form groups and have fun in the streets. After the blessing of waters, Agios Vasilis gives gifts to the children and people dance ring dances everywhere throughout the day.

You can take advantage of this and walk in the lovely city, visit the Byzantine monuments in the area, the mansions, lakes, squares, parks, the streets covered with pebbles...