COME ON - LET'S PARTY

Life is anything but boring here in Crete, there always seems to be one party or another, and February is now the time for the fesitval season..

  It's the party period of the year in the build up to Easter, the main religious time. We have got used to events on birthdays, but also not to be confused are names days. There are saints days and of course, two big national celebrations in March and October. But February is the time for Apokries.

  Apokries, is the Greek version the worldwide known as “masquerade partying festival,”  The festivities in Greece have their origins in ancient religious traditions that honored Dionysus, the god of wine and joy and celebrated the end of the winter season. In relation to the Greek Orthodox Church Apokries, is celebrated three weeks before Easter, and visitors will see thousands of costumes, parades, masquerades, and dancing people. 

  The event is most noteworthy in the carnival capital, Patras, in the Peloponese, and the Rethymnon Carnival is coming up the radar with each passing year. okries, is the Greek version the worldwide known as “masquerade partying festival,” carnival. 

   The festivities in Greece have their origins in ancient religious traditions that honored Dionysus, the god of wine and joy and celebrated the end of the winter season. In relation to the Greek Orthodox Church Apokries, is celebrated three weeks before Easter, 

  All over the island and the mainland  visitors will see thousands of costumes, parades, masquerades, and dancing people. The event is most noteworthy in the carnival capital, Patras, in the Peloponese, but the one in Rethymnon, here is coming up the radar with each passing year. 

  But it is not just the big cities, far from it. Our first one of the yuear came the other day, when our senior citizen group KAPI held their own party. Hundred came to feast, dance and celebrate in style. The food may have been served, but withg music live, they were up to dance and dance.

  Costumes were not the order of the day, but, of course some did dress up. Now we have other parties to attend to, our local onbe is at Agriana, but there are events annually also in Malia, Heraklion and any other opportunity that offers itself. 

Apokories - it's all good clean fun!

APOKORIES  is three weeks before Lent, and on the first day of Lent there is Clean Monday (Kathari Deftera)- putting it simply another reason to have food and celebrate. The three organisations who have arranged this here in the village in the past had not enough money and had not raised money for this event, which is a great shame, so it was not held.

   For us the answer was simple - a short ride to the seaside village of Sissi, which was the first area that we came to on holiday many years ago.

  Here the tradition is alive and very well, it matters not who or where you are from you can enjoy the hospitality of the village and of the region - completely free. There is music down by the harbour front as well, so this year we went with some English friends, and settled by the waters edge. The event is very well organised and you go to the food area, grab a tray and your plates are filled. There is Fassouladia, a hot bean soup served with traditional flatbread. The plates were then filled with Fava (mashed split beans) Taramosalata (Fish roes), olives, traditional vegtables and then halva (sweet sesame) further down the line you take wine, beers, softdrinks and water and everything was free.

  Music, BBQ foods and then Loukomades (sweet dough) deep fried and served with honey were placed on every table, even if the people there were up dancing to the excellent music.