Events calendar Greece

For a week, at the end of July, Patmos hosts an international film festival. Directors, scriptwriters and actors come to conferences and screenings. Contemporary auteur films, both fiction and documentary, are screened in the open-air cinema set up for the occasion in the schoolyard in Skala. It's a magical and incredibly gentle moment to be in the cinema under the stars...

On August 6 in the village of Englouvi, in Lefkada, Saint Donatos has his feast day. On the occasion of the tribute to the saint, the women prepare lentils, grown in this abundant plateau of the island. Sardines and wine are also distributed to guests. An original celebration that attracts many Greeks.

The summer panigyria do not stop at the end of August but continue for part of the autumn. Thus, on September 2, a great celebration is held in the monastery of Agios Mammas, on the heights of Fri, on the island of Kassos. In Astipalaia, the patron saint of the island, Saint Anthimos, is celebrated on September 3: an icon of the saint is shown in procession through the streets of Chora. On September 17, all the Sofias are celebrated in Karpathos. Many Karpathian women were given this name in baptism, hence the importance of the local panigyria in honor of the saint.

This festival is held in Corfu around August 11 and celebrates the miracle of St. Spiridon who is said to have protected the island from the Turkish invasion on August 11, 1716. The festival takes place precisely in the bay of Paleokastritsa in the north of the island. Boats gather in the bay, music plays and traditional dancers come to life. At the end, a small wooden boat is burned and fireworks are lit to commemorate the end of the Turkish naval siege.

On July 19, a very special tradition continues year after year in the port of Kastellorizo: dressed people throw themselves into the water to commemorate the return of the inhabitants to the island after their evacuation during the war of national independence. The story goes that the pope, who remained alone on the island for the duration of this evacuation, threw himself - with joy! - in the waters of the port when he saw the inhabitants return. It is the occasion for great celebrations and rituals where all generations meet in the water of the port.

The Reggae Vibes music festival took place for the first time in 2007 on the beach of Almyros. Since then, it has been a unique institution and musical event for fans of reggae and dub music, not only in Crete, but also in the rest of Greece. It takes place every year uniting many world famous bands. With a growing success, the festival contributes, in its own way, to the cultural and touristic development of the Lassithi region.

July 23, 1944, marked the date of the deportation of the Jewish community of Rhodes and Kos to Athens and then to Auschwitz. For three days, this tragic event is commemorated, with only 10% of the community leaving alive. In Rhodes, a memorial ceremony is held on the Jewish Martyrs' Square, followed by a procession in the former Jewish quarter to the synagogue where a religious service is held. Round tables and projections are also organized.

Forty days before the Orthodox Easter begins a period of fasting during which practitioners abstain from eating meat, poultry and fish. The day marking the beginning of Lent is Fat Monday (one day after Carnival). People go to the countryside and fly kites. We eat shellfish, the famous tarama and lagana, a kind of unleavened bread. It is a holiday in Crete (and in Greece), and is an opportunity to celebrate with ouzo and raki in public squares or in front of chapels.

The Cretans open the window on New Year's Eve to let the old year out, which their climate allows! The new year is welcomed with fireworks and bursts of gunfire in the air! The next day, the Cretans, at least those who still follow the tradition to the letter, have the habit of giving money to the first child who will cross their threshold in order to have good luck throughout the new year. This is the custom of kali hera, which literally means "good hand"!