The best parties Crete

National holiday in Crete, in honour of the tragedy that took place at the Arkadi Monastery in 1866. It is a public holiday in Rethymnon. On this occasion, a solemn mass is held in commemoration of the 1,000 Cretans, men, women and children who killed themselves by setting fire to the monastery's powder magazine where they had locked themselves up to escape the reprisals of the Ottoman occupiers. A large parade takes place in the main streets of Rethymnon with the participation of students and the Greek armed forces.

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"!