Greece traditions customs & dancing

Discover them one by one, travelling to known and little known destinations in Greece.
Probe their peculiarities, find the features that connect them and those that make them distinct.
Take part in their festivities, in their daily lives, their symbolic rituals. You’ll be charmed by their authenticity, the love and pride each group has in its homeland and roots… love and pride they show and share with anyone who displays an interest.
Apokries – the Greek Carnival
The Greek Carnival is a celebration with street parties, parades, and masquerades, similar to Carnivals in other Western Christian countries. There are a lot of family friendly events for the little ones that enjoy dressing up. Like the Latin root of the word “carnival”, the word “apokries” comes from the words apochi and kreas (abstinence and meat) so, “avoiding meat”. The start of the carnival marks the days before the fasting begins. There is not a specific date but it usually takes place between February and March.
The Carnival is celebrated 3 weeks before the 40 days of fasting or Lent begin. The first week of the carnival starts with a specific church celebration. The second week is called Kreatini (from the word kreas, which means meat), and you are allowed to eat meat every day. The third and last week is called Cheese Week or White Week when you are not allowed to eat meat, just dairy and fish.
Some accounts state that the origin of this Greek tradition comes from an Ancient Greek festival. Back then, great gatherings were organized, where people amused themselves by eating, drinking and dancing. The reasons for the celebrations were the change of the season from winter to spring, and the glorification of God Dionysus. Dionysus was a God of contradictions, being the god of both fun and aversion, germination, fertility, and wine making. Nowadays, people mark the day by getting dressed up and participating in street parades, with the city of Patra hosting the most popular carnival in Greece. Other famous parades take place in the city of Xanthi and Rethimno.