Carnival (apokries) revelry kicked off in Greece on 17 February with fascinating traditions being revived around Greece. There’s everything from colourful parades and masquerades to fertility rites that allude to the pagan roots of Greek carnival time.
For Christians, the meaning of apo-kries (from meat) is particularly significant in the three-week lead-up to Greek fasting for Lent that essentially farewells meat products from the diets of the faithful. These days, much of the religious significance of time-honoured rituals has been lost but people still relish going through the motions that tie them to their ancestors.
Each week of the carnival season has its own name: the first week is known as profoni (heralds the approach of carnival); the second week is kreatini (meat); and the third week is known as tyrini (cheese).
Tsiknopempti (meaning “smokey Thursday”), in the middle of the meat-eating week, is considered the crescendo of the carnival season. Traditionally, the aromas of sizzling meat would fill the neighborhoods as people gathered at private gardens, neighborhood squares and church courtyards to enjoy each other’s company over good food and wine. In modern times, city living has done little to diminish the meat-eating enthusiasm though the burden of the cooking has left the shoulders of housewives. So on 28 February this year, hordes will be seen heading to their humble neighborhood tavernas to squeeze around paper table-cloth set tables and pour house wine from no-frill copper jugs.
At a time of economic crisis and uncertainty, the familiar traditions of carnival capers exorcise the scarier aspects of life. Take for instance the final-weekend parades held in cities, towns and even obscure villages from 8-10 March this year. As every year, they will poke fun at the glum situation, with floats that depict the absurdity of our times. These little shenanigans seem to make life a little bit more palatable.
Carnival hotspots like Plaka in Athens, Patras and Xanthi draw in the crowds, but there are many other villages with authentic traditions tied to the history of places around Greece.