APOKRIES: A Time For Celebration!

With February brings Apokries which is carnival time in Greece and a time for celebration, a feast of dance, wine and meat before the sacrifies and fasting of Lent.

The tradition started in Ancient Times and is believed to be as a worship to Dionysos, the God of wine and feast. The word Apokries literally means saying goodbye to meat and in Orthodox tradition is the preparation period before Lent.

The carnival parades take place on the last day of Apokries and it’s the last time until after Easter that church weddings are allowed.

The largest parade in Crete is held at the historical town of Rethymno and has 20,000 participants and over 100,000 spectators. The theme of the floats are decided by teams of friends and all are original with custom made costumes each year. 

By Donna Southgate-Smith