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
By Donna Southgate-Smith
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