A wild, Dionysiac festival of fertility, found under the misleading name bourani, marks the beginning of Lent in Tyrnavos. Bourani is a thick, oil-less, spinach-based soup served on Clean Monday. During the cooking of the soup the bourani- people tease…
PANIGHIRI (ΠΑΝΗΓΥΡΙ)
The panighiria (plural: panighiria, sing.: panighiri) are religious festivals honoring the Saint to whom the church is dedicated. In Greece, a festival, either private or public, without food is unthinkable. Thus panighiri continues after the Church service with celebratory meals…
Carnival
The three weeks of Carnival are the last weeks before the great Easter Fast and also a festival of masked balls, songs, rivers of wine and plenty of food. Like its predecessors, Greek Athenian Anthesteria and Roman Saturnalia, Greek Carnival…