Cycladia | Island Events

Since September 2009 the Pistachio Festival is organized on Aegina on a yearly basis, involving events, concerts and guided tours in sites and museums as well as food competitions. Its goals are to promote the work of local artists, the local producers, traders and the local market, reaching up to a celebration for the discovery of the city and even the entire island. For more information please visit www.aeginafistikifest.gr

On Easter Day the dance (horos) of Labri is held. A small dance used to take place in the square of Panagia Foritissa, where young men revealed their love to the girl they wanted, and a big one followed in the square of the Church of the Cross with the participation of almost all residents. In the old days the custom lasted three days per week for three weeks in a raw, starting on Thursday. Today the custom takes place on Easter Day at the Church of the Holy Cross in Palaiochora.

The end of summer and the coming of the fall are represented on the 14th of September (the day of the Holy Cross’ celebration) with the ancient custom called after Leidino. Leidino is the small meal the farmers used to have at the end of the day after work. A farmer’s image is prepared with rags and straw as a body and in the place of the head a traditional jar “wearing” a hat is painted.

The figure is put over a plain piece of wood (table, door) and various seeds are offered as well as farmer tools while the women are mourning. The “dead” is then placed on a door decorated with flowers to be buried right after. Afterwards the “body” is retrieved from the tomb and the ritual is completed with this “resurrection”.

The bride’s trousseau is shown to the groom’s relatives and friends who bedew it with rice and roses. After the wedding bed is properly prepared, the party begins with dance, singing and presents’ opening. After the wedding, the feast continues with food and traditional music till the early hours. Like in most places in Greece, the weddings are an almost all-day party with the bride and groom being its hosts and local delicacies and drinks the highlights of the day!

On the 23rd of June, the day before the celebration day of Agios Ioannis Prodromos (precursor), the custom of Klidonas takes place. A girl, whose parents are alive, is filling a jar with water and brings it back home without talking to anyone. Then boys and girls put inside the jar a personal item (ring, ear ring, etc.) and the jar is left out in the open during the night. The day after, the same people are gathered to retrieve their items one-by-one and the words they address to the one trying to find their object is supposed to be an oracle for its future. This custom used to be practiced each year in the past but nowadays it has almost been forgotten.

Usually the religious feasts are accompanied by traditional music, dancing, food and drink, offered at an open feast.

Aegina’s main religious feast is the one of Agios Nektarios, which is celebrated twice a year, the first on the 9th of November (assumption of the saint) and the second on the 3rd of September (recollection of the saint’s relics).