In Kastoria we have a fine way to conjoin tradition with entertainment and the modern time, through customs that have traveled through the centuries and the establishment of new cultural institutions and contemporary activities. When you visit our prefecture, throughout the year, you will have the chance to attend and participate in these events where the special cultural features of the place are dominant and offer great deal of entertainment.
INTERNATIONAL FUR EXHIBITION
The International Fur Exhibition is organized every spring by the Kastorian Fur Association since 1976. It is accommodated at the exhibition and auction center of the town and attracts the interest of the fur and leather field from all over the world. It is one of the largest organizations in the world, after the ones of Milan and Hong Kong.
BOUBOUNES
On the last Sunday of Carnival, large fires are set out at the squares of Kastoria and the surrounding villages. It is a custom that dates to the pre-Christian ages, called Boubounes. The whole procedure for this celebration starts a month earlier when people gather the woods. Huge flames and treats, such as tsigarides, and wine are offered in the feast along with popular orchestras in neighborhoods and squares till the woods run out and the fire dies away taking with it all the malicious spirits. Thus, the purification of the Lent will start without them. The biggest Boubounes of the town take place at Doltsou square, in Apozari neighbourhood and Omonia square as well as around the old hospital.
PALIAPOULES
It is the corresponding custom of the large fire on the last Sunday of Carnival in Argos Orestikon.
CHASKARIS
The custom of Chaskari is a symbolic custom that takes place in the Kastorian houses during the last Sunday of Carnival. The most senior man, usually the grand father of the family ties an egg on the end of a thread and the other members of the family try to catch it in their mouth. The Chaskaris symbolism is related to the Lent. The egg closes the mouth so as to begin fasting; the egg opens the mouth again, on the night of the Resurrection.
RODANI
Rodani used to be a wooden hand made large swing that was put up at the squares from Palm Sunday to Thomas Sunday. The ticket to ride the swing was an egg or money. This custom comes from the pre-Christian ages. It reminds of rituals of the second day of anthestiria celebration. Associations activated in Kastoria, set up the rodani in an effort to revive all the customs of their place.
LAZARINES
On Lazarus Saturday, the unmarried girls, younger and older, wearing white dresses so as to look like brides would go around the neighborhood singing the Lazarus carol. The housewives used to treat them eggs and other sweets. These girls were called Lazarines or Lazaritses. This custom still survives at the Municipality of Agioi Anargiroi.
FEAST IN DISPILIO
On Assumption day, forty days after Easter Sunday one of the biggest feasts of the prefecture is organized at Dispilio.
KLIDONAS
Another thing that has remained from ancient Anthestiria feast is Klidonas. The unmarried girls, on June 24, the birthday of John the Baptist and the day that the fruitfulness of the earth is celebrated, try to guess their “fate” from lyrics and random names that they hear. So, some of Kastoria’s houses organized Klidonas decorating a tree branch, stuck in sand, with seasonal fruits. All unmarried girls of the neighborhood would gather there, eat sweets, read poems, sing and dance around the decorated Klidonas hoping that next year they would be married. A few years before World War II this custom started fading away. The Charity Sorority Fund of Kastoria makes efforts today to revive it.
HOLY SPIRIT FEAST
The summer cultural events in Nestorio start with the Holy Spirit Feast in Ano Nestorio.
PROPHET ELIAS FEAST
The Prophet Elias is honored on July 20th with a series of events organized by the members of Furriers’ Association of Kastoria. The events have religious and cultural character and are organized in the town of Kastoria. There is also a large feast in Kotili.
AGIA PARASKEVI FEAST
The Kastorians honor the memory of Agia Paraskevi on July 26th organizing feasts and events in several areas of the Prefecture, as for example at village Maniakoi, Kostarazi and Eptachori.
ORESTIA
Orestia is a series of cultural events organized by the Cultural Development Municipal Enterprise of Argos Orestikon in all the municipal districts over the last 2 weeks of July. The event program includes concerts, theatrical plays, thematic nights for young people, painting exhibitions, book and photography exhibitions as well as folklore exhibitions.
KASTORIAN FISH FESTIVAL
During the last fortnight of July, the Cultural Association “Apozari” organizes the Kastorian Fish festival broiling fish from Kastoria Lake at the northern beach of the town. At the same time concerts and fishing contests are held.
TEA FESTIVAL
The community of Grammos organizes the tea festival in early July. The celebrations start with the Holy Mass at the Holy Church of Holy Virgin’s Dormition at Grammos village.
POTATO AND MUSHROOM FESTIVAL
At the village Polikerasos, on July the 12th treats made of potatoes are offered in a tasting feast, with musical and dancing shows and references to the history of the potato. Moreover, at the end of July, residents of Oxia village organize the “Mushroom Festival”, with food containing mushrooms, which hare abundant in this region.
RIVER PARTY
With the slogan “When magic can last for five days it can last forever” every August in Nestorio, on the banks of Aliakmonas River takes place the eldest and one of the biggest river parties in Greece. It attracts the interest of thousands of people from all over Greece and the neighboring countries, who camp on the river banks enjoying nature. The event program invludes musical concerts with the participation of the most important Greek singers and other events with the participation of campers.
15TH OF AUGUST FESTIVALS
The most important festivals that are organized to honor the Dormition of Holy Virgin are held in Pentavriso, Dipotamia, Inoi, Kato Nestorio, Klisoura and Pefkofito.
CHRISTOPOULEIA
Christopouleia are organized in July and last one week and are dedicated to the expatriate Katorians. They involve musical and theatrical events.
KORESTIA
A grand musical event is organized at Kraniona settlement in the last days of August.
DRAGOUMEIA
Dragoumeia are realized by the Municipality of Ion Dragoumis and the Ladies Association “Vogatsiotissa” by the end of August, on the ninth day after the Dormition of Holy Virgin. This event lasts four days.
CELEBRATIONS FOR THE LIBERATION OF KASTORIA
The liberation from the Turkish Occupation of the town on November 12, 1912 is celebrated with a three-day event.
BEAN FESTIVAL
The first weekend of September each year, at the location of Lakommata, is organized the Bean Festival. Bean soup and plenty of wine is offered to the visitor and an exhibition with all varieties of beans is organized as well.
INTERNATIONAL (INTERBALKAN) CHORUS FESTIVAL
On October of each year, the Municipality of Argos – Orestikon organizes the International Chorus Festival with the participation of choruses from all around Greece and from most of the Balkan countries. This festival was first organized in 1984 and took its current form in 1997. It is organized by the Cultural Development Municipal Enterprise and the Cultural Association “Orestis”, whose members had the idea of creating this festival.
APPLE FESTIVAL
This festival is held at Polikarpi settlement, in mid October. Plenty cultural events and exhibitions of apples as well as of agricultural machinery are organized.
CHESTNUT FESTIVAL
A little before the celebration of Agios Dimitrios’ name day, at the settlement of Kastanofyto, the chestnut, which is the basic crop of the area is honored. The visitors can enjoy chestnuts and wine for free and entertain with the live traditional music bands and the dancing groups’ performances.
TRADITIONAL KASTORIAN VISIT
The word veggera (visit) comes from the Italian “vengi” than means “come”. It is an invitation towards all the kastorians for feast till dawn and it revives an old kastorian custom. The visits were connected to the unending winter nights of the town and were held in the lounge or the doxata of the manors, with the accompaniment of treats and lots of wine and live music. They were held in December, while waiting for the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, the traditional visit is revived by the Progressive Association of Kastoria and is realized during the first fortnight of December. Traditional kastorian treats are offered. After midnight the lights go out and the members of the Association light candles and lamps and sing the traditional kastorian carols. It is a night worth living.
THE CHRISTMAS FIRES
Large fires are lit at some villages of Kastoria a little before Christmas, on December 23, which according to the custom are meant to warm the newborn Jesus. The treats of this day used to be Lenten but lately tsigarides and lots of wine are offered.
KOLLIEDA
At dawn of the 23rd of December, groups of young and old people come out on the streets and sing Kollieda, the Kastorian traditional Christmas carols with lyrics addressed to each member of the family seperately.
RAGOUTSARIA
In Kastoria prefecture the habitants greet the New Year with their own special way, Ragoutsaria. It is the name of the carnival celebrations of the area whose traces are lost in time. In most of the prefecture’s regions, Ragoutsaria are celebrated during the two first days of the year. The only exception is the city of Kastoria, where the celebrations last three days. They start on the 6th and finish on the 8th. This special name, Ragoutsaria, most possibly came from the latin rogatores that means beggar and reminds of the disguised people that go around the neighborhoods and ask for treats so as to cast all evil spirits away from the town. Even during the Byzantine times the celebrations kept going. Music, dancing, singing and disguising. The participants relied on their anonymity due to the mask and teased the passers by. Today, the “bouloukia” (groups) take part in the celebrations in Kastoria. Every single boulouki has its own copper wind instruments orchestra. The program starts early in the afternoon of the Twelfth Day. The bouloukia go out in the streets of Kastoria and do not stop until the dawn of the next day. The wine flows unstopping, as it happens in every true feast. On the second day, St’ John’s day, the things get louder. After noon the whole town dances. Due to the day, the bouloukia visit houses where men named John live. The celebrations reach their peak on the third day, Pateritsa, on January the 8th. At noon, the bouloukia parade on Mitropoleos Street. The best of them receive an award by the Municipality of Kastoria, who bears the responsibility of the carnival events organization. The bouloukia and the people that attend the parade end up to the old Byzantine square of Doltso, where everyone takes part in an exuberant party, the orchestras compete with each other about whose music is going to prevail. The party goes on not only for the Kastorians but also for the visitors, who are more and more each year till to the end.
BABOUREOI IN EPTACHORI
In Eptachori, the New Year’s Day is a real big time and everyone is there. At dawn, before the first light of the day, the baboureoi are gathered in the houses and get dressed. They wear white clothes, they put leathers on them and tie the so-called “kypria” while they paint their faces with fume and they wipe butter or grease on their hands. They also put feathers on their head and hold a strong sting in their hand. When everyone is ready, they go out on the streets of the village banging the kypria and making loud noises so as to cast away the evil. Before the church bell rings, they gather in the church’s yard. It is an unsaid rule not to bother anyone before the service is over. The great noise happens afterwards, when baboureoi are free to do whatever they like. So, they paint each one’s that comes out of the church face to wish them a Happy New Year. After the service, baboureoi go around the houses with the escort of traditional instruments, dancing and singing the carols. Late in the afternoon the party really goes high and baboureoi paint the people’s faces greedily. Exhausted from dancing and drinking, by the end of the day they light a fire at the village’s square and eat sausages, a treat that they particularly enjoy.
MASIALAS
The Kastorians used to sing the New Year’s Carols till dark with pipes, violins and flutes. Then Masialas came along, which is an iron candelabrum that was placed in the middle of the street and people sang the carols around it. A strong young man usually held the Masialas and everyone went around the streets. They collected money for the church or families in need.
TSIPOURO FESTIVAL
In the heart of the winter at Argos Orestikon and Lithia, the Tsipouro Festival takes place. A fine distillate escorts this festival.
CARNIVAL IN ARGOS
This carnival lasts three days from December 31st to January 2 and is the culmination of entertainment in Argos Orestikon. In the Carnival of Argos the three day festival starts on the afternoon of New Year’s Eve with the “bouloukia” that dance in high spirit in the neighborhoods with the accompaniment of musical instruments. At noon of the New Year’s day takes place the parade of the Carnival with the dominance of satyr (political and social) and spectacle, which is a later influence. On the second day of January, the carnival is called “pateritsa” and it is the day when the women whoop it up. This name comes from the times that the repressed women of another era disguised themselves and covered their face so as to have fun without hesitations, holding a stick, the so-called “pateritsa” in order to defend themselves from the teasing of men. From then till this day women of Argos enjoy themselves around the neighborhoods and they end up at Argos’ central square where all the groups together with the musicians, “klaritzides” compete with the others about who is going to play their clarinets, trombones and daoulia more loudly.
TRADITIONAL WEDDING
A wedding ceremony in Kastoria used to last fifteen days. The ritual would always start on a Thursday and friends and women from the bride’s family would come together in the girls’ dance, a dance where only women took part. Thursday was also the day that the relatives were invited to help the bride clean up in the bath. On Friday, the relatives of both sides were invited. They, on their turn would bring various gifts to the groom and bride. They invited the best man with a “kanaveta”, a wooden case that contained two chickpea breads and one wether lamb. In the afternoon of the same day, the family would take the dowry of the bride to the groom’s house on mules. The animals that carried chests with linens, blankets and velvet cloths, always wore a colored scarf. Little boys and girls followed carrying pillows in their hands with lace, broidered and velvet cloths. On Saturday night there was dinner and the relatives brought along the “kamoumi” of the table, meaning a dish with a spoon and a fork and a towel. Right after dinner the dance would start and usually lasted till dawn. Sunday of the wedding would start with songs, as the bride was getting dressed. The groom would send to the bride her dress, shoes, a veil and an umbrella and socks, handkerchiefs and shirts for her family. The bride’s family would do the same for the groom’s family. The same morning the groom had to shave. The barber was offered gifts from the groom’s relatives and a silk scarf from the bride’s parents. Right after noon, the bride and the groom, with the escort of relatives and musical instruments would arrive at the church for the ceremony. The next day after the wedding the couple dined at the groom’s house with the groom’s relatives and they would dance till morning. On Thursday, the mother of the bride would invite her to her house for the “returns”. This meant that they were treating her specific food, like fried chicken (kapama), pie and pasty. The next day, the couple would visit the bride’s parents along with their relatives and on Saturday there was a meal to honor them. Finally, on Sunday, a week after the wedding the bride with the mother of the groom would visit houses of relatives and friends.
