Clean Monday – The Presentation of the Koudounoforoi

Clean Monday – The Presentation of the Koudounoforoi

The morning of Clean Monday began with a light smattering of snow that settled on the hills above Sochos. Here in the village, the flakes melted as soon as they hit the ground. Such is the early March weather in Northern Macedonia. Today is the finale of Carnival. Clean Monday or Kathara Deftera marks the…

Sochos Carnival – the Parody Weddings

Sochos Carnival – the Parody Weddings

Sunday morning brought with it a bout of light drizzle. The overcast sky did not feel very “Carnival” to me. From within the church, the solemn tone of the priest’s chanting reminded all that now is a time for Christian worship. The Pagan revelry will come later. There were very few signs of life outside,…

Sochos Folklore Museum and More Carnival Capers

Sochos Folklore Museum and More Carnival Capers

Friday 28th February was a day of national strikes and a time to remember the 57 souls that were tragically lost during the Tempi rail disaster. Speak to any Greek and they will call it murder – most certainly not an accident. To show respect on the 2nd anniversary of this horrific event, all carnival…

Leaving Thessaloniki and My Final Carnival Destination – Sochos

Leaving Thessaloniki and My Final Carnival Destination – Sochos

I had dropped a small clue on where I would be spending the tail end of Carnival and Clean Monday in my video of the Thessaloniki parade – though ever so subtle. It was a pure coincidence that I was in Thessaloniki at the time of the parade. As magnificent as it was, this fairly…

In Search of Trigona and Another Trip to the Hossy!

In Search of Trigona and Another Trip to the Hossy!

Day 2 in Thessaloniki was a wash out. So was half of day 3 and the whole of day 4. Anyway, on day 2, the day after the carnival, I headed out into the expansive city of Thessaloniki to see what I could see. Thessaloniki is named after the daughter of King Philip II of…

Carnival Comes to Kastro – There’s a Goat on my Roof!

Carnival Comes to Kastro – There’s a Goat on my Roof!

The thing about Carnival on Skyros is that there is a loose framework around what is going to happen and where it will take place. However, you really need to be ‘in the know’ to grasp what’s going on. It isn’t like the very commercialised and huge carnival in Patras which because of its size…