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Greeks celebrate Tsiknopempti, which literally means “Thursday of the Smoke of Grilled Meat”. It is celebrated 11 days before Clean Monday (which marks the start of the fasting period of Lent); since the week before Lent is considered meat-free (but not dairy-free), and Wednesday and Friday are generally considered days of fasting in the Greek-Orthodox Christian tradition, this makes Tsiknopempti one of the last opportunities for people to eat meat, so this has traditionally led to the day acquiring a special festive character. Greeks celebrate by taking to the streets and consuming large quantities of grilled meat, such as souvlaki and village sausages. Many local town councils set up grills in central squares with music and festivities.
It is a traditional Catholic Christian feast marking the last Thursday before Lent and is associated with the celebration of Carnival. Because Lent is a time of fasting, the next opportunity to feast would not be until Laetare Sunday, and after that not until Easter.
Zakynthos has its own special meaning of Tsiknopempti, although it is not a public holiday many will take time to celebrate this day. Early morning you will see people getting their “μπαγόρδες” prepared, whether they set them up in the street outside their shops, within school yards and even the local squares, it doesn’t really matter as long as you have plenty of meat to share. A smell of ‘Tsikno” throughout the day slowly fills the air, as more and more people gather round for a taste of the BBQed meat, always washed down with a glass or two of wine. A celebration is not a celebration in Zakynthos with out music, and you will find traditional dance at most.
In the past, Zakynthos celebrated Tsiknopempti in another way, where children would collect a type of stinging nettles, known as “Tsouknitha” and have them ready in hand in a game of chase. The object was to try and ‘sting’ as many children as possible throughout the day.
Needless to say, wearing long sleeves and long pants was the way to avoid being stung. Adults also would join in on the fun, some would collect wild flowers and discreetly hide a ‘Tsouknitha’ within the bouquet, so when the person who received them went to smell the flowers their nose would be stung and the itchiness would be unstoppable.
This evening in Zakynthos actually marks the Carnival. The Carnival king will parade through the town usually followed in celebration in the town’s square of St. Marcos.
It is as of today that the Carnival period would truly take place over the next few weeks leading up to the Grande Parade Zakynthos. Parties for young and old are held all of whom would be dressed in costume.
Although Zakynthos has its carnival theme based on the Venetian type carnival, it has slowly been taken over leading towards the more ‘anything goes’ type Carnival of Patra.
There are however, groups that still base their theme to more traditional ties,
and the re-enactment of a Venetian Wedding is one of the highlights within the Zakynthian Carnival, usually taking place on the last Saturday of Carnival.
