Tradition

Here on Zakynthos,  on Palm Sunday the churches are decorated with palms – Vaya – woven into different shapes. These have been made by the priest and his family. Once ready they are lightly tied to a length of string that goes from side-to-side of the church, making up 6 …

When do we celebrate the nameday of Agios Yeorgos? According to the ecclesiastical calendar, to celebrate the memory of Agios Yeorgos / St. George the Great Martyr, there is a specific method of calculation. Sometimes the celebration is on a fixed date and is celebrated on 23rd April. Other times, the …

Something to pass time today, as it is raining and cold, 06/04. As in most languages, Greek has plenty of tongue twisters. Children learn them from an early age. Have a try, to help loosen your tongue into pronunciation. We’ll start with an easy one – Άσπρη πέτρα ξέξασπρη κι …

On the Third Sunday of Great and Holy Lent, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Services include a special veneration of the Cross, which prepares the faithful for the commemoration of the Crucifixion during Holy Week. A small church in …

Today’s events are slowly coming to an end, APOKRIES….. the Zakynthian spirit was kept alive and through many who attended the Carnival, a blessing that our traditions are still kept alive. Kathara Devtera = Καθαρά Δευτέρα Tomorrow is the first official day of Great Lent. It is a day which …

For the inhabitants of Zakynthos, but also for every visitor to the island, the week from the piccolo carnival to the great parade of carnival  Sunday means dance, colour and letting yourself go. Like every year, that what impresses and monopolizes the interest of all is the Venetian wedding in …

Mantolato (Nougat) A traditional sweet of Zakynthos, and definitely a must to try! During Carnival the most popular sweets are Rice pudding(rizogalo) and nougat (Mantolato). Now that the events are slowly taking place throughout the town and villages you will mainly see nougat being thrown to the crowds as a treat. I …

With joy, dance, song and of course many delicious and honey covered “Glaounes”, this year the “Glaouna Festival” was held by the Kallithea Cultural Club “Koukesi”, unfortunately, fighting against  bad weather. The feast began at noon and was completed after a few hours due to the downpour. “The celebration is …

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 …

The name Alkionides is derived from the mythological “Alkionides Days” which during the month of January are warm and sunny. In Greek mythology, the goddess Halcyon (Alcyone in Greek) was the daughter of Aeolus, the ruler of the winds. She was married to the mortal king Ceyx of Tachis. Their love for each other …