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Carnival

carnival procession on Zakynthos - robW_ Photo / Robert Wallace

The Greek Carnival Dates 2011:

Tridion (start of Carnival season): Sunday, 13.2.
Tsiknopempti: Thu, 24.2.
Tsiknopempti Weekend: CHF 25 - Sun, 27.2.
Clean Monday: 7.3.

The course of the Greek Carnival:

Apokries , as the Greek name for the carnival and the carnival is displayed in the three weeks before the start of Lent. At the beginning of Carnival or Carnival is the Tridion, the liturgy, which takes place in the Orthodox Church from that date up to Easter apply. The end of this period and the beginning of Lent marks a public holiday, the so-called "Clean Monday" ( Katheri Deftera ). This year it is time together with our rose Monday. But this is only the case in some years. For Lent, and thus the carnival set up in Greece after the date of Easter, which is determined according to the Julian calendar.

The Greek carnival season is divided into three weeks, the mood for Lent, which is also celebrated wildly: Profoni , Kreatini and Tirofagou .

Profoni is the announcement week, to announce in the traditional drums or town crier, the carnival.

In Kreatini (meat week) called the second week will Karnevalsszeit its peak. It is the last week before Easter, should be eaten in the strict Greek Orthodox fasting rules for meat. This is especially on Thursday this week, the celebrated Tsiknopempti (burnt-smelling Thursday, or translated free barbecue Thursday) with barbecues. Thus, this day is the one among the carnival days, whose importance is most covered with the traditions in Western countries such as Germany, France, Italy and Spain. In Germany the day as Women's Carnival, as well as Schmotziger (of all man's Schmotz = fat, grease) Thursday announced in France as a fat Thursday (mardi gras). The following weekend it goes up in her many Greek carnival strongholds.

The third week is Tirofagou (cheese week). For it is now to be already living meatless, while cheese, dairy products and eggs are still allowed, that one in Lent, as such, should eventually give up.

Sun is celebrated in different regions:

in rural areas and on some islands have ancient customs and costumes will receive, for example, on belonging to the Northern Sporades Ineln Skyros and Skopelos .

I n many cities the carnival with parades and masks will be celebrated. Known are the parades of Patras . But in other cities there in the last days before the beginning of Lent carnival. Thus offers Athens its citizens each year a gay program.

photo: There RobW_ license Creative Commons at CC BY-NC-ND 2.0