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Rethymno
Crete island
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Since
ancient times the inhabitants of Rethymno have been renowned for their
skills in literature and art, and also for their devotion to traditional
work concerning nature, agriculture and stockbreeding. Within this framework
they have developed a specific relationship with the tradition, the customs
and the way of living of their home country; they carefully keep these
things alive in every corner of the prefecture and see to it that they
are passed on to their children and grandchildren. Thus both every-day-life
and the days such as religious holidays or holidays arising from the social
need for relaxation and entertainment are organised in an environment of
continued unchanging values. Traditions relating to celebrations for the
worshipping of God, nature, production and life itself represent a very
important chapter in the life of the people of Rethymno as well as of all
Cretans.
Religious
holidays include Christmas, Epiphany, carnival festivities, Easter, the
Assumption of the Virgin as well as the name days of all saints and are
celebrated with particular energy. Christmas is considered a family festivity,
which is celebrated in a warm, quiet atmosphere. Fragrances and flavours
of traditional cooking and pastry making, special dishes, which decorate
the Christmas table are just as much part of it. Epiphany is celebrated
on 6 January in the ports, where the priests bless the sea by throwing
the Holy Cross into the water. Divers jump into the cold sea, competing
with each other in order to catch the cross, while the sirens of large
and small boats fill the air joyously. Carnival and Shrove Monday are celebrated
in January or February, depending on the date of the Easter celebrations,
and mark the beginning of Sarakosti, that is the Lenten period, which lasts
for 40 days.
Carnival
Sunday (Apokria) is the last day on which meat may be consumed before Lent
begins on Shrove Monday. On that day people celebrate the event in the
country with Lenten food and kite flying. Undoubtedly Easter is the most
important festival of the Orthodox Church. During this period the religious
belief of the people is felt strongly, since Easter celebrations are not
restricted to Easter Sunday only, but they also include the previous week,
Holy Week, during which the ceremonies preparing for the great celebration
are carried out. The parish congregates to attend afternoon and evening
services. On Good Friday the Epitaph is decorated with fresh, sweet-smelling
flowers, and in the evening it is carried through the neighbourhoods followed
by the congregation, who chant and scatter roseleaves onto it. The following
night, on Easter Saturday, Resurrection is celebrated. The faithful, all
equipped with candles, take home the "Holy Light", which has been passed
on to the congregation. At home they sit around the festive table in order
to enjoy the Mayiritsa and to smash the red painted eggs. On Easter Sunday
people have barbecues in the countryside, grilling lambs and celebrating
the Resurrection of Christ as well as the beginning of spring. 15 August,
the Assumption of the Virgin, is also one of the major holidays of the
Orthodox Church, which is combined with the summer holidays and jaunts
to the beaches. Religious holidays also include the name days of saints,
particularly of those who are the patron saints of towns and villages.
The name day of the patron saint of a village is traditionally celebrated
with Cretan dances in the village square. These festivities, which usually
take place during the summer months, offer the opportunity for holidaymakers
and locals to come together and represent a genuine occasion of entertainment
for the people living in the country. |
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