Culture
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The Festivals
The so called “festival” is one of the most important events in Kythnos. Big or small festivals give to Thermiotes the opportunity to exercise their religious duties. Festivals also constitute the reason for big all night fests which start from the previous evening & last throughout the next day. People enjoy & sing along with the “zies” –combination of local musicians (violin & lute) which constitute a …full orchestra.
When you come to the island, ask whether & where a festival takes place & how easy it is for you to visit it. You will experience one of the rarest & authentic events & you will also see the famous “Thermiotiko balo”. For that matter, Manolis Glezos writes about the dancing capacity of Aegean people. All Cycladians spin round & round in the vortex of dance overwhelmed by the breeziness of life. They know how to express their feelings through the dance. That is the reason why all of them are exceptional dancers. However, according to my subjective evaluation first come Kythnos’s residents. The absolute harmony of movements & music…
January | 17 | Anthony the Great |
| Aghios Antonis Psathi (Driopida) | ||
| Aghios Antonis Kato Chordaki (Chora) | ||
18 | Athanasios & Cyril, Patriarchs of Alexandria | |
| Taxiarchis in Driopida- | ||
| Aghios Athanasios Skorpa (Chora) | ||
20 | Euthimios the Great | |
| Aghia Eirini Mouries (Driopida) | ||
25 | Gregory the Theologian | |
| Ai Giannis Simousi | ||
February | 1 | Martyr Tryphon |
| Aghios Trifonas in Velidi | ||
2 | Ipapanti Sotiros | |
| Panagia Kanala (Flevariatissa) | ||
| Panagia in Loutra (Antonarou) | ||
3 | Aghios Stamatis | |
| Aghios Stamatis (Chora) | ||
10 | Αghios Charalambos | |
| Panagia Stratolatissa | ||
| Aghios Charalambos (Chora) | ||
11 | Aghios Vlassis | |
| Ai-Vlassis (Chora) | ||
24 | Αghios Theodoros | |
| Aghios Theodoros (Petsia) | ||
| Aghios Theodoros (near Kanala’s pass) | ||
March | 25 | Annunciation of the Theotokos |
| Evaggelistrias (Driopida) | ||
| Evaggelistrias (Chora) | ||
April | 13 | Zoodochos Pigi |
| Chrisopis (Kanala) | ||
| Chrisopis (Chora) | ||
23 | Great martyr George | |
| Ai-Giorgis (Driopida & Mericha) | ||
| Ai Giorgis (Katakefalo) | ||
May | 5 | Great martyr Eirini & Aghios Efraim |
| Aghia Eirini (Mouries) | ||
| Aghia Eirini (Aghia Eirini’s cove) | ||
| Aghios Efraim (Chora) | ||
21 | Constantine & Helen | |
| Aghios Konstantinos (Driopida’s Loutra) | ||
| Aghios Konstantinos (Tholaria) | ||
| Aghios Konstantinos in the Tower (reg. Chora) | ||
27 | Pentecost | |
| Aghia Triada (Driopida) | ||
| Αγία Τριάδα (Μητρόπολη Χώρας) | ||
June | 8 | Αghia Kalliopi |
| Aghia Kalliopi (Kanala) | ||
27 | Natal of Ioannis Prodromos | |
| Ai Giannis (Lefkes) | ||
| Ai-Giannis in Mavri Sikia (Black Fig)(Driopida) | ||
29 | Peter & Paul, the Hole Apostles | |
| Aghioi Apostoloi-Aghia Anna (Driopida’s Metropolis) | ||
30 | Sinaxis 12 Apostles | |
| Festival of the “12” in Panagia Kanala | ||
July | 1 | Unmercenaries Cosmas & Damian |
| Aghioi Anargyroi in Driopida (Spilia) | ||
| Aghioi Anargyroi in Chora’s Pigadakia & Loutra | ||
15 | Aghiou Kirikos in Driopida’s Loutra | |
| Aghios Kirikas in Driopida’s Loutra | ||
17 | Aghias Marinas | |
| Aghia Marina (Merichas) | ||
| Aghia Marina (Lefkes) | ||
20 | Prophet Elias | |
| Aghios Dimitris in Driopida’s Loutra | ||
| Ai-Lias (Chora) & in Schoinari | ||
26 | Aghias Paraskevis & Aghios Ermolaos | |
| Aghia Paraskevi in Chomatsakia (Driopida) | ||
| Aghios Ermolaos in Petraina (Driopida) | ||
| Aghia Paraskevi in Asteras (Chora) | ||
27 | Aghios Panteleimon | |
| Aghios Panteleimon in Kapmisma (Driopida) | ||
| Aghios Panteleimon in Psathi | ||
| Aghios Panteleimon (Chora) | ||
August | 6 | Holy Transfiguration of Sotiros (Episkopi) |
| Sotira in Gaidouromantra & Psathi | ||
| Sotira (Chora) | ||
15 | Dormition of Theotokos | |
| Panagia Kanala | ||
| Panagia Stratolatissa | ||
| Panagia Nikous | ||
23 | Apodosis of the Dormition of Theotokos | |
| Panagia Flambouriani | ||
| Panagia Eleousa (Castro) | ||
24 | Cosmas of Aitola | |
| Aghia Kalliopi (Kanala) | ||
| Aghios Kosmas of Aitola (Chora) | ||
27 | Martyr Phanourius | |
| Ai-Phanouris (Kato Chordaki) | ||
29 | Beheading of the Forerunner Ioaninis Prodromos | |
| Prodromos (Driopida) | ||
| Ai-Giannis (Skilou) | ||
| Prodromos (Chora) | ||
September | 2 | Martyr Mammas |
| Ai-Mamas (Aliki) | ||
7 | Martyr Sozon | |
| Άϊ-Αρτήμης στη Δρυοπίδα | ||
8 | Nativity of Theotokos | |
| Panagia Kanala & Kalolivadiani | ||
14 | The Elevation of the Venerable and Life | |
| Stavros (Loutra) | ||
20 | Aghios Efstathios | |
| Aghios Stathis in Theotoko (Chora) | ||
26 | Translation of John the Theologian | |
| Theologos (Simousi) | ||
| Theologos (Chora) | ||
October | 9 | MAghios Iakovos |
| Aghios Antonis (Driopida) | ||
20 | Aghios Artemios | |
| Ai-Artemis (Chora) | ||
26 | Aghios Dimitrios | |
| Aghios Dimitrios (Aghios Dimitrios Cove) | ||
| Kato Ai-Dimitris (Kato Ai-Dimitris Cove) | ||
| Kato Ai-Dimitris (Driopida’s Loutra) | ||
| Ai-Dimitris Chora (Koutsounos) | ||
November | 2 | Aghion Akindinon |
| Aghion Akindinon (Merichas) | ||
8 | Sinaxis of Archangels | |
| Taxiarch in “Tafeio” (Driopida) | ||
| Taxiarch (Velidi) | ||
| Ταξιάρχης (Chora & Selitsi) | ||
9 | Aghios Nektarios | |
| Aghios Nektarios in Driopida (Miloi) | ||
| Aghios Nektarios (Chora) | ||
11 | Aghios Minas | |
| Aghios Minas in Galatas (Driopida) | ||
12 | Aghios Ioannis Eleimonas | |
| Eleimonos (Naousa) | ||
13 | Aghios Ioannis Chrisostomou | |
| Aghios Theodoros (Driopida) | ||
| Chrisostomos (Chora) | ||
14 | Apostle Fillipos | |
| Aghios Fillipos (Katakefalo) | ||
21 | Entry of Theotokos | |
| Panagia Kanala (all night) | ||
| Panagia (Kakovoulo) | ||
| Pigadakia (Chora) | ||
25 | Aghias Aikaterinis | |
| Aghia Aikaterini (Perdikari) | ||
| Aghia Aikaterini (Chora & Loutra) | ||
December | 4 | Aghia Varvara |
| Aghia Varvara (Psathi) | ||
| Aghia Varvara (Chora & Asteras) | ||
5 | Aghios Savva | |
| Aghios Savvas (Chora) | ||
6 | Aghios Nikolaos | |
| Aghios Nikolaos (Lefkes) | ||
| Aghios Nikolaos (Aghios Nikolaos Cove) | ||
Aghios Nikolaos (Chora & Apokrousi) | ||
12 | Aghiou Spiridonos | |
| Ai- Spiridonas (Driopida & Apokrousi) | ||
25 | Christmas | |
| Aghia Anna (Driopida’s Metropolis) | ||
| Christos Chora (Anemomilos) | ||
26 | Sinaxis of Theotokos | |
| Evaggelistria (Driopida) | ||
27 | Protomartyr Steven | |
| Aghios Stefanos (Aghios Stefanos port) |
- Furthermore, 2 Thursdays (Tsiknopempti) before Clean Monday great festivities take place in Driopida.
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- The 4th Halloween Sunday, a carnival festival “Lazanis” takes place in Chora
- Every Easter Sunday the island celebrates the traditional custom “kounies”
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In Kythnos apart from meat & fresh fish, you can also find homemade products such as sausages, rusks, white cheese, kopanisti, thyme honey (Kythnos’s honey is consider one of the best in the world), caper, clay objects (given the fact that in the island there is a long tradition in ceramics), almond specialties, pastelli, traditional pies & the famous thermiotiko wine.
Moreover, Kythnos’s cheese & wine were widely known since ancient times for their good quality & rich taste.