Send In the Clowns - Apokries and Carnival - the ‘Greek Halloween’
As we crossed the hotel lobby, two witches in pointy hats, black miniskirts and high heels, pressed bags of candy into our hands and smiled tipsily - “Happy Halloween!”
Their companions - a fairy in a pink tutu and a vampire in a red, satin-lined cape, with fangs, his hair slicked back - waved at us, giggling at our bemused expressions. It was a crisp Saturday evening in Heraklion in February 2015, with snow still lying on the mountains beyond the city. Craig and I had spent a sunny day house-hunting in the pretty villages of the east near Agios Nikolaos. It wasn’t the time of year we associated with Halloween.
“Greek Halloween” the lady at the reception desk, clarified. “There is a party happening here right now for Carnival.”
When we went out searching for somewhere to eat later, there were musicians, pastel princesses and harlequin-coloured, fairy-tale villains roaming the streets around Heraklion’s famous Moronisi Fountain and The Loggia. This definitely wasn’t Halloween as we knew it in the UK, with layers of fog suspended above the fields and drizzle dancing in the streetlights. The only thing in common with a UK Halloween seemed to be the costumes - and the excuse for a party!
The official name for Carnival we learned later is Apokries - three weeks of partying, fun, parades and feasting, before Lent begins in the Greek Orthodox calendar and fasting kicks in for the run up to Easter. Apokries literally means ‘from, or without meat’ (Apo Kréas) - an echo of the Italian Carne-vale, (‘farewell to meat’). It is thought to have its roots in the ancient Greek Dionysian festivals that celebrated the coming of spring.
The ever-changing dates of Apokries around Orthodox Easter, make the festivities difficult to track for foreigners unfamiliar with this unusual festival and traditions, so a few years after buying our house in Kritsá, I was surprised by another of Apokries’ unique celebrations.
My husband, Craig, was away, and I’d decided to take myself out for dinner in Agios Nikolaos. As I stood, trying to catch the waiter’s eye at Karnagio, a restaurant with brightly coloured tables and chairs on the lake, I was astonished to see that the place, usually quiet out of season, was jam-packed - bustling with families and groups of young friends.
“Room for one?” I hollered above the din when the waiter approached, aware of a queue growing at my back. The waiter raked his fingers through his hair and darted a question at his colleague across the cacophony of the packed tables. The tiny bistro table that usually displayed the menus at the foot of the steps was carried aloft and set ready for me right in the heart of the commotion. A people-watcher’s dream!
Platters of smouldering chops and steaks were whisked out of the kitchens, carried deftly aloft and passed over people’s heads in an endless parade - while kebabs, suspended on their own mini-spits dangled above plates, dripping sweet meat juices onto the fries below.
I discovered quickly that it was the night of Tskinopempto - literally ‘smoky, or charred Thursday’ - a very specific celebration ahead of a weekend-long feast, where it is traditional to eat grilled meat before it is given up for Lent. It was a night where the raki (a clear, distilled Cretan spirit) flowed freely - and I didn't dare order a salad!
The Apokries celebrations also include Tyrofgagos - a day when cheese, yogurt and milk-based dishes are on the menu - a similar idea to using up eggs and milk in pancakes on Shrove Tuesday in the UK.
After the three-week-long feast, Lent finally begins with ‘Clean Monday’ (Kathará Deftéra) - a public holiday - and meat and rich dairy foods give way to unleavened Lagana bread, beans, greens and shellfish. It’s a day observed all over Greece and even in the air - as we discovered on an international flight with a Greek airline, when dry Lagana crackers were served alongside fully vegetarian meals. Clean Monday is also the day when children make and fly kites, to get closer to the heavens!
Although the whole of Carnival season is an excuse for letting loose and having a good time, the highlight of Apokries is the annual masquerade parade in every town and city, where the streets are filled with floats, marching musicians and exuberant gangs of dancers. It’s a time of passion and high spirits, where anything goes as long as you’re in ‘disguise’. This year in Agios Nikolaos, the theme was ‘Circus of Dreams’, with a spectacular ‘Night of the Clowns’1 march through the town against a backdrop of drums and fireworks.
For us, Carnival this year marks ten years since we bought our house in Kritsá. A journey that began with the swirling excitement and welcome of Carnival.2
If you enjoyed Claire in Crete, you may also like my short story, Ann Hilder - a mystery inspired by the work of the artist LS Lowry and his shadowy muse. Ann Hilder is available as a paperback and ebook on Amazon at https://amzn.eu/d/bMidwmh
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YouTune Drone Footage of ‘The Circus of Dreams’ Carnival Parade in Agios Nikolaos - Filmed and edited by cinematographer Nikos Sarantos.
You can read more about how we came to buy our house - about our village, Kritsá, its people and its main street Kritsotopoulas - and even how I came to find our ‘Little Kritsa Dog’ in previous editions of Claire In Crete. Please just press ‘View All’ when you subscribe for free to see all articles on the blog so far, or scroll below for those entries.
Love the idea of being surprised by Τσικνοπέμπτη as you go for a quiet meal on your own!
Wow! 10 years Claire. Where did that go? Lovely that the carnival marks your anniversary. Happy times and lots more to come xx