Carnival in Rethymno
The town of Rethymno organises the grandest carnival on the island of Crete and one of the most impressive of Greece.It is worth mentioning that apart from the magnificent parade various other events take place in the framework of the carnival festivities.
On Shrove Thursday a street party is organised on Platano Square and at the Church of Mikri Panaghia including live music for everyone’s taste, as well as titbits and wine. All the locals look forward to the event, since during the last years it has developed into the largest open-air party the town has even known.
On the Sunday before the great parade a party is organised for the participating groups, who not only appear dressed up with costumes but they also perform sketches, which the members of each group have written and which refer to the subject they have chosen for the parade. Of course the party, which includes plenty of food, wine and dancing, continues up until the early hours of the morning.
On Shrove Friday, two days before the actual Carnival parade is held, one gets a first impression of what it will be like, when the parade passes through the town at night.
More than 4,000 people have worked feverishly for months in order to present their masks and carriages on the great Carnival parade.Shrove Monday in picturesque villages of the Prefecture of Rethymno.
The revival of traditions and customs in picturesque villages of the Prefecture of Rethymno challenges and invites everybody to experience an unforgettable Shrove Monday.The villages of Meronas at the foothills of Mount Psiloritis and of Melidoni welcome hundreds of aficionados of the old customs, which up until today include Carnival games, happenings and satires and keep the memories of earlier times alive.Customs such as the “kidnapping of the bride”, the “Kantis”, the smudging of people, performed in combination with good wine and the music of the lyre are a successful formula for a unique experience.
Rethymno Crete
Lat: 35.362176059146805
Long: 24.4390869140625