March Merriment

-  Sunday 3 March

Tou Asotou.  Feast of the Prodigal Son

K considers this as his personal day of celebration along with all his friends. Naughty boys now grown old and grey and kept under control by their doctors.

- 8th March

International Women's Day.  This used to be a huge celebration on the island.  The older women would dress up in their Sunday best, joining up with friends. First for a meal and then to dance on tables at the waterfront bars.  I went a few times with my sister-in-law but backed out as soon as she found other company.  Not my idea of fun. 

Nowadays there are still groups of girls and women that gather for a drink and a laugh.  However it's nothing like the good old days when Poros women would take over the tavernas and bars and dance all night.

- Tsiknopempti

Smokey Thursday.  The last big meat eating day before Lent.  Next week is Cheese Week and then comes Clean Monday which marks the beginning of the Orthodox Lent.  Greek Easter isn't till 5 May this year.

On meat eating Thursday we will be having a BBQ and eating lamb chops, kebab and sausages with Greek salad, lots of tzatziki and more than a few glasses of bubbly Prosecco.

- Carnival.  Carnival festivities are ramping up .  The last weekend before Lent there are huge parades and celebrations of local customs  all over the country.  Our Municipality organises activities for the local children who all come in costume.  The schools put on a masquerade party and bbq in the school yard .  

-  18 March  

Kathara Deftera. Clean Monday.  First day of Lent.  The beginning of the long fast.

This is a public holiday and a huge celebration.  Hopefully the weather will be fine.  It's a long weekend and Poros will be full of Greek visitors.  Tavernas will sell mountains of fried kalamari, octopus, shellfish, and sell gallons of wine and ouzo.  Ouzo is 'the' drink with shellfish, octopus and squid.

If there's any sort of a breeze then children, with any adults left standing, will be out trying to fly a kite.

For the 7 weeks of Lent very strict followers of the Orthodox church will eat no meat, fish, dairy, eggs, drink no wine and on certain days of the week abstain from olive oil as well.   Not many follow these rules.  My sister-in-law usually does the full fast and members of the family are known to stop eating meat for the duration.  

- March 25th 

Church festival and the day marking the start of the revolt, in 1821,  against Turkish occupation and oppression.  There will be church services, the laying of wreaths under the War Memorial, speeches and a parade by school children.  Then we usually gather at a family home and eat salt cod, beetroot and garlic sauce.  It is one of the few days during Lent when it is permitted to eat fish, and drink wine of course.

All these plus St Patrick's day and 2 family birthdays.