There are several other festivals during the year. They are used to celebrate special events like the new wine, the orange harvest, the chestnut-picking, or the sultana and raisin season. Festivals provide an opportunity to taste this year’s product, to see friends, hear music, dance, as well as to eat and drink.
Presently, there are several special events organized to present the older Cretan customs to visitors as well as to young Cretans. An elaborate traditional Cretan wedding is staged each year in Kritsa, near Agios Nikolaos, and in Rethimnon.
In the Spring the sheep are sheared by groups of men who co-operate to shear each others herds. The whole family helps and at the end there is a well-deserving hearty meal for all.
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Weddings and family celebrations in Crete
Whether you go for a holiday or want to have a celebration, make it extra special on the magical island of Crete.
The Cretans love to party, they excel in this due to their experience for thousands of years, your celebrations will take a different dimension and flavour. Why not celebrate in a taverna by the coast to the calming sounds of the rippling waves and gentle music in the background, or in a mountain village with the most fantastic views of the surrounding mountains, the horizon and the sea.
Treat the family to a tour of Knossos, or take a mountain walk and enjoy lunch In a faraway village, where you could sample Cretan food in a simple and humble taverna. Go to the beach; take a dip in the clean and clear sea, or sunbathe on the long and sandy beach. All this can be arranged in advance for you and your guests.
Dinner, drinks, cakes, desserts and flowers can all be in place at a very modest price compared to the UK, North Europe or US markets.
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Festivals, Celebrations & Holidays in Crete
This is a list of Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations held in Crete. I have tried to include all of them but I am sure I have missed some. Also some of the dates may be different from year to year so if an event sounds interesting to you, you may want to research it further so you don’t show up at a village to find the party was last week. I have not included all of the Saint’s days just because there are so many of them.
Each church is devoted to a particular saint and that saint’s name day is usually celebrated with a Panagiri (festival), and a religious service. On that day, people with the same name as the saint celebrate their name day in the same way as you celebrate your birthdays.
When you go to a village ask one of the locals when the panagiri for a particular church is and if it happens to be during your stay, join in the celebration. My favorite Saint’s day is for the Prophet Elias because it is held at a monastery or church on the highest point of an island which is usually on top of a mountain. Also many villages will have a particular patron saint that they celebrate more then the others. Find out who that Saint is and when the Panagiri is.
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