Μέχρι τη Νέα Ζηλανδία έφτασαν οι κορδελάτοι του Αγερσανιού

NEW ZEALAND HERALD:Carnival peaks on Greek island

Two men sing and dance during the Torch Parade on the Greek island of Naxos. Photo / AP

The island of Naxos hosts some of the most colorful Carnival celebrations in Greece, with some customs dating from antiquity.
Others, such as the now-famous Lampadiforia (Torch Parade) are more recent but have become very popular and an integral part of the festivities.
In the Torch Parade, a procession of young men and women with faces painted to resemble black-and-white masks wear white sheets and hold torches on long poles on Saturday night. It first took place in 1994, dreamed up by young members of the local cinema club. About 50 people back then went out into the street holding the torches, screaming and dancing, startling the unsuspecting public as they paraded toward the Temple of Apollo.

A couple watches the Torch Parade on the Greek island of Naxos. Photo / AP

Now, the celebration is a well-established part of Carnival festivities. About 2000 people are expected to take part this year.
Local hotels provide sheets for the revelers to put on and residents join in the fun. Since the local Venetian castle has been rendered off-limits by archaeological authorities, the parade takes place along the maze of the old town's narrow streets. Revellers dance to the beat of drums, ending at the town's central square, where a scarecrow is burned.

Young men and women with faces painted to resemble black-and-white masks take part in the Torch Parade on the island of Naxos, Greece. Photo / AP

In the Greek island's main town and villages, more merriment awaits on Sunday, the official end of the Carnival, and Clean Monday.

Bell ringers (Koudounatoi) wearing sheep-skin costumes rest during a traditional custom called Kordelatoi, in the village of Agios Arsenios on the Greek island of Naxos. Photo / AP

In some villages, young men wearing cow bells and carrying a phallic symbol - a common feature of ancient rites celebrating spring - dance their way to the village's main square.

Young men and women wearing folk costumes dance during a traditional custom called Kordelatoi, in the village of Agios Arsenios on the Greek island of Naxos. Photo / AP

In others, young men wearing folk costumes and ribbons and holding thick canes make their way to neighboring villages to the tune of music and invite the women to dance. The women, in turn, offer the men local delicacies and wine.
- AP
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