Contents

Front PageAround TownThis MonthSpotlightValentine's DayLifestyleSomething FishyFun & GamesCommunity

Current Issue

Contact UsArchive

 

Spotlight

Carnival Season in Rethymnon
Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Carnival in Rethymnon
“Hello, has anyone found a stray horse?”
Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Carnival in Rethymnon
No wheels, but perhaps love is all you need?
The big ‘happening’ in town this month is, of course, Carnival—Apokries. Throughout the three week period leading up to Lent, several events are organized for townspeople, including parties, parades and treasure-hunts.

Carnival in Rethymnon is the biggest on Crete, and one of the biggest in the whole of Greece. The festivities culminate with a grand parade through the town centre. Last year around 6000 people from different carnival teams participated. Each team has its own theme, people spend months working on costume design and on constructing elaborate floats. So far, we know of at least 27 officially listed carnival teams, so this year’s parade should be really something. Aside from the grand parade, a couple of highlights include:
  • Tsiknopempti—”Burnt Meat Thursday” Traditionally the day to feast on grilled meat (this being one of the prohibited foods during the Lenten fast—thus the name). This is the big night for The Old Town, with street parties, music and fancy-dress.
  • The Rethymnon Treasure Hunt for adults. Here, local groups try to solve cryptic clues relating to different locations in town. In modern day Rethymnon this involves groups of people frantically whizzing round on mopeds using their mobiles to “phone a friend”.
  • The “night before” Parade. The evening before the main parade, you will find music, dancing and street theatre all along Kontourioti.
A calendar of Carnival events may be found in the 'This Month' section of this newsletter, and on the events section of  www.rethymnon.biz

Treasure Hunt
Rethymnon Coffee Morning Bugle - Carnival in Rethymnon
A mini CMB challenge: what, where and why?
The Carnival Treasure Hunt brings together the whole family, and is a great way to learn about the history of the town As one friend explains: this is the time to rope in grandparents, philosophers, astronomers and mathematicians. The riddles are real brain teasers requiring use of a considerable amount of creative logic. Finding each location is not enough, one also has to work out the rationale behind each clue.

You can find some warm-up exercises on the www.argosxoloi.gr website. For example one clue is a picture depicting a camel bearing a lantern, a flagpole with a cross and a car. The location? A small place, opposite the car park, near the traffic lights, by Four Martyr’s Square, which polishes shoes. So why the camel?—Years ago, a popular brand of shoe polish had a picture of a camel on the tin….!

Clean Monday
Clean Monday / Ash Monday marks the official start of Lent. Traditionally, this day commences with a grand spring clean of the kitchen (historically, this was often done with ashes), to purify the house after the excesses of Carnival.
Despite being the first day of Lent, it is anything but a sombre occasion. It is a public holiday, a day of national celebration, and a day for trying out your kite flying skills! 		Families go out for picnics (this custom stemming from having made the kitchen spotless). This is the time to sample some delicious Lenten specialities that have been created as alternatives for those observing the traditional abstinence from meat, dairy and oil.
Some “Must try” dishes at this time of year include soupies (cuttlefish) in wine, artichokes in lemon-dill sauce, hearty bean stews and halva. 		It really is a good day to be out and about on Crete. Many of the villages in Rethymnon region (try Armeni, Gerani, Meledoni and Meronas for starters) have their own distinctive celebrations, with parties, games and ancient rituals.
For example, driving through Armeni last year, we were stopped by a huge village party, unable to proceed until driver and passengers had accepted a glass of wine and we had had our faces daubed with charcoal. So, go on, explore!

 Pashmina Delafonte, with thanks to Elia Galani 

 

Ads

Luc Brusten Computer ConsultingInfo about Rethymnon, Business Directory, Events and Forum