Rethymnon Carnival Highlights

The Carnival festivities - ’Apokries’ - take place during the three week period which leads up to the beginning of Orthodox Lent. However, ‘Carnival’ actually has its roots in pre-Christian rites of Spring, which in ancient Greece were linked to the worship of Dionysus, the God of wine. It is hardly surprising, then, that this is a time associated with merrymaking and mayhem!

Rethymnon has the biggest carnival celebrations on Crete. Carnival events include treasure hunts for children and adults, parades, and fancy dress parties hosted by different carnival teams. Each carnival team has its own theme, and people spend months working on costume design and on constructing elaborate floats. The festivities culminate with a grand parade through the main streets of Rethymnon on Shrove Sunday. It’s a time when the whole of Rethymnon comes out to play.

Readers who wish to find out more about the background to the Rethymnon carnival may be interested to know that from February 5th until March 3rd, the new House of Culture in Rethymnon Old Town will be holding a photographic exhibition centred around the theme ‘Rethymnon Carnival in the Past’.

The Timetable

Here is the timetable of events for Rethymnon Carnival 2009. As we said on our ‘This Month’ page, precise details of some events had yet to be finalised as we went to press, so check the www.rethymnon.biz website for updates. The official programme should be available from the Town Hall by the time the festivities begin.

Friday 06/02/09: Rethymnon heralds the arrival of the Carnival King in town (evening, centre of town, exact location to be announced).

Sunday 08/02/09: Twelfth annual Treasure Hunt for children (morning). Official beginning of the Carnival celebrations (evening, outside the Town Hall).

Weekend of 13/02/09—15/02/09: Twentieth annual Treasure Hunt for Adults. A huge party is planned for Friday 13th, the treasure hunt itself will take place on Sunday 15th. Local groups try to solve cryptic clues relating to different locations in town. Watch people frantically whizzing around on mopeds using mobiles to ‘phone a friend’. It is anticipated that over 50 groups (around 6000 people) will take part this year.

Thursday 19/02/09: 'Tsiknopemti' or 'Burnt Meat' Day. This is traditionally the day to feast on grilled meat—as this is one of the foods prohibited during Lent. Party time in the Old Town! Fancy dress, music and dancing in the streets.

Sunday 22/02/09: Party for all the Carnival Teams (evening).

Saturday 28/02/09: Evening Parade in the centre of town. Prince Carnival meets the Mayor of Rethymnon. Satirical sketches, music and dancing.

Sunday 01/03/09: THE GRAND PARADE! (This usually starts at around 2pm in the town centre — get there early if you want a good vantage point!) This year’s parade is expected to be the biggest and best yet (and that’s saying something). An estimated 10,000 people will be participating in the parade, and we are expecting around 100,000 spectators!. After the parade has finished, the end of carnival will be officially marked by the burning of a giant effigy of King Carnival on the town beach.

Clean Monday: The Beginning of Lent

Orthodox Lent starts on the day after the Grand Parade, on Clean Monday (02/03/09). For observant Orthodox Christians, the custom is to start the day by cleaning the kitchen (traditionally by using ashes) in order to purify the house in readiness for the Lenten fast. However, despite being the beginning of Lent, the day is far from being a solemn occasion. Clean Monday is also celebrated as the start of spring; it is a public holiday and (carnival hangovers notwithstanding) people are still very much in the party mood! It is a day for families to go out into the countryside for picnics, and also to engage in the pastime of kite flying.

Many villages in the Rethymnon region host festivals on Clean Monday which are based on ancient customs such as ’The Kidnapping of the Bride’ and ‘Kantis’ - smudging people with soot. The celebrations in Meronas, Melidoni and Armeni are particularly well known. Fun and games for one and all, with plenty of music, dancing and, of course, Cretan wine!

So here’s to a great Carnival 2009, we hope you enjoy the party! And for those of you who won’t be able to make it to Rethymnon for the festivities, look out for the Carnival photo gallery in our April issue.