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The rule of Dionysios, wine, fire, and pirates.

2/23/2017

1 Comment

 
The usually staid and sober (haha!) population of Skopelos town have flipped for the period of Apokries, Carnival, which means it's best to expect the unexpected. Anything can happen, or not. This is the time to bring out your unorthodox, hidden side, before the fasting days of Lent.
Groups of young men and boys compete to build 'Trantes', from bamboo, fishing nets, and other flotsam and jetsam, equipping their fake boats with oilcan furnaces and belching smokestacks. The crews are heavily lubricated with the traditional beverage attributed to the god Dionysios, and sing neverending rounds of extreme bawdiness accompanied by rattling and clanking strings of beer cans. Hey, spring is in the air and in the dance, and man, animals and birds thoughts are turning to Luurve, or at least Lust.
For some ancient mysterious reason, cross-dressing is entirely appropriate.
The boats are dragged all around the town, the songs are shouted, the wine is imbibed, the dances are tripped, and the circle is completed. A great deal of grilled meat and rice pudding is eaten.
Finally, fire consumes the boats as they are launched and shipwrecked from the town beach. 
Next weekend, a wedding with a difference.
Picture
                      photo credit - Efimerida Boreies Sporades.
1 Comment
Alastair-Ian Dick
3/6/2017 06:20:19 am

Great to see your web-site up and running!

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    Hi, I'm Elizabeth

     A long, long time ago, i trained as a painter, and over time developed themes and personal mythologies. I was happy enough.
    But then, unexpectedly finding myself flying over Mount Olympus, I fell in love with Greece at that first glimpse,absolutely and eternally, recognising something mysterious and yet familiar.  From that moment on I was constantly scrambling to be here, cutting life into portions and then trying to reassemble it into something like a whole existence. The stories, with time, started to grow and I kept slicing and tasting and feeding the obsession, until the right time and place found me. I’ve been living in Skopelos since 2001, opening the ceramics workshop in 2007.

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