Blog

Greek culture is probably is the oldest in the world, which is strongly influenced by religion. Skiathos is a great evidence of this fact, where several of the events organized throughout the year revolve around their main region Christianity. Starting from the St. Basils Day in January to Christmas and New Year in December, the calendar in Skiathos is full of interesting religious ceremonies.

Many people take flights to skiathos greece in the easter time to experience the culture, as this time is particularly important for the locals of Skiathos and is celebrated with lot of enthusiasm. Its the biggest holiday in the town which begins on Big Monday. Easter actually marks the culmination of the 40 day fast held by the local residents. Being the biggest holiday in the region, each day the Church holds services along with particular rituals and customs.

If you happen to be in Skiathos during the Easter week, then the spectacular events are something not to be missed. Nowhere in Greece is Easter celebrated as in Skiathos, where people from all over the country gather to participate and rejoice. The Church services are held almost continuously, and have been so for centuries together, no matter what. Whether you are religious or not, the sheer mood of the events is sure to induce some form of sentiment.

Good Friday marks the mourning as that in any other place, where families, friends and even visitors gather with the dark brown candles for funeral. The mood is quite somber, and the service continues till the wee hours of the morning. This is followed by processions of Ipitaphios from the Church of Trion Ierarchon and the Evagelistrias Monastery. The entire procession is carried amid a sea of faces glowing in the candle light.

The first procession begins from the old town, stops briefly at the Three Bishops Church and then continues. The other procession goes towards the old port. Interestingly, the two processions are not supposed to meet en route, and hence take different routes. Both processions continue through the narrow streets of the town and come back to their respective Churches accompanied by chanting of verses. Once permission is given to open the door of the Churches, candles and flowers are then taken off Ipitaphios and distributed among the crowd.

Sunday is the end of the week, and is an important day as the entire town awaits the arrival of the holy flame of candlelight from Jerusalem. Though it is distributed to every part of Greece, it arrives in Skiathos through a private aircraft. The flame is then escorted by papas and a marching brass band and paraded through the town to the Church square. It is then welcomed with show of fireworks. Celebration soon follows the service held after the arrival of the flame, as candle light is spread among each other and people greet saying Christ Is Risen. Sunday night is one of true festivities as families gather for a sumptuous dinner.