Greece in February

While changeable weather can dampen some travelers' spirits, the low prices and light crowds let the intrepid visitor experience Greece the way Greeks do. Arts and cultural events aimed at Greek patrons of the arts are plentiful.

February 2nd marks the Greek Orthodox festival of Ypapanti, or Candlemas. This is the date when Christ is believed to have been presented at the temple. Churches named "Ypapanti" will have special celebrations, but all Greek Orthodox churches will mark the day with services. Most sites and businesses remain open, and the overall effect on travel is nil.

This year, the Carnival season will be in full swing from about February 15th on, depending on area. Xanthi usually enjoys carnival for a full fifteen days, other towns may have most of their celebrations the weekend before Clean Monday and the start of Lent. The final weekend, February 24-25th, will be particularly active, with parades in many cities. Celebrations of Carnival are growing, and more cities are launching parades and festivals. Why not? The roots of Carnival are less a pre-Lenten binge and more of pre-Christian rites of spring. New Orleans' Mardi Gras is a newcomer compared to the ancient Greek festivals which also included parades and processions, music, floats, dramatic presentations, and much liquid worship of the God of the Vine, Dionysus. Big celebrations and events are in Corfu, Patras, Hydra, Rethymno, and Xanthi, to name a few.

The first day of Lent, "Clean Monday" or "Ash Monday", when cooking equipment must be cleansed of all traces of pre-Lenten foods, is a traditional day for kite-flying from Mt. Lycabettus in Athens and elsewhere. Most Greeks plan a picnic for this day. Expect tourist services to be at a minimum - everyone who can is outside flying kites or enjoying special foods with their families.

For several days around February 20th, in Ioannina, the "Liberation of Ioannina" is celebrated, marking the time in 1913 when Ottoman rule was ended. Falling in the carnival season, events should be particularly lively in this city in northwestern Greece. This is a charming city in the Epirus region of Greece, where some say the first settlements were founded.

Keep an ear and an eye out for sounds of celebration wherever you go in Greece this month - you're likely to encounter fun. In cities with parades, expect traffic to be more perplexing than usual. Try to "go with the flow", join the party, and enjoy your Carnival-season travels!

Carnival Time in Greece
Arts, Culture, and Entertainment