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Festivals, Celebrations & Holidays in Crete

This is a list of Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations held in Crete. I have tried to include all of them but I am sure I have missed some. Also some of the dates may be different from year to year so if an event sounds interesting to you, you may want to research it further so you don't show up at a village to find the party was last week. I have not included all of the Saint's days just because there are so many of them.

  Each church is devoted to a particular saint and that saint's name day is usually celebrated with a Panagiri (festival), and a religious service. On that day, people with the same name as the saint celebrate their name day in the same way as you celebrate your birthdays.

  When you go to a village ask one of the locals when the panagiri for a particular church is and if it happens to be during your stay, join in the celebration. My favorite Saint's day is for the Prophet Elias because it is  held at a monastery or church on the highest point of an island which is usually on top of a mountain. Also many villages will have a particular patron saint that they celebrate more then the others. Find out who that Saint is and when the Panagiri is.

January
 
 

January 1st:

• Feast of St Basil. This is associated with a good start for the new year. An old Byzantine custom of slicing the Vassilopita (Basilcake or New Year Cake) gives the person who finds the hidden coin in his slice, good luck for the year.

• In all the island there are special New Years Celebrations.
   

• January 6th

• Epiphany is celebrated throughout Crete when the Blessing of the Waters takes place.A cross is thrown into the sea, lakes or rivers and retrieved by swimmers who are then entitled to good luck. The event is particularly spectacular in Chania old harbor.

• January 7th

• Name Day for Yannis and Yanna

  
  January 8th

• January 17th is Saint Andonis day.

• The 18th is Saint Athanasios day.

• The 27th is Saint Crisostomos day.
  

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   February

  
   

  In late Mid February Greece's Carnival Season called Apokrias, begins and lasts two weeks. It makes everybody to feel free  and the festivities are particularly enjoyable in Kalives (16km east from Chania), heraklion,  Rethymnon and especially in Patras and Athens Plaka

• February 1st is St Tryphon's name day

• February 3rd is Symeon and Annis Day

• February 10th is the name day for Heraclia and Haralambos.

• February 14th is the day of Saint Valentina.

   

   

   

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  March
   

  Clean Monday  or Katheri Deftera 40 days before Easter, marks the first day of lent and it is customary to go out in the country and fly paper kites.
  March 25th
  The Greek National Anniversary and a major religious holiday with military parades in the larger towns and cities.This celebrates Greece's victory in the war of Independence against the Turks who had occupied the country for 400 years. The 25th of March was actually the day Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the flag of national rebellion at the monastery of Agia Lavra in the northern Peleponisos.

• March 2nd is Saint Theodore day.

• March 19th is Crysanthos Day.

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  April

  Easter
  Celebrations begin in April or May. Check with your local Greek church for exact dates since it changes every year.

• On Good Friday the people of the towns and villages carry candles and follow the procession of the Epitaph.

• Saturday in Holy Week the ceremony of the ressurection takes place in the courtyard in front of all churches and bells are rung all over the towns and cities. Candles are lit one from the other and then the people make their way home for the traditional feast of dyed red Easter eggs and Mageritsa soup.

• Easter Sunday is the biggest church holiday in Greece. All over the country lambs are roasted on a spit and there is wine in abbundance. Red eggs are cracked against each other and the person with the last remaining uncracked egg will have good luck. This is the most beautiful time to be in Greece if the weather is good.

• In Crete the village of Harakas Monofatsiou have a special Easter Sunday celebration in which they burn an effigy of Judas Iskariot.

• On the island of Crete you will find many villages who prepare for the bonfire effigy of Judas.  Just take a trip through any rural area in the week leading up to Easter Sunday and enjoy the sight of men and women on their donkeys gathering sticks and branches in preparation for the effigy burning.

• Anastasia and Anastasios celebrate their name day on Easter.

  
  
  April 23rd

• Feast of Saint George is celebrated .In Assi Gonia near Chania in Crete the religious celebration is folllowed by a sheep-shearing contest among the local shephards.

• April 15th is Leonidas name day.

• April 24th is Elizabeth's name day.

• April 25th is Saint Markos name day

• Saint Thomas name day is celebrated the Sunday after Easter.

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  May
   

May 1st

• Labor day and the Feast of the Flowers. There is a general exodus to the country for picnics and the sky is filled with kites.

  
  May 21st

• In Chania and Rethymnon they celebrate the anniversary of the battle of Crete.
  
  May 21st-23rd

• May 21st is the celebration day of Saints Constantine and Eleni.

  
   

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  June
   

   

• In June in the village of Krousta in Crete is the Feast of the Klidona.

• At the end of June and early July, Navy Week is celebrated with entertainment in many of the ports of all Greece.

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  July
   
   

  In July the village of Rethymnon in Crete has a wine festival while in mid July another wine festival is held in Heraklion.

• At the end of July in Sitia on the island of Crete is the Sultana Raisin Festival.

• In July and August the Odeon of Herod Atticus Festival is held in the famous theatre next to the Acropolis with well known performers from all over the world.

• The Heraklion Festival is held from July through September and features some of Greece's most popular musicians as well as theatrical performances.

• July 20th: The Panagiri day for the Prophet Elias, usually held at the higgest church or monastery.

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  August
   

  In Rethymnon Crete the Sultana Raisin Festival is held.

• The first week of August in the village of Anogia, Crete a festival is held with hospitality offered to visitors.

• August 15th: The day of the Panagia (Virgin Mary)
  This is the second biggest religious holiday after Easter and on the island of Tinos this day is celebrated like on no other. Pilgrims by the thousands come here to crawl on their knees up the steps to the church that holds the holy Icon. But this day is also celebrated in almost every town and village in Greece. In particular:

• Anwhere you go there will be a celebration at one church or another with dancing, food and services. Usually they go on until dawn. The best ones are held in the Monasteries like Profit Elias.

• August 30th is the name day for Saint Alexandros.

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  September
   
   

  
  September 17th is the name day for Saint Sophia.
  September 29th is the name day for Saint Kyriakos.

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   October 
   

  Around the 21st of the month is the Chestnut festival of Elos near Kissamos, Crete.

• The 21st is the name day for Socrates.

• The 26th is the name day for Saint Dimitris.

• The 28th is Ochi Day, celebrating the Greek refusal to let Italy occupy the country during World War II. The Italians invaded and were driven back into Albania and nearly back to Italy. There are military parades in the major towns and cities. 

   

  Cartoon by Fred Seibel/Richmond Daily News Nov.19, 1940

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  November
   
   

  The 17th of November is the anniversary of the student uprising at the Polytechnic University in Athens in 1973. The demonstrations against the military dictatorship gained momentum and was crushed when tanks crashed the gates of the university killing many students.

• The first week of the month is the anniversary of the holocaust at the Arkadi Monastery in Rethymnon Crete.

• November 8th is the celebration day for Michael and Gabriel.

• November 14th is the name day for Philippos.

• November 21st is the name day for any Mary that is a virgin and children.

• November 30th is the name day for Saint Andreas. 

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  December
   
   

• On the 4th is Saint Barbara day a big day for the Military since Barbara is their Patron Saint..

• The 5th is Saint Savas day.

• The 6th is Saint Nicholas day.

• The 9th is Saint Anna day.

• The 13th is the name day for Saint Efstratos.

• The 17th is the name day for Dionysos of Zakynthos.

• The 24th is Christmas Eve and young children walk around singing carols on streets, squares and neighborhoods.

• The 25th is the name day for Christos.

• The 27th is the name day for Stefanos.

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• New Years Eve is spent celebrating playing cards with friends on a green card table, while children sing carols and people exchange gifts.