Carnival Season in the Cyclades

Somewhere between the winter that is leaving and the spring drawing near, the Cycladic islands take off their mask. You hear the bells first — heavy, insistent, as if the earth’s heart were beating — and then the violin, the laouto, the laughter spilling into the alleyways. The air smells of charred meat and wine, the squares fill with masqueraders, and Carnival unfolds like an age-old, living theatre beneath the Aegean sky.

In Greece, Carnival, the Apokries or Apokreo — the period during which Greeks “abstain from meat” — is celebrated with group masquerades, dances, feasting and satire, customs that change face from place to place. In the Cyclades, the celebrations, distinctive and imaginative, are the expression of a remarkable and singular folk culture, shaped by influences that travelled here from many other cultures. The high spirits, the jesting and the disguises give everyone the chance for revelry, wine-drinking and teasing.

From Tsiknopempti to the “Great Carnival”

The festival calendar has its own high points. A special place belongs to the Thursday of Meat Week, known as “Tsiknopempti” (Smoky Thursday), when the smell of grilled meat spreads through every courtyard. But the traditional celebration reaches its peak on the last Sunday, Cheesefare Sunday, called on the islands the “Great Carnival”. The feasts of that day carry a cheerful, festive character, with songs that mirror the feelings of the moment — the longing for life before Lent arrives.

On Kimolos, for instance, those days bring a song that calls friends, enemies and those living abroad to the same table:

These days call for it, these weeks demand it, whoever has friends summons them, whoever has enemies invites them, whoever has kin abroad sends for them and brings them home.— Carnival song of Kimolos

Amorgos: the “Kapetanios” and the hidden love

In Kato Meria, on Amorgos, the “Ancient Arkesini” Association revives one of the most moving customs in the Cyclades: the custom of the “Kapetanios” (Captain). On the morning of Cheesefare Sunday, the young men of the village dress in black and white — baggy vraka trousers cinched with a sash, flat caps and traditional waistcoats crossed with colourful ribbons — and set off along the road to the church of Panagia Epanochoriani, accompanied by musicians singing mantinades and the “Apokrianos” (Carnival song): “Carnival has passed, and Cheesefare too is going…”.

The selection is made in an almost ritual manner: the village priest throws the “gileos” (a kind of vestment) high into the air, and whoever catches it becomes the “Kapetanios”. Here lies the essence of the custom — the young man thus chosen may now reveal his true love or betray a hidden affection, singing: “There is no heavier sorrow, no longing more unending, than a hidden love that dares not make itself known”. His horse is decked out in flamboyant style, while his escort and guardian, the “Bairaktaris” (standard-bearer), wears formal dress.

After the feast of fried fish, good wine and mantinades, the procession sets off for the village. Word has already arrived, carried by the children running to announce the news — and the first child to bring it is rewarded with the much-coveted pocket money. The villagers wait at the Portara, the eastern gate of the settlement; the “Kapetanios” is cheered, improvises verses for the girls he meets and buys rounds at the coffee houses. The last stop is Loza: there the “Bairaktaris”, holding aloft a pole topped with a loaf of bread, a wheel of cheese and a piece of salt cod, leads the mounted “Kapetanios” three times around the square. And then comes the great moment: the “Kapetanios” reveals his hidden love, calling a girl to become “Kapetanissa” (Captain’s Lady), reciting a verse to her and granting her the first dance. The revelry will last until morning: “Holy Lent has come, with its seven weeks…”.

Naxos: the bells of Dionysus

In the villages of Naxos, age-old elements of Dionysian worship still survive. On “Meat” Sunday, the “Koudounatoi” (the Belled Ones) appear in the streets: young men wearing masks and hooded capes, with a string of bells hung around their waist and chest, who dance while raising an intense, primal clamour — and the locals reward them with eggs. On Clean Monday the scene changes; out come the “foustanellatoi”, young men without masks, dressed festively, who play the violin and scatter joy through the alleyways.

Sifnos: the “Kamiles” and the dance of Kyr-Vorias

Sifnos remains faithful to its traditions, keeping alive, with wit and inspiration, its Carnival dances known as the “Kamilosies” — the masqueraders called, in the Sifnos dialect, “Kamiles” (Camels). The star of the show is the Sifnos “takimi”, the musical pairing in which the violin is accompanied by the laouto, together with the abundant food served at the so-called “trapezes” (tables).

Many of these dances go back to pre-Christian times, when people, shaped by pagan beliefs, sought to appease the forces of nature that troubled them. The dance of “Kyr-Vorias” (Lord North Wind), dedicated to the wind, is performed in the courtyard of Panagia tis Konchis in Artemonas: the priest leads the dance and the masqueraded villagers follow behind him. Amid verses and poems, those present enjoy, with plenty of wine, the traditional chickpea stew, meat with pasta or potatoes, and salt cod, while the violin and lute never stop playing.

Syros: masqueraders in the medieval alleys

On Syros, the Carnival of Ano Syros is among the island’s most important events. In the alleyways of the medieval settlement, traditional customs come alive, with masqueraders, the famous “zeibekika” dances, and lively, cheerful sounds from traditional folk instruments. On Clean Monday, in the village of Galissas, “Koulouma” is celebrated with kite-flying, Lenten dishes, music from a local folk orchestra, and the merry “Hidden Loukoumi Hunt”, a game of action and exploration for all ages.

Tinos: the “Alphabet of Love” and the “Makaronas”

On Tsiknopempti, in the coffee house of the village of Triantaros on Tinos, the custom of the “Carnival Dance” and the “Alphabet of Love” comes alive: the dancers, arranged in a circle, take turns singing teasing verses, following — according to the first letter of each verse — the order of the alphabet, with treats of local dishes and sweets.

On the last Sunday of Carnival, in the village of Falatados, a Carnival is set up with a different theme each year, with mezedes and dancing to the sounds of tsabouna, violin and guitar. On the same day, in the village of Agapi, the custom of the “Makaronas” is celebrated: the villagers parade a straw effigy of a man through the streets of the village, mourning it in song, only to burn it at last in the central square — and afterwards everyone, locals and visitors alike, gathers in the parish hall for the traditional macaroni feast.

From Andros to Santorini: the island revelry spreads

The same high spirits spill across the whole archipelago. In the Chora of Andros, on the last Saturday and Sunday, a parade of floats carrying masqueraded groups takes place in Girokomeiou Square, with fireworks and dancing. On Kea, masquerade dances, Carnival games and performances are organised for young and old alike; the festivities reach their peak in Ioulida on the last day of Carnival with the great Carnival parade and theatrical performances satirising everyday life, while the Municipality offers wine, souvlaki and rice pudding with lemon, turning the celebration into a wild feast.

On Santorini, in the central square of Fira, the Municipality of Thira organises a Carnival on the last Sunday with the participation of all the island’s schools. And on Serifos, on Cheesefare Sunday, the custom of the “Kapetanaia” comes to life, the counterpart of the “Kapetanios” custom of Amorgos — proof that the same motifs travel from island to island, each time dressed in local colour.

Carnival in the Cyclades is not simply a festival; it is the moment the islands remember who they are. Behind every mask, every bell and every mantinada lies a memory centuries old — from Dionysus to Kyr-Vorias, from the hidden love of the “Kapetanios” to the macaroni feast of Agapi. Come and put on a disguise, drink wine with strangers who will become friends, and dance until morning: the Aegean awaits you, ready to share its most authentic Carnival.