The Methoni year
Methoni events and celebrations follow the Greek orthodox calendar and are usually associted with "name days". On these occassions, everyone with the same name celebrates the corresponding Saint's day and it is customary to wish them well on greeting them. The phrase used is "Chronia Pola" which means "many years", our equivalent of "many happy returns"
Past
January - Epiphany - 6th
February - Koutroulis Wedding - 22nd
Coming Next:
March
March is always a busy time as the winter clearance after olive harvest is completed and Hotels and Restaurants are spruced up for the coming Easter celebration and Summer Tourist season. By the beginning of April, the lighting of bonfires to burn rubbish will be banned for the summer period in order to avoid forest fires.
April
In 2010 Easter day falls on April 4th, and is the same day for the Catholic Church and
for the Greek Orthodox Church. A midnight service is conducted in Methoni and candles
are carried from the Church, if possible all the way home, the aim being to keep
them alight along the way - taking the blessed light into the home to bring good luck.
There is also a ceremony of cracking painted red eggs.
May
Tourists start arriving in May as Europe celebrates
May day and Witsun, parent bring their children and
the weather in Methoni is usually warm and dry.
May is beautiful, with Judas trees still in bloom,
bright flowers in fields and along roadsides and longe, clear days.
Butterflies are numerous at this time of year.
June
By the end of June, most groves and fields will have been tilled,
ready for the long, hot summer. There is a new fashion for mowing
instead of tilling and I wonder whether this will increase the
likelihood of fires as the fire can spread quickly through dry grass.
July
There are two special name days in methoni in July. The 17th July is the name day for the chapel on the small island of Agia Marina. People go over by boat the night before, and stay overnight on the island to celebrate. This is followed on 20th July by the name day for Ilias, another Church in Methoni
August
The 6th August is the name day for Sotirios, the church within the Methoni castle walls
We are now in the main tourist season when European facoties close for a 3 week annual
holiday and methoni is a popular destination. The National holiday of 15th August, the
name day for Maria, is also celebrated outside of Greece.
September
As the holiday season begins to wind down, the market season is in full swing, traders
moving from town to town, setting up their stalls for a few days in each place. The
traditional produce has been augmented, and sometimes almost obliterated, by foreign
imports; but the atmosphere is always lively and it is a chance to run across
acquaintances and have a day out of town.
October
From the 1st October fishing and eating of maridas (whitebait fish) is permitted. This is eagerly awaited by those who live by the sea and uphold its traditions. The weather is likely to remain fine for most of October which bodes well for the celebration in Pylos, 11 KM from Methoni, of the Battle of Navarino in Pylos bay, followed a week later on October 28th by Ochi (No) Day - The Greek National Day
November
The 9th November is the name day for Nektarios - a church on the Methoni - Finikounta road. November is the beginning of the Olive harvest which runs through the winter till the end of January and is a major activity in and around Methoni where people are closely connected to the land and for whom owning a restaurant is often a Summer activity which complements their Winter farming and fishing work. As well as the olive harvest, citrus fruits begin to ripen and between Kalamata and Methoni you may pass roadside stalls selling bags of oranges and lemons.
December
Finally comes December with another special Methoni celebration - The name
day for St Nicholas on 6th December. The main church in Methoni is
St Nicholas so once again there is a procession through the town, with the
decorated icon, resting beneath a gold and red dome, borne by local men.
Christmas day is celebrated but in a quieter way than in more Northern Contries.
It is often warm enough to sit in the sun - Methoni rarely gets snow, though
you may see some on distant mountains in the early months of the year.
Learn more about Greek Traditions