Fairs

The feast of St. Symiou

Each year the four day of Pentecost and the Holy Spirit, celebrated at Missolonghi the feast of St. Symiou, inextricably linked to the saga of the Exodus. In the monastery of St. Symiou drank the water of freedom first survivors from the massacre.

Fairs are renowned for religious or commercial importance, there are many parts of our country. But festival with a very complex historical, religious, social and symbolic nature along, just in Missolonghi usual. There every year, the dawning of the great feast of Pentecost, also means the start of a weekend, picturesque folk festival.

The festival got its name from the post-Byzantine monastery of St. Symiou, built in 1740 in a valley of Libra, verdant, eight kilometers east of Missolonghi.

The celebration was customary in Turkish. With the tolerance of the Turks, who had rays allow the free celebration of festivals, the Mesologi gathered Sunday of Pentecost in the monastery, worship at this on Monday of the Holy Spirit, after epsenan sfachta, followed feasting, dancing and feasting. The uprising had suspended the habit. With the release but came back to life with even more brilliance, because the monastery was closely linked to local history.

Feature of the celebration is "rigged" Mesologi dressed in old traditional costume, with many floats, ie gold-jewelry and other accessories of male costume.
The rigged with the necessary accompaniment of "weights" (two clarinets and a tabor) form the morning of Pentecost with some friends organized and established customary standard. After turning the streets of Missolonghi, in the afternoon, along with horseback syneortastes, starting from the churchyard of St. Spyridon to the monastery, stopping for a while in the Garden of Heroes, where they sung prayers.

In the monastery with the tall trees, each group has its own fixed place in years where they hang the tanks, after worship and pray in church. Here all night party with "aisymiotika" songs and dances. Late in the evening the next day, and that she spends with dances and songs, is a spectacular return to Missolonghi and reception of rigged by a crowd that awaits them at the city entrance. The festival continues, with particularly interesting feature called "dance of the dead" on the death and resurrection of a rigged.

The festival ends at midnight Tuesday to Wednesday with the hope of all: "Good St. Smyrnio We have to." On the next day begin preparations for the celebration next year.

The historical documents AND photos are owned www.mesologi.net