Events, Festivals and Feast Days in Kokkari and neighbouring villages.

Please note: Greek fest days change their dates due to many factors such as calculations and links to old religious calendars and full moon after vernal equinox. If you are planning a trip to Samos around a particular festival, confirm that it is actually happening before you go. Corrections and additions to this list are welcomed.

In April, Greece still belongs to the Greeks. Merchants, restaurateurs, and hoteliers who live most of the year on the mainland are just thinking of returning to the Greek islands for their annual migration. Samos wildflowers are usually at their best in April and offers hikers and guests the ideal time period to enjoy nature.

In 2011, Greek Orthodox Easter is celebrated on Sunday, April 24th. Good Friday observances occur on April 22nd. It's one of the years when Orthodox Easter and Western Easter coincide. Easter is vigorously celebrated throughout Greece, and feasting on meat and lamb especially is a Sunday tradition. The key event for Easter is midnight mass and celebrated with fireworks, which can be startling for the unprepared. In Kokkari, Samos, the streets are washed with rosewater on Good Friday and a huge late night seafood meal is a necessity.

May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to several public holidays. In Greece May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organised by the unions, communists, anarchists, and socialist groups.

May Day is also a traditional holiday in many cultures. May 1st is the first day of summer; In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month and in these circles May Day is usually a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this connection, Mary's head is often adorned with flowers in a May crowning. A tradition well kept in our little village, Samians pick wild flowers and create "May baskets or wreath of flowers," which are offered usually anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps.

May the 8th is International Museums Day, offering free admission to all museums in Greece. Since tourist crowds are still relatively light, with planning, it can be a good opportunity to see several museums for free.

While there are plenty of activities going on in Samos all the time, the main mode of celebration in the area is feasting.  Annual feasts take place all throughout the year, honoring everyone from the lowly collective of local fishermen to the highest gods of Ancient Greece. Travelers will find that, though feasts certainly include much food consumption, they are not just about sitting down to a brief dinner.  Instead, they are day-long and even multi-day long celebrations which include music, dancing, parades and entertainment. On such celebration dates “giorti” a local dish is mainly served. It is composed of the following ingredients: Grains wheat or chickpeas, onions, lamb or goat, olive oil, salt and pepper, water aromatic spices such as paprika and cumin or cinnamon and cooked over night for 8-9 hours. See picture above:

The best months to head to Samos in terms of experiencing the feasts are July and August. July 26th -27th is a big date for Kokkari when nearly all of the different parts of Samos come together to celebrate the Feast of Agia Paraskevi and Agios Panteleimon.  However, there are other feasts throughout the area on other August dates such as Virgin Mary on August the 15th.

Let’s not forget the 2 main festivals organized in Samos town through July and August. The best feature of these festivals is the speed with which the music starts and the dancing begins.The first is "Manolis Kalomiris" Festival, organized by the cultural department of the municipality of Samos. It is a cultural festival with many events including well-known musicians and theatrical groups from around the world.The second is the "Wine Festival" organized by EOSS the Union of Viniculture Cooperatives of Samos and the Agricultural department of the municipality of Samos. The latter is a local festival offering local wines to celebrate the beginning of the new harvest and the making of the fresh wines.