Mystagogical events for the awakening of nature
Get ready for a unique journey through time and tradition, discovering the Dionysian customs of Drama. Every year in early January, during the three-day Epiphany period, you can witness an ancient revival in the mountain villages such as Kali Vrysi, Volakas, and Monastiraki, with the deafening sound of bells filling the atmosphere. This ritual, deeply rooted in antiquity, aims to awaken nature and exorcise evil, ensuring fertility and a good harvest for the new year.
In Monastiraki, you will see the "Arapides" wearing heavy black sheepskins and holding rods, with their faces painted with soot, symbolising strength and rebirth. They are accompanied by the "Pappoudes", the "Gkiligkes", and the "Tsoliades", to the sound of traditional instruments such as three-stringed pear-shaped lyres and dairades.
On the day of Epiphany, visit the village of Kali Vrysi to meet the "Babougeroi", who perform dances full of strength and mystery wearing elaborate scary masks. Feel the pulse of the large bells hanging from their waists. The constant, rhythmic clatter and a sack full of ash they hold are said to drive away evil spirits. The custom culminates on 8 January at noon, re-enacting a satirical Dionysian wedding.
The peak of the customs includes symbolic rituals such as the "wedding" and the "resurrection" of the protagonists, representing the eternal cycle of life and death in nature. Both the "Arapides" performance and the "Babougeroi" have been included in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece.
Surrender to the pulse of the crowd and be initiated into these ceremonies that have their roots in Dionysian events.
In Monastiraki, you will see the "Arapides" wearing heavy black sheepskins and holding rods, with their faces painted with soot, symbolising strength and rebirth. They are accompanied by the "Pappoudes", the "Gkiligkes", and the "Tsoliades", to the sound of traditional instruments such as three-stringed pear-shaped lyres and dairades.
On the day of Epiphany, visit the village of Kali Vrysi to meet the "Babougeroi", who perform dances full of strength and mystery wearing elaborate scary masks. Feel the pulse of the large bells hanging from their waists. The constant, rhythmic clatter and a sack full of ash they hold are said to drive away evil spirits. The custom culminates on 8 January at noon, re-enacting a satirical Dionysian wedding.
The peak of the customs includes symbolic rituals such as the "wedding" and the "resurrection" of the protagonists, representing the eternal cycle of life and death in nature. Both the "Arapides" performance and the "Babougeroi" have been included in the National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece.
Surrender to the pulse of the crowd and be initiated into these ceremonies that have their roots in Dionysian events.
