St John’s feast in Vroukounda is one of the nicest in the island of Karpathos in Greece. It is celebrated August the 28. From a small village, (Avlona) a lot of people walk the path that leads to St John’s Chapel in Vroukounda. Among the pilgrims, there are donkeys or mules, carrying food and blankets for the bedtime in the caves. When you arrive, you see a staircase carved on the rock on the edge of the cliff, twenty meters above the sea level which leads to the cave, in which is housed the small Chapel of St John the Baptist. The Chapel smells humidity and can host 50-60 people. There are two ancient colums that define the Altar and next to it is the Plaster in which the chanters and the priest starting the vespers. When mass finishes, the church empties and people go outside to sit on the benches for dinner, which begins with the blessing of Father John. After dinner, the Priest gives the signal for Mantinades (folk songs in a unique way in which people express their emotions ) and after the first singer starts accompanied by lyre and laouto. People enter to dance, men with their regular clothes and women and young girls with colourful local costumes, decorated with necklaces with gold coins. The dance continues till next morning when the Service begins and pilgrims wait in order to receive bread. After, they leave to continue the feast back in the Avlona village.

1/25
PREV
NEXT