All events in Filiatra
Panigiria Near
Filiatra holds its big feast in the depths of winter: on February 10, the day of Agios Charalampos, the town fills with people, stalls and grills, and Filiatra families living in Athens come home for it.
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May - September
Panigiria run from May to September, and the season peaks at Dekapentavgoustos - the Dormition, on 15 August - when most villages hold their feast. Each programme is set close to its own saint's day, so the list fills late and empties out of season.
Panigiria in other cities
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Panigiria Near Filiatra
Agios Charalampos is more than a patron saint here. People in Filiatra will tell you they owe him the town itself: in July 1944, after partisan sabotage, the German commander Kontaou was ordered to burn half of Filiatra and execute around a hundred residents. According to local tradition, the saint appeared to him and persuaded him not to carry out the order. That miracle is remembered on July 19, but the great feast is in February. Hierarchical vespers are held on the evening of the 9th, and on the day itself, after the liturgy, the relics and the icon are carried in procession through the main streets to the square, with the town band, military detachments and the schools.
Around the feast the traditional trade fair goes up and runs for about six days: stalls of household goods and sweets, grills smoking in the cold, and people strolling up and down until late. It is a winter panigiri - scarves and warm food rather than long tables in the street - and it draws people from across Trifylia. First-timers invariably take a photo at the town's own Eiffel Tower, a metal replica put up in the 1960s on the initiative of the local doctor Charalambos Fournarakis.
In summer the focus moves to the coast. At Agrilos, a small harbour settlement near Filiatra, the church of Panagia Agriliotissa celebrates on August 14 and 15, with vespers, the blessing of the loaves and a procession of the icon, and stalls selling goods and food by the water. Tradition holds that the church was built in the 13th century on the ruins of an ancient sanctuary, probably of Artemis. The other villages of the area keep their saints' days through the summer, with tables in the square and a live band.
Common questions
When is the Filiatra festival?+
The main feast is Agios Charalampos on February 10, with vespers on the evening of the 9th, a procession of the relics and icon on the day, and a trade fair lasting about six days. See the current calendar on Mood.
What is the miracle of Agios Charalampos in Filiatra?+
In July 1944 the German commander Kontaou was ordered to burn half of Filiatra and execute around a hundred residents. According to local tradition the saint appeared to him and persuaded him not to. The miracle is commemorated on July 19.
Is there an August 15 panigiri near Filiatra?+
Yes, at Agrilos, where Panagia Agriliotissa is celebrated with vespers on August 14, liturgy and procession on the 15th, and stalls by the little harbour. Panigiria in the area are listed on Mood.