All events in Nea Anchialos
Panigiria Near Nea Anchialos
In Nea Anchialos the feasts smell of must and sea salt. The town was built by refugees who brought vine cuttings and customs from Anchialos on the Black Sea, and its calendar still shows 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
Panigiria Near Nea Anchialos
It all goes back to July 30, 1906, when Anchialos, a Greek town on the Black Sea coast of Eastern Rumelia (today's Pomorie in Bulgaria), was burned. The uprooted Anchialites found refuge on the Pagasetic Gulf, on the road between Volos and Almyros: the foundation stone of the new settlement was laid in September 1907 and it was inaugurated on May 25, 1908. Back home most families had lived from vines, salt pans and fishing, and the grape harvest was a feast for the whole area. They literally carried vine cuttings with them, and in 1918 they founded the cooperative that remained the centre of town life. The church of Agios Georgios, built in 1907, was raised in memory of the church they left behind.
Wine sets the tone of the calendar too. On February 1, St Tryphon's day, the vine growers celebrate, and in summer the Wine Festival, a long-running town tradition, draws people from all over Thessaly. On January 18 the Anchialites traditionally honour St Athanasios, and the cooperative hands out loukoumi. On the Wednesday after Clean Monday, the first day of Lent, the women celebrate the Trimera, an old Thracian custom that came with the refugees. On Ascension Day there is a vespers service at the little chapel by the sea, and on July 27, St Panteleimon's day, people traditionally walked out to the chapel outside town.
Beneath the houses of Nea Anchialos lies Phthiotic Thebes, successor to the ancient harbour town of Pyrasos mentioned by Homer and later a bishop's seat. Excavations have uncovered a series of Early Christian basilicas from the 5th and 6th centuries, among them those of St Demetrios, Bishop Elpidios and Archbishop Petros, with mosaic floors in very good condition. A walk among the basilicas before the evening's feast is the most local way to see how far back the story of this place goes.
Common questions
When is the Nea Anchialos Wine Festival?+
In summer. It is a long-running town tradition tied to the winemaking heritage of the refugees from Anchialos in Eastern Rumelia, and it draws visitors from across Thessaly. Find this year's dates on Mood.
What is the Trimera in Nea Anchialos?+
A women's folk celebration on the Wednesday after Clean Monday, an old Thracian custom brought by the refugees from Anchialos on the Black Sea.
Which feast days are kept in Nea Anchialos through the year?+
St Athanasios on January 18 with loukoumi from the cooperative, St Tryphon of the vine growers on February 1, the Trimera after Clean Monday, Ascension at the seaside chapel, St Panteleimon on July 27 and the summer Wine Festival. See what's coming up on Mood.