The Santorini that celebrates is not the one of the caldera: the feasts are held in the inland villages, at Pyrgos, Emporio and Megalochori, away from the sunsets of Oia.
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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.
The most distinctive is the Saviour's feast at Pyrgos Kallistis, on August 6. What sets it apart is a custom you will not find elsewhere: on the eve, the young men of the village take pots of basil from the girls' courtyards and use them to decorate the dome of the church. The celebration follows, with food, music, plenty of wine and local dances. Pyrgos, built amphitheatrically around its castle, is one of the few villages on the island to keep its old form intact, and the feast fills its cobbled lanes.
The panigiria here belong to the island's everyday life rather than only to the tourist summer - they are how Santorinians celebrate their saints, and they carry on after the season ends. August 15 moves the whole island, while smaller feasts are spread through the villages across the year. On the table comes whatever the volcanic soil gives: Santorini fava, tomatokeftedes made from the small local tomato, chloro cheese, and wine from Assyrtiko or vinsanto, off vines trained in low coiled baskets so they can withstand the wind.
The Saviour's feast at Pyrgos Kallistis, on August 6. On the eve the village's young men take pots of basil from the girls' courtyards and decorate the church dome with them, followed by a celebration with food, wine and local dances.
In the inland villages - Pyrgos, Emporio, Megalochori and Mesa Gonia - peaking around August 15. See the current calendar on Mood.
