All events in Serres
Panigiria Near
The Serres prefecture celebrates in two entirely different rhythms: with the summer saint's day feasts in the villages, and with the goat-costumed carnival rituals that are the most striking part of the local tradition.
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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.
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Panigiria Near Serres
The great summer day is Profitis Ilias, on July 20: the celebration spreads across the 19th and 20th, in Serres itself and in the villages of Achladochori, Karydochori and Vergi. Around Lake Kerkini and up towards the Belles mountains the villages keep their own calendar, with evenings of music and dancing, food and plenty of wine in the squares. The town also holds an urban panigiri, a traditional music-and-dance evening in Plateia Eleftherias - the village feast moved into the centre, with the same dance groups.
The winter half is what sets Eastern Macedonia apart. In goat-shaped costumes with bells across the whole body, the bell-wearers dance through the streets and squares from the opening of the Triodion, and the ritual peaks on the last Sunday of Carnival and on Clean Monday. It is the same family of rituals as the Arapides of Drama and Nikisiani, with roots held to be Dionysian, and the sound of the bells in a narrow street is what stays with you. The make-up of the population - locals, Pontic Greeks, Sarakatsani, refugees from Asia Minor - brings many repertoires to the same square.
Common questions
Where can I find panigiria near Serres?+
In Serres itself and in the villages of Achladochori, Karydochori and Vergi for Profitis Ilias on July 19-20, and in the villages around Lake Kerkini. See the current calendar on Mood.
What are the bell-wearers of Serres?+
A carnival ritual: men in goat-shaped costumes with bells across the whole body dance through streets and squares from the opening of the Triodion, peaking on the last Sunday of Carnival and on Clean Monday.