Carnival
Carnival or Mardi Gras celebrations take place in many countries. There are Carnival celebrations in Greece in the weeks before the start of Lent, with the main celebrations the weekend before Lent starts. That weekend is followed by Clean Monday, when kites are traditionally flown.
* Clean Monday is a public holiday, so be prepared for extra busy (and perhaps full) ferries this weekend as Athenians head to the islands for a long weekend.
* The main festivities I have seen have been in the Plaka area of Athens on the last Saturday before Lent. Don't be put off if you are hit over the head with a plastic truncheon - the evenings I have been there the celebrations have been great fun and everyone has been very good-humoured. A tip - if you are carrying a plastic truncheon yourself you are likely to be hit harder than if you are not carrying a truncheon. I have never carried a plastic truncheon, but one year I called in to see the festivities on the way to the airport. As well as my rucksack I was carrying a plastic water bottle in a blue holder. I am sure many people mistook the bottle for a truncheon as I was whacked harder over the head than usual!
* In Naxos on the last weekend before Lent ((or sometimes the Sunday before that) there are Carnival festivities. One year there was a procession of floats along the promenade (one float was in memory of the drachma, so this was quite a few years ago! As well as watching the festivities it is fun seeing the children in fancy dress. More recently there has been a torchlit procession through Naxos on the Saturday evening.
Also in Naxos at Carnival time I have seen dancers dressed like English Morris Men.
An extract from my book about Greece, "Kalo Taxidi"
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