The Greek Panigiri – Celebrating Greek-Style
“The Celebration” – Illustration by Bill Papas – Papasart.com
During the summer months, all over Greece, from the smallest of churches in the smallest of villages, to the largest of cathedrals in the largest of towns, Greeks keep a centuries old tradition alive; a tradition of celebrating the Name Day of the town’s main Saint; this is the Greek “Panigiri”.
This jolly affair involves street markets, food vendors and as evening falls, people gather, usually in the village square, where tables and chairs have been set up, ready for a real “Glendi”, which, in English, more or less means to party like a Greek!
Street market, “Panigiri day” – Loutraki
The aroma of roast sucking pig, (Whole pigs have been slowly roasting all day) wafts through the air, plastic buckets, filled with ice, hold cans of beer galore but the main attraction of the evening, the band!
Roast pork – The “Paniri pig” !
Party Like a Greek!
Panigiri at Arethoussa, Ikaria island – Photon – aegeanpan.com
As night falls upon the Greek panigiri, tables fill, the band tunes up, roast pork is served in paper, eaten with your fingers and copious amounts of beer are consumed straight from the can or in paper cups.
As more beer, or wine, is consumed, the merrier things become.
People hand out song requests to the band, which usually consists of a singer or two, a bouzouki and bongo-like drums, however, the ‘Piece de resistance’ is the clarinet.
Bank notes are plastered onto the singer’s forehead and the higher the denomination of the note, the sooner you will hear your song!
Everyone is up and dancing to the deafening sound of the clarinet, the only other thing to be heard is the occasional ‘opa’ from the wild dancers; it is a sight to be seen…and heard!
The music and dancing continues all through the night well into the early hours of the morning; there are many a sore head the next day!
This is the highlight of the festival, the “leading up to it”, so to speak, has been going on all day!
September 7th
Feast day of the Patron Saint of Loutraki – Panagia Giatrissa (Virgin Mary the Healer)
Panagia Giatrissa ( Virgin Mary The Healer) all trimmed up for the Panigiri festival.
I do so enjoy the Loutraki panigiri, which comes around every year on the 7th of September, in honour of the town’s Patron Saint; Panagia Giatrissa (Virgin Mary the Healer).
The streets are filled with stalls selling everything from pots and pans to decorative candles.
All variations of clothing hang in rows from size small, to one size fits all, to extra large!
Nightwear, and underwear, sizes for everyone! – Loutraki Panigiri
I especially like the brocante stalls which are run each year by the Russians.
They never fail to impress.
Brocante – Panigiri – Loutraki
Tiffany style glass and interesting porcelain – at the Panigiri, Loutraki
Nuns from the local monastery attend each year without fail, their stalls laden with delicious golden honey produced from their own bees along with healing herbs grown in the monastery grounds.
The nuns from the local Monastery with their honey and healing herbs – Panigiri Loutraki
If you’re feeling a little peckish, never fear, there’s food galore on every corner, including juicy souvlaki (kebabs and geros) and delicious Loukoumades; fried doughnut balls, drenched in pure Greek honey and dredged with ground cinnamon.
Souvlaki – Panigiri Loutraki
Loukoumades; – fried doughnut balls, drenched in pure Greek honey and dredged with ground cinnamon – Panigiri Loutraki
On the eve of celebration, as evening falls, the icon of The Virgin Mary is paraded through the town, led by the local priest.
The icon of the Virgin Mary passing through the town center – Panigiri Loutraki
Before heading for home we bought our roast pork, ”The panigiri pig”, which we shall will be eating all next week, in either the form of a pork sandwich, or cold with salad and homemade tzatziki; and there’ll still be some left.
It’s like the Christmas turkey!
Panigiri pig sandwich!
Panigiri Fun with my Granddaughter Melina
See, I told you that the underwear always seems to be size XL!
This year my granddaughter Mel joined us for the yearly trip to the panigiri.
She loved it, Pappou (Grandpa) bought her a shinny balloon and a couple of clockwork rabbits with which she had great fun enticing them to kiss one another.
Mel at the Panigiri, Loutraki
Kiss kiss!
The word “Panigiri” must have sounded like “Parisi” the Greek word for Paris to Melina as she excitedly told everyone she was going to Paris!
If only!
This reminds me of my friend’s son, Georgos, who, when but a small boy, told people he was going to “Kung Fu” for his holidays that year.
Actually they were going to the Greek island of Corfu!
Past Times
Eating candy floss at my first ever visit to a panigiri
In all my years in Greece I haven’t missed one single Greek panigiri yet!
I have to say each year they seem to becoming smaller, I hope they will not soon become a thing of the past, maybe it’s because of the financial crisis Greece is going through, I do hope it’s the later.
Another thing I noticed was that the stalls selling fake designer bags had disappeared, maybe the police had been doing their rounds and they had gone into hiding.
Bags- Fake – Panigiri – Loutraki
Before you ask, no!
My bag is not fake!
Thinking about the” Panigiri Pig”
Next year – Weather Permitting
We will be there again next year, weather permitting!
The saying goes, here in Loutraki; it always, but always rains on the day of the Loutraki Panigiri, and it usually does!
