Apokries Carnival (απόκριες) is a three-week carnival in Greece, an analogue of our Maslenitsa, which takes place before Lent. The most colorful folk festivities take place on Cheese Sunday (Apokria) – the Sunday of the first week before Lent. Large-scale carnivals can also be seen on the next two Sundays, as well as on Tsiknopemti Thursday, when it is customary to fry meat over a fire everywhere.

In 2017, the Apokries carnival in Greece will begin on February 5th. In 2018 – January 21. In 2019 – February 10. In 2020 – February 2.

Folk festivities for the Apokries carnival in Greece

The word Apokries from Greek is translated as abstinence from meat (during Lent), which is an Orthodox tradition. However, the Greeks began to celebrate this carnival long before Christianity, and it originally meant goodbye to winter and welcome to spring. The Greeks celebrated the arrival of spring with wild dances and masquerades, which was supposed to scare away evil spirits and bring a good harvest in the new year.

Apokries carnivals are held in different cities of Greece. They are celebrated on the greatest scale in Patras, Xanthi, Thebes, the island of Chios, Sparta and other cities. Carnivals include: processions in carnival costumes, dancing on platforms, chariot parades, theatrical performances.

Apokries is similar to other European carnivals of the arrival of spring

The Apokries carnival ends on Clean Monday, before the start of Lent.