Patras: from today the city lives in a carnival rhythm

From today, Patras begin to live in the rhythm of the carnival. In the center of the city, the opening ceremony of the cultural festival of the city, which marks joy, optimism, and hope for the best, took place.

This year, the protagonists are once again thousands of young men and women, residents of Patras, members of the Hidden Treasure/Treasure team (“Κρυμμένου Θησαυρού”), who, thanks to their imagination, ingenuity and artistic spirit, succeed every year in holding a significant urban cultural event. Events.

The roots of the carnival go deep into ancient Greek traditions, in the center of which is the god Dionysus: the Dionysian holidays were associated with the end of winter and the arrival of spring, symbolizing the rebirth of nature and human souls. In Greece, carnivals begin in February, three weeks before Clean Monday. Carnival is a feature of folk culture, and it is not only a spectacle, but also an event in which all participants are equal (in ancient times, during the days of the carnival, slaves were freed, who could allegorically ridicule their masters).

The incessant rain did not prevent the carnival participants from taking to the streets of the city. The events began today at noon with the transfer of the carnival banner by the mayor of Kostas Peletiidis (πρόεδρο και μέλη του της κοινωφελούς τιχου δήμου “καρναβάλι πάτρας”) participants in the carnival. The ceremony was held in the city hall, after which, to the sound of music, “fun fights” took place – smearing everyone and everything with chocolate (σοκολατοπόλεμου). The banner of the Patrinos 2023 carnival will remain at the City Hall until the end of the events on February 26.

Today, Saturday, January 21, at 21:00, the opening ceremony will take place, where the mayor of Patras, Kostas Peletidis, will announce the official opening of the carnival “Πατρινού Καρναβαλιού 2023”. This year the motto under which the carnival takes place is “Revival” (regeneration, renewal). It seems that this is exactly what the inhabitants of Greece, crushed by a series of suffocating crises, need so much.

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