Clean Monday: Meal War in Galaxidi, Vlach wedding in Thebes and “Indian” rhythms in Makrakomi

Or in, Thebes and Makrakome, is one of the most special days of the year. For many it is perhaps the ultimate destinations of the day… The “smudges” in Galaxidi are not only for locals but for all those who will be there on Clear Monday. They do not only have fires in squares and streets, music, food, dance and feast, but the present must be ready to withstand the “meal war”. With roots in Sicily, or others in Byzantium, custom has been repeated in Galaxidi since 1801. When Galaxidi was under Turkish occupation, residents waited for Halloween to have fun either with masks or simply painted their faces with coal. Then the flour, the flower, the shoe polish and or ochre were added. At the port of Galaxidi early on Pure Monday began the “meal war”, the notorious “meal munching”, where at first only men took part, poured on each other flour. Women were later involved. Visitors who did not want to be floured should definitely have a smudge or a cross on the shoe polish forehead. Those who did not accept it were automatically “victims” of the would-be mujourns. To this day, the custom of “salt mutzuroma” remains unchanged in time and is a pole of attraction for thousands of visitors, young and old making Galaxidi one of the ultimate destinations for Clean Monday. See what had happened to Galaxidi on the Clean Monday of 2018. Vlach Marriage in Thebes Over 200 years the “Vlahish marriage” has been tradition in Thebes. Every Pure Monday they catch their posts from early on, matchmakers, co-existences and for hours they negotiate hard the match, the dowry and the dowry, as there is a representation of the Vlach Marriage with all its formality. All incorporated into a custom unchanged in time, since it has roots in the era of the liberation of mountain villages, when the cappies were found on the plain. Beyond the typical “Vlah wedding”, which hides a lot of fun, everything is adapted to the climate of days with spectacle, with colorful wedding processions, with music from pipettes and doodles. Macro in “Indian” rhythms Makrakome’s “Indians” have been hiding a story for over 65 years. Semi-naked carnivalists, painted in the colors of Halloween, above and below the chariots, on Clear Monday move among thousands of people there. Music and teasing take and give, creating a climate of entertainment that has won the hearts of locals and visitors from all over Greece! In Lamia, Kathraa Monday hosts the koulouma, in various neighborhoods and villages of the region, while the “Neomagnesian wedding” brings together the interest of residents and visitors. It is an event in the refugee district of New Magnesia. It is a match between a refugee and a local with original humorous dialogues, which evolves to the crowns and continues with a feast.