Clean Monday: The Halloweenes in Gergeri Heraklion

A special one in Gergeri Heraklion. Or he finds every year hundreds of people watching the event… They are a unique institution with roots in antiquity. The Halloweenes in Gergeri are one of the events of the days, representing mysteries and ceremonies that refer to the cycle of life, marriage, funeral and history, as well as the cultural identity of the place, plowing, sowing. As the president of the Association of Varelofrons, Culture and Development of Gergeris, Manolis Koutentakis told the APE, the welcome to the “Reflections” which are a meeting point for people from all over Crete and not only, is made on the day of the Pure Monday with a treat of raki and the so-called munching, i.e. the painting of the face of all visitors as a sign of participation in the custom. “If you find yourself in Gergeri on Pure Monday you will dance the bear dance, a traditional anarchist dance of Gergeri. You will experience the bearbears who are tragic bellbears, tied with ropes between them and the head of the team trying to lead them, creating a pandemonium with the sounds of their bells dancing under the background of the bear dance at their own frantic rhythm next to the crowd,” Mr Koutedakis said. The revival of events takes place on the main road of Gergeri, maintaining the tradition and cultural value of the place, while among the events included in the mad program of the day that has large doses of improvisation, is the event of the wedding in which the church’s mystery is mocked, but also the “funeral” which is a parody with the expression of the dead. Also included is plowing and sowing with the plow, as a symbol of the farmer’s toil turning into a Halloween tool. “In the Halloweenes in our country, those who come, enjoy the so-called flours, the fascists with the participation of Gergeri Elementary School, the soldiers with the funny orders of their captain and finally the Gypsies who, with the sounds of their laternas, travel us to earlier times,” added Manolis Koutentakis. The mudges and the bear dance in Gergeri are a characteristic of the identity of the culture of the region, having the dimension of a real folk festival and meeting, a coexistence and extremism of human relations, not only among the villagers, but also those who every year reach Gergeri from every point in Crete and not only. “At the Halloween of Gergeri this year events will be presented by the Volakas Drama Cultural Association. The “Grapies” or “Grapia”, a group of people wearing an animal skin cape, a hump on their back and hung in their middle bells and a bat, accompanied by the chaousis and the bride,” said Mr. Koutedakis, filling that bears act in groups with the leader of the bear and both the appearance, as much as their movement refers to Dionysian events. The opening is set for 12:00 noon and the last event at 16:00, and after 16:00 a traditional feast will follow. The responsibility of organizing, in collaboration with the Municipality of Gortyna and the Cultural Association of Gergeris, is the Association of Varelofrons of Culture and Development of the region as part of the local programme “Leader”. The event is supported by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development: Europe invests in Rural Areas”, co-financed by Greece and the European Union, and also the Ministry of Rural Development and Food.