“Klidonas” Feast – Voukoulies 24th June

The Women’s Association of Voukoulies invites you to the feast of ‘Klidonas”  at the  Primary School in Voukoulies,
on Monday 24th June 21.00.
Music by Antonis Marinakis and Fanis Barbounis with Tassos Georgakakis, Lefteris Doudoulakis and Theodoris Gianenakis.

Information : 697 9671837

About the custom of ‘KLIDONAS’
The feast of St. John the “Klidonas” is accompanied by the traditional custom of burning the flower wreaths of May.
The name “Klidonas” comes from the ancient Greek word “κλήδων” (klidon), meaning “the predictor sound” and was used to describe the combination of random and incoherent words during a divine ceremony.

According to custom, on the eve of the Saint John’s celebration, unmarried girls gather in one of the village houses . One of them goes to the well and brings the “silent water (this girl must not speak to anyone on the way to and back from the well).
This water is then poured into a clay pot into which each girl throws a personal object, called “rizikari” (coming from the word “riziko” which means destiny). Then the pot is covered with a red cloth, tied up, and put on the roof top or another open space, where it stays overnight.
It is said that this night the girls will see their future husbands in their dreams.

Meanwhile, on the eve of the Saint John celebration also the “fire custom” has been revived : At the village square they light a big fire where everybody burns the flower wreaths they made on Mayday, and over which all the villagers jump. According to the tradition, the fire brings catharsis and people are exempt from evil.