Cultural Happenings – Anniversaries – Customs – Traditions – Fairs

Legend became tradition and tradition made it to the present through memory events, fests and celebrations of happiness called fests by some or festivals by some others.

Spontaneous celebrations of the past refer to customs and traditions, to habits and bonds of life. Dionysus, a symbol of incompatibility and fun, the god of wine and celebration, is the one who gave Patras a reason to stand out every winter.

The Carnival is the modern version of the Dionysian Mysteries, one of the most important carnivals in Europe and the most crowded one in terms of its active participants.

It embraces thousands of Greek and foreign youths who flood the streets of Patras every February to unwind the city’s biological clock and have fun until the early morning hours. It is an outdoor fest that lasts for a whole month and attracts tourists from all over the world.

The capital city of Achaia is also renowned for its International Festival which lasts from July to September and turns its Roman Theatre (Ancient Conservatory) to a centre of inter-european cultural meetings.

Patras is one of the very few European cities to host two summer festivals.

Important plays are put on every summer – especially in August – in the frame of the Artistic Happenings Organisation’s Festival, while every other year at the end of June and beginning of July, there is a series of cultural happenings entitled Nautical Week. Their main theme is the sea and its effect on the lives of the residents and the travelers. There are also sardine celebrations! Patras is directly associated with the Shadow Theatre, since the puppeteer of Karagiozis (the Greek version of Mr. Punch), Mimaros (Dimitrios Sardounis), was from Patras and he was the one that gave the art of Karagiozis all its Greek elements. There is a large number of Karagiozis happenings all year round and the Municipality of Patras organizes the International Shadow Theatre Festival. There are many traditional performances of Karagiozis in the greek cafes of many mountainous villages in Achaia.

Patras features an important Drama Scene, Museums and a Municipal Gallery. Elikeia – Poseidonia is the title of the summer cultural happenings in the Municipality of Diakopto, that are organized from late July to early September and include music, dancing, plays, Karagiozi shows and many more.

The patron Saint of the Municipality is Agios Tryfonas and there is a fair in his honour, on 1st February.

Source : Development Enterprise of Achaia Prefecture - Greece