The baptism of a young girl
Saint Simeon traditional feast, baptizing Roma boys and girls
Πανηγύρι Tου Αη Συμιού
Every year at the feast of the “Spirit Monday” (or “Monday of the Holy Spirit” or “Pentecost” and that happens 50 days after the Easter), in Messolongi town is taking place one special traditional festival and keeps 4 days with several happenings : special traditional music with a special clarinet called zournas (ζουρνάς) and a tabor called daouli (νταούλι) (Roma men and boys are playing these), gatherings in groups eating and dancing, traditional costumes from the era of the Greek war of independence against the Ottomans on 1821, happening with riders and horses crossing the centre of the town…
And there is another special happening, outside Messolongi, in the country church of “Saint Simeon” on the mountain, where everybody comes the 3rd day of the festival, to liturgy for the people that killed there by the Ottomans after the “Messolongi exodus" on the 10th of April 1826. After the liturgy for the rest of the day people are eating drinking and dancing.
But this day, many Roma people (Gypsies) are there too, from all over Greece, to play like the other days the clarinet and the tabor, but also this day to baptize their children.
They try to find god-fathers and god-mothers among the people that are there for the feast and so one second happening is taking place : the baptism of many Roma boys and girls !
Their fathers and mothers are asking all the people around “please, baptize my child, please, you will do a good thing, please..."...
It's very symbolic of course if you are religious to bitpize your child on the "Monday of the Holy Spirit".
This is one very old and original custom, along with the feast.
The whole 4 days festival is called “The festival of the Saint Simeon”
(Τ’ Αη Συμιού – Του Αγίου Συμεών)
It's still very original until today.
www.aisimios.gr/main/?page_id=142
Another wonderful capture from this event from my friend zis_sis
The baptism of a young girl
Saint Simeon traditional feast, baptizing Roma boys and girls
Πανηγύρι Tου Αη Συμιού
Every year at the feast of the “Spirit Monday” (or “Monday of the Holy Spirit” or “Pentecost” and that happens 50 days after the Easter), in Messolongi town is taking place one special traditional festival and keeps 4 days with several happenings : special traditional music with a special clarinet called zournas (ζουρνάς) and a tabor called daouli (νταούλι) (Roma men and boys are playing these), gatherings in groups eating and dancing, traditional costumes from the era of the Greek war of independence against the Ottomans on 1821, happening with riders and horses crossing the centre of the town…
And there is another special happening, outside Messolongi, in the country church of “Saint Simeon” on the mountain, where everybody comes the 3rd day of the festival, to liturgy for the people that killed there by the Ottomans after the “Messolongi exodus" on the 10th of April 1826. After the liturgy for the rest of the day people are eating drinking and dancing.
But this day, many Roma people (Gypsies) are there too, from all over Greece, to play like the other days the clarinet and the tabor, but also this day to baptize their children.
They try to find god-fathers and god-mothers among the people that are there for the feast and so one second happening is taking place : the baptism of many Roma boys and girls !
Their fathers and mothers are asking all the people around “please, baptize my child, please, you will do a good thing, please..."...
It's very symbolic of course if you are religious to bitpize your child on the "Monday of the Holy Spirit".
This is one very old and original custom, along with the feast.
The whole 4 days festival is called “The festival of the Saint Simeon”
(Τ’ Αη Συμιού – Του Αγίου Συμεών)
It's still very original until today.
www.aisimios.gr/main/?page_id=142
Another wonderful capture from this event from my friend zis_sis