Manners, Customs and Culture

Every year on the 5th and 6th August we have the big festival.


It’s for the transformation of Christ as we have the old Church here.

On the 5th in the afternoon lot of people fro all the other villages visit us and we have the Great Vespers “Megalos Esperinos” inside the church and the blessing of the bread in the square after wards.

Then there is eating drinking and dancing with the traditional sounds and songs of a good orchestra.

On the 6th we have divine Liturgy at Agios Dimitrios church. After that grapes and holy bread are offered.

In the afternoon the dance group of the village with groups from other places start the days celebration and feasting.

These days the villagers neglect their every day jobs and there’s joy all over the place.

Our festival is always very successful and one of the most popular in the Larisa area.

The Festival Perraiviki Tripoli, held every second Saturday of July since 2008 is a benchmark for updating the progress of archaeological excavations at ancient Perraivikis Tripoli and the general area Perraivia. Flanked by archaeologists lectures and special photo exhibition, dance groups, etc.

 

 

2008: 1st Festival: Keynote speaker was Digger – archaeologist of the site «Kastri Dolihi», Mr Spyros Kougioumtzoglou.

2009: second Festival: The keynote speaker was professor of prehistoric archeology and former Vice Rector of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Mr George Hourmouziadis.

2010: 3rd Festival: The keynote speaker was Professor of Classical Archaeology and president of the New Acropolis Museum, Mr Dimitrios Pandermalis.

2011: 4th Festival: The keynote speaker was professor of anthropology and researcher of the Cave Petralona, Mr Aris Poulianos.

 


On January first, after the Divine Liturgy the villager gather in th central square where the folkore dance group performs different dances.

Later youngsters dressed as “Babaliouria or Rokatsaria” with capes and masks and wearing bells with the dance group go around the village singing new year carols and apart from money they collect meat which we grill in the shops later on and celebrate the New Year.

On the 6th January, -Epiphany-, after the Divine Liturgy we gather in the square for the blessing of the waters in the fountain. Young children carry the church icons and all the people kneel before them ad kiss the Cross.

The day before the Carnival young people pick bushies from the nearby hills and make a bonfire “dabres”

On Sunday night when after the traditional dinner at every home the villagers come out and dance and sing around the “dabres” with carnival songs dress up. If they want an creaite a unique atmosphere.

In the old days there was “dabres” in every neighborhood.

On the First Monday of Lent in the square “fasolada” a bean  soup has its day. Big ports with soup, pickles, olives, halva, bread called “lagana” and plently of wine make up the Lenten dinner.

Under the sound of folk music until the arly afternoon all the villagers enjoy themselves and then the sky is full of Kites, especially over the Prophet Elias hill or the football ground.

That’s know the beginning of Lent begins to prepare for the great celebration of Easter.

Every 25th March, the same as on the 28th Oktober we celebrate the big national holidays. With the school children being the stars. After attending the church ceremony there is a wreath laying by the authorities at the monument in the square and then follows the school parade and last at the school there is a celebration with poems, songs, and theatrical performance. After the events sweet, peanunts, soft drinks, “tsipouro” a local drink and liqueurs are offered.

Two week before Palm Sunday an even «ta Tsakna» is a very old tradition in dolihi, which remains alive even today. Men and women from Dolihi and neighbouring villages go up the Prophet Elias and dance traditional dances under a very old oak tree which has been hit by lightning countless times. There people ate a sour plant “xinithres” which grew under the bushes. For lunch they ate traditional “fasolada” and then  they went to “Aididni” to continue the feast.

On the Cross Sunday, a week before Palm Sunday, men and women after the church ceremony, they decorated a pot “gioumi” with flowers especially, from almond trees, at the school yard and the teenage girls dance with it until early in the afternoon.

On Saturday of Lazaros, a day before Palm Sunday, women dressed in traditional costumes (with white kerchief over their heads an white skirts) called “Lazarines” danced and song, about Lazaros.

A gir used to invited all the others to her house and they had a feast until the next day. Mothers cooekd different dishes and took them there.

On Sunday after church and in the afternoon, they danced outside the church. Then in the afternoon they saw of Lazaros until a place called “Dentro”.

Today this happens in the square.


Every Holy Thursday night young girls decorate the Epitaphios and stay with the Crucified until morning.

On Good Friday at night, we have the procession of the holy Sepulchre the Epitaphios, around the village.

On Holy Satarday all the people of Dolihi even those who don’t live here, come to celebrate Easter with their families, and fill the church.

On Easter Sunday, the lamp on the pit has its day. You can smell it all over the place.

The following Friday, we celebrate “Zoodohos Pegae” when people from the village and neighboring villages go to the chapel by that name about 3 Km outside Dolihi. Earlier the used to be a great Celebration.

On May first Prophet Elias hill and a place called “Perassa” are flooded with people from diferent villages carrying food -pies-sweets- etc. They barbeque lamps on the spit, kokoretsi, kebap, drink wine, beers and soft drinks and this goes on untill eate in the afternoon.

On the 20th July we go up to Prophet Elias chapel to, commemorate the Prophet. there we attend the Divine Liturgy and the following blessing of the bread. Also “loukoumi” and soft drinks are offered.

On the 26th July we commemorate Agia Paraskevi. In recent yaers we attend the ceremony at the chapel of Agia Paraskevi in Metohi. After the ceremony there’s bread, coffe, sweets, soft drinks etc.

On the 15th August there’s divine Liturgy at the Virgin Mary Chapel.

Also, the so called “Cultural August” is full of events with music or theatre night and not only.

On the 26th October we commemorate our Patron Saint Demetrios. In earlier days we had the festival then. today the afternoon before we have the Great Vespers and the Divine Liturgy the next morning.

Also that evening we have a music night in the square.

Finally, the day before Christmas, there is the traditional slaughtering of the pig. From the town hall there are carols heard every where creating a happy atmosphere and preparing people for the Great Day of Jesus’  s Birth.

Children go door to door singing carols. This day called “Kolidras”

After the Divine liturgy on Christmas Eve there is a special chicken (rooster0 soup in every house, dolmadakia(yiaprakia) and tigania fred pork meat.