Greece’s Top Five Festivals希腊五大节日

亚历克西斯·阿韦尔巴克 赵晓囡

The Greek calendar is chock-full of festivals， and Greeks are always up for a celebration.

From sombre to downright riotous， you are never far from a festive occasion in Greece—the following top five are certainly worth planning your trip around.

Orthodox Easter

Easter is by far the biggest event of the year， celebrated everywhere with candlelit street processions， midnight fireworks and spit-roasted lamb. Some islands are renowned for their unique Easter festivities.

Easter week， or Holy Week， is marked by different events each day. It all begins on the Saturday of Lazarus （one week before Easter Sunday） with children going door-to-door singing the hymn of ‘Lazaros’ and collecting money and eggs. The festive spirit continues throughout the week， and villages， towns and cities come to life as locals decorate their churches and epitaphs， hold daily services， fast and follow specific customs.

Good Friday leads into Easter weekend with a day of mourning in recognition of the death of Christ， culminating in one of the most extraordinary nights of Easter week. Evening services are followed by candlelit processions through the streets， carrying the flower-decorated epitaphios （bier of Christ） and representing Christ’s funeral. Bands， cantors， clergy， women bearing myrrh， altar boys with liturgical fans1， and townspeople singing hymns all join the solemn cortege. Along the route， people holding candles scatter flowers and perfume on the epitaphios. One of the most impressive of these processions climbs Lykavittos Hill in Athens.

Resurrection Mass （Anastasi）， which takes place on Saturday night， is without a doubt the most important religious event of the year. At midnight， all lights are extinguished in the church and the priest uses his candle to light the Easter candle of a parishioner. The flame passes from candle to candle， light fills the church， and the moment of the resurrection is marked by kisses and greetings of ‘Christos Anesti; Alithos Anesti’ （Christ has Risen; Indeed he has Risen）. Afterwards， families go home and break their Lenten fast with a rich meal of traditional dishes and the fun ritual cracking of vibrant red-dyed eggs.

Easter Sunday is the day for celebration and feasting with lamb roasts and jubilation. It’s an excellent time to get invited to a Greek home. The leisurely midday meal on flower-draped tables often gives way to traditional dancing and fireworks. As an important place of Christian pilgrimage， the Monastery of St John the Theologian on Patmos has one of the largest celebrations.

If you’re planning a trip to Greece for Easter， remember： the date of Greek Orthodox Easter is tied to the Julian calendar， so it won’t necessarily match up with Catholic Easter， which is calculated using the Gregorian calendar.

Apokreas （Carnival season）

Some say that Carnival the world over has its roots in Greece’s ancient worship of wild， wonderful Dionysus， the god of winemaking， fertility and theatre. Today， Greece’s Carnival season is related to the Greek Orthodox religion， and kicks off three weeks prior to the fasting of Lent （from mid-January to late February or early March）. A host of smaller events leads up to the wild weekend of Carnival—known in Greece as Apokreas—which is resplendent with costume parades， colourful floats， feasting and traditional dancing. At Apokreas even small villages eat， drink and don （sometimes off-colour） costumes and parade in the streets. The celebrations end with Clean Monday （Kathara Deftera）， the first day of Lent， which sees families go on picnics and fly kites.

Each region has its own take on Apokreas. Head to Patra in the Peloponnese for the biggest and wildest celebrations. Skyros in the Sporades sees entire towns dressed as goats， copper bells and all. Rethymno in Crete celebrates with a bit of a Venetian flair. If you’re planning a trip， check the calendar： each year the date of Apokreas is different.

Hellenic Festival

Imagine the open， dark Greek summer sky overhead and the marble tiers of an ancient Greek theatre filled with a rapt audience watching art in the making. The most prominent Greek summer festival， the Hellenic Festival features a top line-up of local and international music， dance and drama. And， wonderfully， many of the marquee events are staged at one of the world’s prime historic venues： the ancient Odeon of Herodes Atticus in Athens， with the floodlit Acropolis as a backdrop.

The other key venue is the Unesco-listed Theatre of Epidavros， two hours west of Athens near Nafplio in the Peloponnese. The amazingly well-preserved theatre， which saw its first performance around 2000 years ago， has perfect acoustics and occupies a glorious setting amid pine-clad hills. Other events are also held in modern venues around Athens. The festival runs from June through August.

Navy Week

Celebrating Greece’s long relationship with the sea， fishing villages and ports throughout the country host historical re-enactments and parties in late June. Navy Week in Crete honours the island’s maritime tradition with music， dancing， swimming and sailing; celebrations are especially big in Soudha， near Hania. In Hydra， the Miaoulia festival celebrates local naval hero Admiral Miaoulis and the Hydriot contribution to the War of Independence. It culminates in a spectacular sound-and-light show with the burning of a boat which represents a Turkish warship， and fireworks over Hydra harbour. In Lesvos （Mytilini）， Molyvos and Kaloni see lively celebrations as well.

August Moon Festival

Considered the brightest and most beautiful moon of the year， the August moon inspires towns across Greece to host special nighttime events and parties. In Athens， stunning historical venues such as the Acropolis or Roman Agora open for free moonlit performances of theatre and dance. Each year the program changes， so check locally when you arrive.

希腊节日众多，希腊人也热衷于庆祝活动。

这些节日有的庄重，有的喧闹，碰上一次从不是难事。以下五大节日，值得你前去体验。

东正教复活节

迄今为止，复活节是希腊一年中最盛大的庆典。全国各地都举办烛光游行、午夜烟花表演和烤羊肉大餐。一些岛屿更是以其独特的复活节庆典而闻名于世。

复活节周或圣周，每天都上演各种庆祝活动。活动始于拉撒路圣周六（复活节前一周），孩子们会唱着“拉扎罗斯”圣歌，挨家挨户地讨要钱币和鸡蛋。节日的气氛会持续整整一周，人们装饰教堂和墓碑，提供节日相关服务，进行斋戒以及遵循特定的习俗。节日期间，全国上下一片热闹、繁忙景象。

耶稣受难日与复活节周末相连，承载着对耶稣逝世的缅怀。耶稣受难日夜晚的活动最具特色，节日气氛由此推向高潮。晚祷后是象征耶稣出殡的游行，人们手持蜡烛，跟随着鲜花装饰的耶稣灵柩，缓缓行进。乐队、唱诗班、神职人员、拿着馨香没药的妇女、祭坛男孩以及唱着圣歌的市民都加入到庄严的队列中。人们手持蜡烛边行进边向耶稣灵柩撒放鲜花与香水。在雅典，最令人难忘的出殡游行是攀登利卡维多斯山。

周六晚上举行的复活弥撒无疑是希腊最重要的宗教活动。午夜时分，教堂里的灯全部熄灭，牧师用他手中的蜡烛点燃教区居民的复活节蜡烛。火苗在一根根蜡烛上传递，烛光逐渐照亮了整个教堂，人们相互亲吻，传递着“耶稣复活了;真的复活了”的神圣问候，这一刻代表着耶稣的复活。仪式结束后，人们回到家中，享受丰盛的传统菜肴，击碎红鸡蛋欢庆，大斋戒活动宣告结束。

复活节周日是庆祝和享用烤羊肉的喜庆日子。此时到希腊家庭做客，真是妙不可言。围坐在铺满鲜花的餐桌前悠閑享用的午餐，常常被传统的舞蹈和烟花打断。作为基督教朝圣的重要场所，帕特莫斯的圣约翰神学家修道院会举办最盛大的庆典。

如果你计划去希腊体验复活节，请记住：希腊东正教用儒略历来推算复活节，而天主教复活节是按公历计算，所以两者时间不一定重合。

狂欢节

传说世界各地的狂欢节起源于古希腊对酒神狄俄尼索斯的崇拜，他桀骜不驯、俊美无俦，集酿酒、生育和戏剧之神于一身。如今，希腊的狂欢节与东正教有关，在大斋节前三周开始 （从1月中旬到2月底或3月初）。在最热闹的狂欢节（希腊人称Apokreas）周末前，人们会举行一系列小型狂欢活动，包括华丽的服装游行、五彩缤纷的花车、盛大的宴会和传统舞蹈精彩纷呈，交相辉映。狂欢节期间，就连小村庄的居民也会大吃大喝，穿戴一番（有时不堪入目），上街游行。到了“净周一”即大斋节的第一天，狂欢活动结束，人们会去郊外野餐、放风筝。

希腊每个地区都有自己独特的狂欢节庆祝方式。伯罗奔尼撒区的帕特雷举办最盛大、最疯狂的庆祝活动。斯基罗斯位于斯波拉泽斯群岛，狂欢节到来时，岛上居民会装扮成山羊、铜铃铛等奇特造型。克里特岛的雷西姆诺的庆典则颇具威尼斯风格。如果你有意前往，请先查看日历：每年狂欢节的日期都不尽相同。

希腊艺术节

想象一下这个画面：广阔的夏日夜空下，热情的观众坐在古老的大理石阶梯剧场，欣赏着上演的戏剧，是怎样一种奇妙享受。希腊艺术节是希腊夏季最负盛名的节日，拥有本土和国际的音乐、舞蹈和戏剧的顶级阵容。令人惊叹的是，许多重要活动都是在雅典的希罗德·阿提库斯剧场进行，这里是世界上具有代表性的历史场馆之一，配以泛光灯照明的雅典卫城作为背景。

艺术节的另一个重要会场是埃皮扎夫罗斯剧院，被联合国教科文组织列为文化遗产。埃皮扎夫罗斯剧院临近位于伯罗奔尼撒半岛上的纳夫普利奥市，从雅典向西须两小时车程。这座古老的剧院于2000多年前开放，至今仍保存完好，拥有完美的音响效果。它四周是松木覆盖的山丘，风景幽美。雅典周边的现代场馆也举办活动。艺术节从6月一直持续到8月。

海军周

为庆祝希腊与海洋的长久渊源，全国各地的渔村和港口会在6月底举办历史重演活动和大型派对。克里特岛的海军周以音乐、舞蹈、游泳和航行来纪念岛上的海洋传统;在靠近哈尼亚的苏扎港，庆祝活动尤为盛大。伊兹拉岛的米奥利亚节用来纪念当地英雄米奥利斯和伊兹拉人为独立战争做出的贡献。庆典活动在一场壮观的声光表演中达到高潮：一艘代表土耳其侵略者军舰的船被烧毁，伊兹拉港上空烟花绽放。在莱斯沃斯岛（米蒂利尼），莫利沃斯和卡洛尼也上演热烈的庆祝活动。

八月月亮节

希腊人认为，8月的月亮最亮、最美。8月明月点燃了全国各地举办特别夜间活动和派对的热情。在雅典，雅典卫城或罗马集市这些震撼人心的历史景点会在月光照耀下进行戏剧表演和舞蹈表演，免费对公众开放。节目每年都会调整，请于抵达当日进行查询。      □