Page 60 - (DK Eyewitness) Top 10 Travel Guide - Corfu & the Ionian Islands

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Festivals and Events

Greek folk dancers performing in traditional costumes
Folklore Festivals
Litany of St Spyrídon,
1 3
Corfu
It is the tradition for each
The Litany of St Spyrídon is a religious village in Greece to host a folk lore
event and music festival that occurs festival at least once during the year,
four times a year in Corfu. It honours usually in the summer months. This
Corfu’s patron saint, St Spyrídon, the is a time when the local resi dents
Keeper of the City, so called because meet up with friends and neighbours
of the miracles he performed in to feast together. Dance troupes also
ridding Corfu of the plague and pro­ often perform traditional dances to
tecting it from the Turkish invasion. the accom paniment of folk bands.
Union of the Ionians
4
To mark the Union of the
Ionian Islands with Greece in 1864
(see p39), celebrations take place on
21 May each year. Cultural events,
including traditional dance and music
performances, are held. Entire
com munities gather in village
centres to enjoy the enter tain ment
and to feast on local food.
Cultural Festivals
Litany of St Spyrídon procession 5
Lively festivals of music,
Town Carnivals
2 dance, theatre, art and literature are
held in various towns in the Ionians
February or March is carnival
time in the islands, when every town during the summer months. July,
hosts week­long pre­Lenten events for example, sees the Kefalloniá
that culminate in grand processions Theatre Festival, while in August,
of floats. People of all ages, but Vathý in Ithaki hosts the Music and
especially children, don costumes Theatre Festival and Lefkáda hosts
and masks as part of the festivities. the Festival of Art and Literature.

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