Carnival in Patras
The Patras Carnival (Πατρινό Καρναβάλι) is one of the major events of the carnival in Greece and the largest in the country with around 40 thousand active participants and up to a million spectators.
The opening event is on January 17th, a special day is the Tsiknopempti , which corresponds to Weiberfastnacht . There is also a children's carnival where only children are allowed and some night events like Fireworks Day.
history
Previous events are mostly offshoots of ancient Dionysus cults. Carnival in Patras has been held as such since 1829. In that year the ceremony was registered as a private party for the merchant Moretti, in fact it was a public event. After the Republic of the Ionian Islands joined Greece in 1864, many Catholics also moved from the islands to Patras and got involved in the carnival. The first move with wagons is documented for 1870, at that time the participation of public or commercial bodies was also prohibited. Cultural institutions emerged from the carnival, such as the establishment of the "Apollon" theater in 1872. The carnival event was only canceled during the Second World War and the civil war that followed. In 1956 there were disputes with devout Christians from abroad, who viewed the successful event as Sodom and Gomorrah or as moral decline; numerous arrests of troublemakers by the police followed. In the 1960s, confiscations resulted in political censorship in the design of the figures. From 1966 the event was broadcast nationwide on the state television ERT.
organization
Over 10,000 carnivalists are active in associations in Patras. If the participation of the city was once not wanted, this is no longer the case today. B. the city provides premises.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Presentation of the Patras Carnival on www.carnivaland.net
- ↑ Information about Patras and its sights on www.kreta.com
- ↑ Article about the Patras Carnival 2019 by Susanne Krueger on radio / kreta.de