Celebrate on Corfu

• Processions in Honour of St. Spyridon, four times a year, Originally from Cyprus, and a member of the Council of Nicaea in 325, he suffered during the persecutions of Diocletian. The Saint never visitied the island in life but his relics and body were spirited here in death and arrived in Corfu by chance in 1489. They are preserved in a magnificent silver sarcophagus (1867) within the Church of his name in Corfu Town and the islands' most holy place. On 11 August,1st Sunday in November, Palm Sunday and Holy week, the Saint's remains are carried through the streets via a different route to commemorate his miraculous deliverances from the Turks (1716), famine (1553) and plagues (1629/73). Almost half the islands boys are named: Spiro.
• May 21: Union with Greece
• 10 July: Festival of Saint Prokopios at Kavos
• August 14th: Procession of Lights at Mandouki
• August 15th: Festival of the Virgin at Kassiopi
• Carnival; The last 3 Sundays of February and March
• Petegoletsa: Matrons of Corfu gossip in local dialects on the last Thursday of Carnival from their balconies
• Breaking the Pots: Holy Saturday: in the morning the day before Greek Easter the bells of Aghio Spyridon ring and locals throw empty or full clay pots of water from the balconies of the old town to commemorate the 'resurection of souls' At night, after going to church, the locals gather in Spianada Sq.and celebrate by eating Magiritsa or tripe soup (the locals call it tsilikourda) and drinking large quantities of wine. See Harry's Greek Food and Wine Guide.
• Greek Easter, date varies, usually a week or two after Catholic Easter
• Barcarole: August 10th, Locals re-enact the deliverence of the island by St. Spyridon from the Turks with illuminated boats in Garitsa Bay. History also reports a huge storm was caused by the Saint that day in 1716.
• The Corfu Festival; each Spring & September with concerts and performances by opera, ballet, theater and orchestras from Greece and around the world.
• Feast Of St. Theodora, February 17th, Locals create a doll of Agia Theodora, bearing a watermelon on her head. After the feast, the watermelon is offered to participants and passersby.
• New Years: the people of Corfu offer twigs of basil to foreigners, wishing them a happy new year.

Accommodations

See our Greece hotels for a complete look at accommodations available on this island.

Harry's Other Corfu Pages

Around Corfu | Corfu Beaches | Culinary Corfu | Corfu Culture | Corfu Golf | Corfu History | Curfu Holidays | Corfu Mythology | Corfu Transportation | Corfu Town | Useful Corfu | Photos of Corfu I | Photos of Corfu II | III