A visit to Folegandros in spring is an unforgettable travel experience, as it is the only opportunity to admire the island in its verdant and flowery version, something so rare - not to say non-existent - during the rest of the year. The local customs of May Day are also rich, which in Folegandros has a unique character and is accompanied by many local and extremely interesting customs.
The custom of "May"
The celebration of May Day has its roots in ancient Greece and in the events held for the god Dionysus or the goddess Demeter, with the aim of celebrating the fertility of the fields, the fruitfulness of the earth, the flowering of nature and the arrival of summer. From ancient Greece, these ceremonial procedures migrated to Byzantium and the rest of Europe, from where all modern celebrations evolved. A leading custom throughout Greece is the making of the May wreath, which with its greenery and flowers symbolizes health, good fortune and euphoria. The inhabitants of Folegandros welcome May at midnight on April 30th, singing the song of the same name, accompanied by local instruments and walking around the streets of the two villages, Chora and Apano Meria. A donkey decorated with flowers and greenery precedes the long procession of celebrants, carrying on its back a rider also decorated with flowers, who probably symbolizes May itself. All those participating wear wreaths on their heads and flower necklaces and sing together:
Welcome May, Golden May, adorned with flowers, you have come again!
May with flowers, May with dew, May with songs and white dresses!
You didn't do well (twice) to leave black eyes, to get blue ones! (Chorus)
Girls walk side by side, with May Day flowers in their hands,
They sing May-May around the branches and spend beautiful years and a sweet life!
(Chorus)
On May Day, the flowers celebrate and the birds call their mates,
They sing May-May around the branches and spend beautiful years and a sweet life!
The local festival of Panagia Magiatissa
Although the May Day holiday is one of the few that does not have a religious root, in Folegandros we also have such a character, due to the celebration of Panagia Magiatissa, on May Day, in memory of another miracle of the island's patron saint. It was a May Day, of unknown exact date, when a fleet of Algerian pirates made its appearance on the northern side of the island, heading towards the area of Plaka, below Chora. The terrified inhabitants of Folegandros fled to the Church of Panagia and begged her to save them. Immediately, a violent storm broke out, which wiped out all the "bubbles", that is, the pirate ships, along with all those on board! The only exception was a Christian prisoner of theirs, originally from Kimolos, who, rescued by the Folegandrians, recounted that lightning was seen from the top of the hill, exactly where the church of the Virgin Mary is located, and immediately afterwards a deadly storm broke out, which saved the faithful inhabitants of the island. In addition to Magiatissa, Folegandros also honors the local feast of Panagia Martiatissa, on March 1st, again in memory of the miracle of the Mother of God saving the island.
Myrrh-bearing Sunday at St. George's
On the second Sunday after Easter -usually "falls" somewhere around May Day-, our church celebrates Myrrh-bearing Sunday. Myrrh-bearing women, as they are known, are the women who followed Christ and His Mother during the Passion and took care to anoint the body of the Lord with myrrh. Being the first to perceive the Resurrection of the God-Man and with strength to proclaim the miraculous event, our Church dedicated the Sunday after Thomas to their memory. In Ano Meria, Folegandros, the day has a special character, since the Liturgy is celebrated not in the parish church of Agios Georgios, but in the chapel of Agios Georgios, on the homonymous beach, on the north side of the island. This is how the chapel is also operated, which due to its synonymy with the patron saint of the village, does not celebrate his memorial day. In fact, this is the only annual Liturgy celebrated here, although in earlier decades it was also called Mesosporitis and another Liturgy was celebrated every November.
Immediately after the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, the action now moves to the tiny courtyards of the "wires", the buildings that the locals used in the past to "drag" their boats and protect them from adverse weather conditions. A simple patio can be "warmer" than the most luxurious dining room and rich buffets with a thousand and two local and non-local, but always handmade goodies, await the celebrants to accompany their morning coffee. Pies, honey pies, cookies, local cheeses and all kinds of sweets are served with simplicity, but always with genuine island hospitality, which does not need unnecessary luxuries to express itself.
