The Easter Book
Celebrate the Easter Holidays in Mount Athos Area/ Halkidiki!
The destination
A place with thousands of colours and variations! A place that eliminates the distance between the wonders of nature! Three hundred (300) whole kilometres of coastline (the largest in Chalkidiki), numerous beaches and coasts, bays, islands, crystal waters, golden plains, lush mountains, all sited wisely and in harmony!
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EGNATIA ODOS E90
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FROM ATHENS WEST MACEDONIA - IPIROS
LAKE KORONIA
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APOLLONIA
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KARDIA
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AG. PRODROMOS
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GALATISTA TOWER
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POTAMOS
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PETRALONA CAVE
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POLYGYROS
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NEA GONIA MARIANON CASTLE
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ORMYL GERAKINI PSAKOUDIA
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GULF OF THERMAIKOS
GULF OF TOR N. FOKEA
SANI KALITHEA
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MAP OF MOUNT ATHOS AREA Routes to Mount Athos Area
Map Symbols
Thessaloniki > Poligiros > Vrastama > Gomati > Ierissos > Ouranoupoli
Airport
Ancient Site
Spa
Thessaloniki > Ag. Prodromos > Paleochora > Arnea > Paleochori > M.Panagia > Gomati > Ierissos > Ouranoupoli
Port, Marina
Cave
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Monastery
Thessaloniki > Rentina > Stavros > Olympiada > Ierissos > Ouranoupoli
Hotel
Thessaloniki > Moudania > Metamorfosi > Metaggitsi > Gomati > Ierissos > Ouranoupoli
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STRATONI C. ELEFTHEROU
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ARNEA NEPOSI CASTLE B B
ONTAS
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GULF OF IERISSOS C. ARAPIS
MEGALI PANAGIA
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PLANA
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ESFIGMENOU M.
PIRGADIKIA AMMOULIANI
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METAGITSI
C. ARKOUDAS
HELANDARIOU M.
OURANOUPOLI
SALONIKIOU
LIA
VATOPEDION
ΜΕΤΟHΙ CHROMITSA ZOGRAFOU M.
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AGIOU DIMITRIOU M.
KASTAMONITOU M.
PANTOKRATOROS M. PR. ILIA M.
DOCHEARIOU M. VATOPEDIO
XENOFONTOS M.
AGIOS NIKOLAOS METAMORFOSI
STRAVONIKITA M.
KOUTLOUMOUSIOU M.
NIKITI
IVIRON M.
AG. PANTELEIMONOS M.
ORMOS PANAGIAS
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XIROPOTAMOU M.
FILOTHEOU M.
DIAPOROS ISLAND
KARAKALOU M.
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VOURVOUROU
SIMONOS PETRAS M.
RONEOS
GULF OF SIGITIKOS (MOUNT ATHOS)
MEG. LAVRAS M.
OSIOU GRIGORIOU M. DIONYSSIOU M. AGIOU PAVLOU M. AG. ANNIS M.
SARTI N. MARMARAS
TIM. PRODROMOU M. MEG. LAVRAS M.
AG. TRIADOS M. CA. AKRATHOS
SITHONIA
ATHOS
POLYCHRONO HANIOTI PEFKOCHORI PORTO KOUFO
SKIONI
Protected Areas Νatura European Network Taxiarhis - Poligiros
Sithonia Peninsula
Mount Holomontas
Mount Athos
Mount Itamos - Sithonia
Stratoniko
Where is it
The Easter customs
How the residents celebrate Easter period of time? Read some topics and create your own legent! At Ierissos On Easter Tuesday, at Ierissos, is being organized the representation of the massacre of 400 local residents by the Turks, at the location “Mavro Aloni�. At this point, in 1821, during Halkidiki’s revolution, the Turks under the command of Yusuf Sintiki Bei, promised in a devious way, a general amnesty to those who would be given in him. After they surrended, believing his words, he forced under the threat of their swords them to dance. At every turn of the dance, the swords of the Turks slaughtered each time a dancer. Since then and every year, in order to commemorate this inhuman sacrifice, on the third day of the Easter, at Mavro Aloni, locals and visitors pray for lost victims and then they dance, bringing hands together. The dance is called Kageleftos and depicts the massacre. It a slow dance, like the hesitant steps of the victims. The song is full of allusions to the desired freedom, and for many years this custom was taking place at the presence of the Turks, singing bitter words, that could not other way say freely. At the last part of the song, the first two dancers join hands, creating an arch, representing the swords of the Turks. From this arch pass all the dancers twice. Each part of the song is being sung alternatively by men and women.
At Arnea Easter at Arnea is being celebrated with a great pomp: on Good Friday the two epitaphs are processed in the paved paths and the cobblestone streets of the village, under the sounds of the Philarmonic, until the light of the Resurrection comes at the City Hall Square. The atmosphere is flooded by the scents of the candles, the incense and the spring flowers. On Easter Sunday everything celebrates! At the central square the Easter Stand is set and the residents offer the visitors red eggs and pastries, wishing “Hronia Polla”! On the morning of Easter Monday, the tradition revives under the custom of “Kantari”. People hang a large scale on the perennial tree of the central square and weigh those who weigh more kilos. It is about a very popular custom, which annually attracts many people, since for the old times, the scale was a proof for those that didn’t fast during the Lent. On Easter Tuesday, at the chapel of Prophet Elias revives the old custom of “Koutsmanous”. The participants are dressed in traditional costumes and the horse riders with old guns, set off from the central cobbled square and head to the chapel. When they arrive, the church’s icons are being processed and then the dance “Koutsmanos” begins. Reviving this custom is being completed with shooting, having as targers red eggs. Later in the noon, participants and visitors head to the church of St. Paraskevi and the park, where they savour delicious Eastern tastes. One other custom of Easter Tuesday is “Sousaritsa”, where the participants hold a red egg competing each other, rolling over the grass, but without breaking it.
The Easter customs
1st day – Good Thursday Arrival Departure for Mount Athos Area Hotel Check In / Ouranopouli area After dinner you will join the famous local housewives, who would have been working three months preparing the handmade Epitaph – you will see thousands of beads and tiny flowers upon it... Later on we will see the same ladies, singing, praying and carrying the above mentioned Epitaph into the church in order for the Holly Friday Liturgy to start... It’s a unique local custom, which came directly from Asia Minor! 2nd day – Good Friday Breakfast Eating & Wandering at Ouranoupolis Degustation in “Antonakis Bio”: we will taste wine and biological products, made by monks and after that Yiannis Antonakis will teach us how to conserve a byzantine icon. Wandering around “Tamvakis Nature”: we will taste a great variety of athonite products, drinking monastic wine, meanwhile Aris Tamvakis guides us through the fantastic “byzantine icons world” and the valuable jewels! Visit “Chrisostomakis Bio”: we will taste athonite Wine & Rakomelo as well as blessed biological products - all made by monks. Stelios Chrisostomakis will describe the history of the athonite soaps / essential oils, produced also by them. Mount Athos and the entire Athonite state form a huge “botanical” area, which transforms religious and cultural tours into botanical excursions in a landscape that is as virgin as its vegetation. Visit “Maria’s Art”: Maria is going to inform us about the blessed athonite incense. Visit “Notis Gallery”: Efrosini is going to present us the way in which she makes beautiful jewels, using stones, wood, silver and gold. Visit “BYZANTINO”: we will be guide to the touching space of the rear byzantine icon! Visit “Monoxilitis”: we will taste wine and biological products with origin from Saint Pavlos Monastery. Statha Mititzi is going to inform us about the use of the hundreds of herbs, from which the monks of Mount Athos make all sorts of drinks or beverages and use them in cooking and confectionery! Lunch / Kritikos Gallery & Restaurants Visit Monastery of Zigou / Land border of Mount Athos Late in midnight: participation in the Holy Epitaphi liturgy
Easter Excursion at Ouranoupolis / at the shadow of Mount Athos
3rd day – Good Saturday Breakfast Cruise around Mount Athos Athonite Lunch / Kritikos Gallery & Restaurants Free afternoon Late in the midnight: participation in the Holy Easter liturgy 4th day – Easter Breakfast Cruise around Ammouliani Island Easter lunch / Kritikos Gallery & Restaurants Free afternoon and free time for night life 5th day – Second Easter day Breakfast / Check Out
Easter Excursion at Ouranoupolis / at the shadow of Mount Athos
Some Easter recipes
Marzipan Flowers from Ammouliani From housewives - members of the Cultural Association of Ammouliani This culinary delicacy is unique in Greece and comes from Proikonisos of Asia Minor brought along with the relics of refugees and a few belongings that replaced their once owned abundant goods. The gentlefolk who carried it arrived in 1922 in Ammouliani, the small but beautiful sandy island just across from Athos and Agion Oros, they reverently pass it on and teach it to granddaughters and daughters in order to honour their traditions, their homeland, their backgrounds, their roots. What is it called? Marzipan Flowers of Asia Minor and they are made from sugar, crushed almonds and lots of patience. How? The housewives, after mixing the two materials, form a dough ball. They cut small pieces of dough from this ball and shape leaves, flowers, stems, buds, i.e. all parts of a flower or a flower bouquet. What does the result look like? You can see it in the picture. Impressive cookie-flowers, baked for just 10 min. and are: either enjoyed immediately, or wrapped in cellophane and preserved for a long - long time. The marzipans are lenten, i.e. you can enjoy them throughout Lent, and are also very healthy, since they do not contain any butter, oil, eggs or other fats. In Asia Minor these were traditional treats for name days or other holidays, they were offered in weddings and christenings and accompanied every meal, every joyful occasion. The same happens in Ammouliani, except that they are also offered as favours in all these ceremonies. Their flavour is incomparable, and the shape is rightfully characterized as masterpiece! If you ever get your hands on it and you are a woman, you will definitely get tempted to try it as a pin on your lapel!
Some Easter recipes
Lamb shank with cherries from Aristotelian Mountain and ginger By Dimitris Polyzos, chef at Bakatsianos restaurant Ingredients for 4 servings 4 lamb shanks Salt - Pepper 1 kg cherries without cores Extra virgin olive oil ½ kg wine 10 pieces of ginger For the accompanying garnish: 1 kg spinach Garlic Few wild dried mushrooms from Cholomontas in slices How to prepare: For the shanks Salt and pepper the shanks and bake at 180oC for two hours, after having added oil, water and five ginger leaves in the baking pan. After one hour from the time you placed the lamp in the oven, add the wine and cherries. Once the meat is cooked, pass the sauce through a Chinese colander (type of drainer). Boil it down, fill up with some wine (if necessary) and add the cooked cherries. If it does not taste sweet, add a little sugar. For the garnish Place the clean spinach for a few minutes in boiling water and cool it straight into cold water to keep it green and vibrant. Allow the mushrooms to soak in water for about half an hour. Then fry the blanched spinach and the soaked mushrooms in a pan with olive oil and garlic. Garnish, serve and this is the result. In the eye and taste... just excellent! Tip: Try to find wild mushrooms from Cholomontas. They taste totally different!
The hotels
Where will your visitors stay in this destination? We have 56 hotels, two hundred and fifty apartments and 20 traditional guesthouses which provide a total of 8.500 beds year round. There is an option for all tastes and budgets. Exploit the special Easter offers and make a profitable agreement!
Where and what to buy
When in Ouranopoli, make sure to visit the famous byzantine stores. You will definitely find that must-buy item you are after! Authentic byzantine galleries, where visitors literally 'fill' their senses and soul. Galleries full of the heritage of Athos, which unravel the tangle of a 30-year long families history: all kinds of paintings and icons, church supplies, organic products and jewellery inspired by the Athonite and Greek tradition. At the galleries you will find a truly huge variety of all kinds of byzantine icons (for all budgets), fabulous jewels for all tastes, as well as all Athonite agricultural products, produced by the monks of Mount Athos and exhibited so as to cover every purchasing need.
So, spend your Easter holidays at Mount Athos Area!
Come and discover rich experiences from the past, present and future! This description guarantees a tour full of colours and changes. A tour that will satisfy all your wishes. Enjoy!
MOUNT ATHOS AREA ORGANISATION 63075 Ouranoupoli, Halkidiki Tel. & Fax: +30 2377021139 e-mail: info@mountathosarea.org www.mountathosarea.org