EASTER CUSTOMS
Easter in Amorgos has a special color, with all the old traditions that are revived in its villages. Spending the Easter days in Amorgos is definitely a unique and unforgettable experience.
Holy Week begins with the traditional whitewashing of houses and streets, which, against the background of flower-filled meadows, emit a festive atmosphere. Traditional wood ovens are lit and every housewife kneads her bread and decorates it with red eggs. On Good Friday afternoon, bread, olives and fasting sweets are offered to residents and visitors. In Lagada and Tholaria, the streets where Epitaphios will pass on the evening of Good Friday, are paved with wild flowers and herbs, which when stepped on, emit an intoxicating smell. That same night, during the procession of the Epitaph in the villages, the women, from the doors and windows of the houses, spray the world with colognes and perfumes. On the night of the Resurrection, the villages offer a brilliant and wonderful spectacle,
On the afternoon of Easter Sunday, all the young people gather in the forecourts of the churches and participate in the group games, which are organized especially for this day (biz, barrels, long donkey, bee, tightrope). The Easter meal includes the traditional stuffed goat, baked in a wood-fired oven. The smell of food mixes with the wonderful aromas of spring, making Easter in Amorgos a unique springtime experience, full of natural beauty and welcoming, smiling people. island: On Bright Sunday, a group from each region of the island, goes on foot to the monastery of Chozoviotissa, from where they receive a copy of the Icon of the Virgin Mary. Until The Sunday of Thomas, the residents of the area will "carry" the icon on foot from village to village, from parish to parish and to as many churches as possible, so again on foot they will return it to the Monastery.
FESTIVALS
Throughout the year, in several of the 365 churches of the island, festivals are held with local contributions. A custom that has remained unchanged over time, preserving the faith and traditions of the island. Thus, visitors are given the opportunity to taste the traditional food of potatoes, vinegar, local wine and delicious unleavened bread. Major festivals take place on Easter, Pentecost, May 8th (St. John the Theologian), July 1st and 26th , August 6th and 15th, September 8th, 14th, 17th and 26th, November 8th, 13th and 21st, December 26th. On November 21st, the feast of the Virgin Mary of Chozoviotissa, fresh fish and local wine are offered, while during Holy Week, the Holy Icon of the Virgin Mary is paraded around the island.
A little above the village of Lagada, in Aigiali, is the Monastery of Panagia Panochoriani, which celebrates the fifteenth of August. A big festival is organized, with live island music, delicious potatoes and plenty of wine. The same festive atmosphere can be found on July 26, at the festival of Agia Paraskevi.

Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou