Donoussa consists of four settlements. Donoussa or Stavros, as the locals call it, the largest village and the port of the island. The picturesque settlement with its authentic Cycladic identity fascinates every visitor. It is built on the southwest end of the island, around a sheltered bay. On the eastern side of the settlement is the church of Timios Stavros, to which it owes the name Stavros.
FESTIVALS
Celebrate with the locals traditionally on August 15th and on September 14th of Stavros.
Agia Sophia in Mersini (September 17)
Don't leave the island if you don't try the local food such as crab, potato, stuffed goat with rice and take axialomizithra and pasteli with you when you leave.
CUSTOM
NEW YEAR'S
On New Year's Eve, in the past, in every household, "koftos" was cooked, food made from peeled and pounded wheat, to which dry cheeses and mizithres were added and in the end it became like porridge. The kofto had to be simmered all through New Year's night and they were careful not to let the fire go out at all. It was the food they would eat on New Year's morning, as soon as they returned from Church.
The following belief is also interesting: it was considered to bring luck if someone catches the "first" water from the well on New Year's morning and brings it home.
LIGHTS
On the Day of Lights, there is a custom for housewives to distribute xerotigans and "photo pies", as they say, a type of loukuma that they always make on this day "for good".
EASTER
Like all the Cycladic islands, Donoussa also dresses up in its festive clothes while waiting for Easter. The houses, the streets, the yards, the church are whitened.
On M. Saturday in all the houses there is a tremendous movement from the preparations. They prepare the stuffed goat. They carefully prepare the filling. At the same time, they are kneading the Easter buns, the "koulourias". The stone ovens are already ready. At the beginning they bake the "profurnisma" (a type of soft bread), followed by the "Pavlos" (that's how the loaves of bread are called), the buns (tsourekia) and finally the goat. Next to it, pots with the leftover filling. He will stay there all day and come out late at night.
In Donoussa, they don't usually bake on Easter Sunday, because they believe that on this day they should enjoy the glorious table, without any other activities.
On Sunday afternoon, after the "Agapi" liturgy, they burn "Judas", who has been hanged in the middle of the beach. Judas has been built by the young people of the village since M. Saturday.
WEDDING
At traditional weddings it is customary to take the bride from her home accompanied by violins that play wedding tunes as well as island music. The guests are given homemade pasteli, which is served on a lemon leaf. In the old days, they served loukoumia that housewives prepared with fine wheat flour that was leavened with sugar. The next day they go again with the violins to wake up the newlyweds with songs and mandinades.
BAPTISM
At baptisms they also serve homemade pasteli served in lemon leaves. It is worth mentioning a very original custom: leaving the church at the end of the sacrament, the parents and godparents scatter coins in the courtyard which everyone runs to collect. They believe that if one puts such a coin in one's wallet, one's wallet will always remain full!
LOCAL FOOD
Souvli
Creamy mixture of wheat flour, oil, water, salt and sugar. In the past, the spit was given to babies because of its nutritional value.
Cheeses
In the houses they make a wide variety of goat cheeses. Myzithres, xinomyzithres and kefalotyria, which you will have difficulty finding because the quantities prepared are small and intended to meet the needs of each family.
Yaprakia
That's what they call cabbage dumplings.
Vegetable pies
After they are filled with chard, fennel and onion and fried.
Pasta
In Donoussa they make 3 types of pasta. The aranistas, threads and pitaridia. Aranista is a type of trachana. Homemade local spaghetti is called klosta. Pitaridia are long noodles cooked in milk.
Sweet
The characteristic sweets of Donoussa are pasteli, xerotigana and Sesamomelo. The local pasteli is also used as a sweet in all official occasions. Offered at all major holidays, weddings and christenings. It is served on lemon leaves, which give it a special taste.
Wine
The local wine is red semi-sweet or sweet. Varieties from which you prepare are boudomato, rosaki, mandilaria, athiri or fokiano. It is intended almost exclusively for the needs of the family.
Raki
In the "rakezo", which is a traditional small distillery, even today in the period of October they "bake" raki which is served with dried figs.

Editor: Fotini Anastasopoulou