- On January 18th, a series of events related to local tradition take place in Agios Athanasios of Stanos.
- On March 9th, in Gomati, the memory of the 40 Martyrs is celebrated with religious events.
- On March 25th, the Monastery of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary in Olympiada celebrates.
- On the feast day of Saint George, traditional events are held in Varvara, accompanied by the offering of food in the traditional “kourbani”. On the same day, Neochori celebrates its patron saint.
- On the third day of Pascha, the chapels of Saint Raphael in Megali Panagia, Stagira, and Varvara celebrate, while on the following Friday, the chapels of the Life-Giving Spring in Arnea and Ierissos celebrate.
- On May 2nd, on Saint Athanasius’ Day, events are held at the chapels of Megali Panagia, Stanos (where May Day is also celebrated), Neochori, and Varvara.
- On May 20th, in Agios Nikolaos of Vouno, in Stratoni, a large festival is held, combined with outdoor activities.
- On the day of the Holy Spirit, folklore events are organized in Ouranoupoli, attracting a large number of visitors due to the long weekend. On the same day, the chapel of the Holy Trinity in Gomati celebrates.
- On June 29th, the chapel of Saints Peter and Paul in Ierissos celebrates.
- On July 5th, Saint Athanasius of Athos is celebrated in Paleochori, with the participation of locals in folklore events.
- On July 7th, Saint Kyriaki is celebrated in Olympiada. Numerous events take place in the village almost all of the previous week, including the famous “Mussel Festival”, which attracts visitors from all over Macedonia and Europe.
- On July 20th, Ierissos celebrates Prophet Elias with a large festival held a few kilometers outside the village. On the same day, Prophet Elias is also celebrated in Gomati and Neochori. Traditional dances, folklore events, and festivities make up the summer atmosphere of the region’s destinations, which always attract many visitors.
- On July 26th, a large and famous festival in Arnea takes place in honor of Saint Paraskevi. Thousands of people gather in the namesake grove to venerate and later celebrate, dance, and party to the sounds of zournas, which echo non-stop through the night, keeping Arnea alive from one end to the other!
- On July 27th, Ierissos honors the memory of Saint Panteleimon with a large folk festival.
- On August 15th, the largest festival in the region is held in Megali Panagia. Thousands of people gather the evening before at the sacred pilgrimage, forming a living chain of miles, venerating her grace, and then celebrating traditionally in the village squares, streets, and alleys until the early morning.
- On August 23rd, Nea Roda celebrates the 9-day feast of the Virgin Mary with a large, folk, all-night festival, usually accompanied by the “Sardine Festival” and “Gavros Festival”, attracting a large number of visitors.
- On August 24th, events are held in Arnea, where locals honor the memory of Saint Kosmas of Aetolia.
- On September 1st, Stanos honors the local Saint Haido and organizes folklore events that last up to a week.
- On September 8th, the Birth of the Virgin Mary is celebrated in Ierissos, Stagira, and Megali Panagia with cultural and folklore events.
- On November 1st, Arnea celebrates the memory of the Holy Unmercenaries, which coincides with the celebration of the city’s liberation from the Turks.
- On November 8th, Paleochori celebrates the Archangels Michael and Gabriel with festive events.
- On December 4th, in Stratoni, the memory of Saint Barbara, the protector of the mines, is celebrated, always accompanied by multi-day cultural events and the inauguration of the Christmas “Fairyland”.
- On December 6th, Ierissos celebrates its patron saint, Saint Nicholas, and Stratoniki celebrates its patron saint.
- On December 18th, Arnea and Stagira celebrate Saint Modestos.
CULTURAL ACTIVITIES IN ARNEA
- * In Arnea, established cultural events and religious festivals take place throughout the year. At this point, we must mention the Cultural and Educational Society of Arnea, an association closely connected with the cultural life of our area. Its activities began in 1975 and include the collection, preservation, and promotion of the historical, folkloric, archaeological, and anthropological material of Arnea and the wider region.
- At the same time, after the significant construction of the Cultural Center in Arnea, it contributes greatly to the spiritual, artistic, and cultural movement of the town by hosting a series of cultural events (theatrical, musical, scientific).
- The Cultural and Educational Society of Arnea has been publishing a quarterly newspaper titled Antilaloi of Arnea since 1975, which serves as a means of informing the citizens about the social and cultural happenings in the area. Recently, due to financial difficulties, the publication of this paper was temporarily suspended, and to continue its tradition of information, it has started making its first steps into electronic communication through the creation of a blog with the same name. As part of its activities, the Cultural and Educational Society of Arnea revives a number of customs, such as the “Koutsmanous”, which take place in the area with the involvement of the locals and many visitors.
ARISTOTELIAN SPIRITUAL CENTER
The Aristotelian Spiritual Center of the Municipality of Aristotelis produces significant cultural and spiritual work. It is a Public Legal Entity that manages various grants from the Municipality or other organizations. Its activities focus on organizing events in the fields of education, culture, sports, tourism, and technology to develop the region, such as concerts, painting exhibitions, photography, books, theatrical and musical performances, lectures, religious festivals, and the promotion of the Athonite heritage, among others. Under its auspices, a cultural and spiritual center, theater, art gallery, music school, traditional dance groups, and choirs operate. Additionally, the Aristotelian Spiritual Center organizes numerous high-quality cultural events, mainly theatrical and musical performances, which have taken place in the settlements of the Municipality of Aristotelis in the past two years as part of the revival of the Aristotelian events.
Text by archaeologist Athina Marathianou.