Naxos, an island in Greece, welcomes spring through carnival

The island of Naxos in Greece welcomes spring by holding a colorful Carnival and, some of the customs followed date back to antiquity. In some of the villages, young men wearing cow bells and carrying a phallic symbol - a common feature of ancient rites celebrating spring - dance their way to the village's main square. They invite the women to dance and the women, in turn, offer them local delicacies and wine.
This has been reported in nzherald.co.nz dated 27 February 2017.

A recent addition from 1994 is the Lampadiforia (Torch Parade) in which young men and women with faces painted to resemble black-and-white masks wear white sheets and hold torches on long poles and parade toward the Temple of Apollo. It was created by young members of the local cinema club. At that time, hardly 50 people took part - today it is a 2000 strong group.
The Torch Parade is now a well-established part of Carnival festivities with revelers dancing to the beat of drums and ends at the town's central square for burning a scarecrow.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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