Feast of St George in Greece

On April 23rd every year, this isle in the Aegean Sea celebrates the patron saint of shepherd’s with a big festival, traditional dancing and scrambling up a hill.

I’ve written on the subject of St George’s Day before; about how the English don’t really celebrate their patron saint properly, possibly because he’s the patron saint of practically everywhere and everything. After all, it’s hard to get excited about your patron saint when he’s also the patron of Barcelona, Germany, soldiers and syphilis sufferers.

Well, this lack of enthusiasm for the rather promiscuous patron doesn’t spread across the world. In fact, in some places people go absolutely mental for St George’s Day, and one of those places is Skiros in Greece.

In Greece, St George (or Ayios Yioryios) is the patron saint of shepherds, so those tending flocks on hillsides make a big deal of April 23rd anyway. However, it is extra-special on the island of Skiros in the Aegean Sea, where the party goes on for three days.

The dragon-slaying saint is regarded as the island’s protector, and the celebrations are all in his honour. And, as with all the best festivals, the celebrations are somewhat bizarre.

Events that take place during the three days include wrestling competitions, traditional dancing and gorging on huge feasts – unsurprisingly a lot of the content in the latter is the lambs that the shepherds are supposedly protecting. There is also a parade of bagpipers.

The unquestioned highlight, though (at least in terms of bizarreness), is the Old Mens’ Race. This is for the senior citizens of the island, and the aim is to be the first elderly codger to scramble up the side of a steep hill. Who says sport is just for the youngsters?