Throngs of revellers throughout Greece attended end-of-Carnival celebrations this weekend for the primary time in 4 years.

The pandemic prevented the festivities, held earlier than the start of Lent, in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

On the island of Naxos, which hosts among the most vibrant carnival occasions in Greece, the variety of younger folks collaborating soared this 12 months.

Many of the customs noticed are based mostly on historical rituals from celebrations of the altering seasons.

The Lampadiforia, or torch parade, held on Naxos contains a procession of younger women and men holding torches on poles with their faces painted to resemble black-and-white masks.

This 12 months, greater than 2,000 torch bearers joined the parade, dancing to the beat of drums alongside the maze of the slender streets in outdated city Naxos to a central sq. the place a scarecrow was burned.

In different components of Naxos and mainland Greece, younger males carrying cow bells and carrying a phallic image — a standard characteristic of historical rites celebrating spring — danced their strategy to village squares on Sunday.

Other customs included younger males carrying people costumes and holding thick canes making their strategy to neighboring villages, the place they invite native girls to bounce. The girls, in flip, supply the boys native delicacies and wine.

In Orthodox Christian nations, Lent, in addition to Easter, are celebrated at completely different occasions than in primarily Catholic nations as a result of they use completely different calendars. Greek Orthodox Easter is normally every week later than Catholic Easter.

Carnival celebrations additionally passed off this weekend in Cyprus.