Argos Orestiko Carnival
It might come as a surprise for you to know that Argos Orestiko hosts the first carnival of the year! On New Year’s Day, the city’s main pedestrian street fills with carnival revelers, music, color, liveliness, and laughter brought about by politics-fueled satire. The festivities peak on January 2, with the popular “Pateritsa”, when women disguise themselves and parade, holding a distinctive walking stick which they do not hesitate to use, jokingly pushing away and teasing the men who attempt, in vain, to recognise them beneath their costumes. The tradition dates back to the years of Ottoman rule and has been preserved to this day as a distinctive local carnival, full of character, which draws you in from the very first moment. It is no coincidence that its significance and uniqueness have led to its inclusion in Greece’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
