Argos Orestiko Carnival

It may come as a surprise that Argos Orestiko hosts the first carnival of the year. On New Year’s Day, the main pedestrian street fills with carnival revellers, music, colour, liveliness, and laughter driven by playful political satire. The festivities reach their peak on 2 January with the popular “Pateritsa”, when women disguise themselves and parade through the streets carrying distinctive walking sticks, which they do not hesitate to use—playfully teasing and pushing away 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, one that draws you in from the very first moment. Its significance and uniqueness have led to its inclusion in Greece’s National Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage.