Klidonas
Would you expect that ancient divinatory practices have survived to the present day, giving communities the chance to celebrate and strengthen their bonds? Yet the age-old custom of Klidonas is still revived every year on 23–24 June, in honour of Saint John the Baptist. On the eve of the feast, young women fetch “silent water” from a spring without speaking a single word to anyone. Upon returning home, this water takes on a central ritual role: small personal objects belonging to the girls are placed in a vessel, which is then sealed and covered with leaves, giving it a sacred character. The following day, in front of the community, the vessel is opened. Each object that is drawn out is accompanied by prophetic verses, believed to reveal glimpses of the future—most often related to love, because a little summer magic is always welcome. The ritual is also accompanied by bonfires lit in neighbourhoods, over which people leap, believing that fire purifies, driving away illness and bad luck while bringing health and joy to the home. Experience Klidonas up close in the places where it is still revived today: Ptolemaida, Perdikkas, and Vlasti, and discover a living tradition.