Rogatsaria
On the night of New Year’s Eve, in many villages, among which Deskati itself, you will encounter the famous Rogatsaria, a custom with deep roots in time. Young men dressed in traditional or improvised costumes —sheepskins, masks, and bells— gather in groups and wander from house to house, filling the neighborhoods with dances and songs, offering wishes for a good year, harvest and health. The main characters are Boula, a man disguised as a bride, and the Rogatsaris or “Arapis,” who, with a soot-blackened face, copper bells, and a wooden club, protects the bride by driving away evil spirits, ensuring a prosperous year — a ritual that symbolizes the victory of good over evil.