Rogatsaria
On the night of New Year’s Eve, in many villages, including 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 neighbourhoods 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 symbolises the victory of good over evil.