It looks like the island is now full.
This weekend is the holy festival of the Dormition of Mary, also known by other variants of the title depending on what you read. On Symi, the day has traditionally consisted of church services in the morning and a festival of service and celebration at Aletheni on the Pedi Road. You may have heard it called the Panagyri, which is the festival after the service where, for those that keep it, the 14-day fast of the preceding weeks is broken. More colloquially, here you might hear the day referred to as simply the ‘Aletheni’, the name of the church where the festival is usually held.

Apparently, this is not happening this year. The morning services will be, but not the festival in the evening. This has been replaced (or postponed) by a star attraction concert in Yialos’ main square on Saturday night, raising the question among some, ‘Is this a sign of the over-commercialism of Symi?’ Or, put another way, ‘Are pop concerts now more important than religious events?’ Maybe the consumer culture is the new religious event?

I expect there was great debate in the council chamber when setting dates for the festival, itself much scaled down since its heyday in the late 90s and early 00s. Deep discussions with the ruling Church elite must have also taken place, I imagine, but who knows? Not everyone is happy about this change in island tradition, and not everyone is happy that ‘the island is full.’

When I say ‘full’, I am quoting what I have read on some social media; stories of people frustrated at not being able to find a table at a restaurant, or a car to hire, or a place to stay, all of which are avoidable issues. Book in advance has been the mantra for several tavernas in recent years, but now, perhaps, it’s best to book at any eatery if you want an evening meal. The same applies for accommodation. Gone are the days of rolling off a ferry and finding someone with an advertising board and a whisper (for the practice is/was illegal) touting rooms to rent. These days, you will need to either book well in advance, or take a very rough chance. Even with every other apothiki, cow shed, granny flat, old shop and whatnot converted into an Ikea showroom Airbnb, there is not enough room for everyone who wants to attend the non-existent August 15th festival. Greek news has been reporting the ‘great exodus’ from Athens, via X number of ferries from Piraeus on Thursday, and X-thousand people going on their annual within-Greece holiday. It is probably the busiest time of the year for travelling within the country. As for bike or car hire. You might find somewhere to rent you something now that we have an inordinate number of cars, mopeds, electric vehicles, electric mopeds, bicycles and mules for hire – except for the mules, I made that up. You can hardly move for Rent-A-Thing parked up waiting, or trying to find a place to park (there aren’t any), or trying to get along the harbour side when a day boat has come in (don’t bother unless experienced, it’s dangerous and you might end up in the sea).

The island, full? It sounds like one of those ‘no boats’ no hopers claiming the yUK is full and ‘we can’t take anymore’ as an excuse for their insecurity or racism, but that’s not the reason on Symi. Here, it’s simply that it’s a very popular island at this time of year because of the festivals, and, probably, the reputations of some restaurants and hotels that attract the visitors with money to burn. I mean, don’t turn up tomorrow hoping to find a room, because you probably won’t, but having said that, I’ve seen plenty of new Airbnb properties standing unused all summer, so maybe there will be one of them left lying around.

Meanwhile, as a background, it was 32° in our courtyard at 03.30 this morning with 60% humidity. We’re not seeing the 40° + temperatures of further north, which we are usually suffering by now, but the humidity is back, and that’s draining, so as usual, take care. Let’s hope there are no fireworks or other dangers used as part of the festivals, which are very well attended. Last night ‘Locomondo’ was on the Yialos main stage, and the audience space looked packed.
Let the good times continue…

Last night in Yialos. Video from Symi TV