There are events to look forward to in the Symi Festival this week. On Wednesday, there’s the festival of Megalo Sotiris, always a well-attended evening halfway across the island, up in the forest, with church services, then later, food and dancing. The last time we went, which was many years ago, we went in the back of a flatbed truck. This used to be a popular way of attending events in the hinterland churches, particularly for those like us with no transport. On that occasion, there were several of us who had put our heads together and persuaded one of our number to borrow a truck and drive, and we set off after dark to drive up to the monastery. Apart from the event itself, the drive there and back made for memories because it’s not until you get out of the village and around the mountain that you realise how dark the island is (was). The display of stars was unlike anything we’d seen for years, what with living in London and Brighton and such places. The sky seemed so close, you felt you could light your cigar from the stars, but as I didn’t and still don’t smoke cigars, and as I would never entertain lighting anything in a Greek forest in August, no-one did.
Now? I expect you can arrange to get to the church by flatbed truck if you ask around, but with so many coaches and minibuses now on the island, so many visitors with private cars, motorbike hires and the like, I imagine getting there will be easy, but parking may be an issue. I also assume there will be the fire services on hand because there is traditionally outside cooking at such events and permission must be sought from the council and services before striking a match; and rightly so.
Also in the Symi Festival this week: a concert on Thursday by Christina Salti. Christina Salti is a popular Greek singer known for her energetic and polished Laïko-infused pop music. With a strong presence in the Greek music scene, she has collaborated with numerous prominent artists and maintains a significant following.
Then, on Saturday, a performance of ‘Romeo and Juliet… for Tears and Laughter,’ a play by the Symi Theatre performers.
On Sunday, the Symi Women’s Association present an evening of traditional dance with music supplied by Michalis and Iakovos Misos (of the Yiannis ‘Rainbow’ family). These events are to be held in the town square in Yialos.
The rest of the Symi Festival Programme, click here.
The Symi Dream Calendar 2027
On a side note, the Symi Dream calendar for 2027 is now online and available to buy, though you can only buy it online. We still get people asking if Neil can do a passport photo or if they can buy a calendar from the shop. We’ve not had the shop for over 10 years now, dear, so the answer is no.
As usual, the calendar features 12 of Neil’s Symi images, and a grid large enough for basic notes. We’re using this year’s at home, and the entries over the last couple of weeks have been ‘dentist, 10.30’, ‘piano’, and ‘dentist, 10.30’, and that’s what it says for my week ahead too.
If you want to view the calendar and see an online preview, head to this link,
https://tinyurl.com/SymiDream2027 or click this image:
I’ll put a permanent link in the side column as soon as I can remember how to do it.