Skyros Carnival Goes to Athens Airport

Skyros Island. Photo: © Dimitrios Rizopoulos / Shutterstock

Travelers and visitors at Athens International Airport (AIA) will have the opportunity to experience the famous carnival that takes place on the Greek island of Skyros, on Friday, March 1.

Skyros is the fifth destination of AIA’s culture program Fly me to the Moon – Sounds Greek to Me, which honors Greek destinations by promoting their natural beauty, multicultural identity, gastronomy, customs and distinctive character.

With even more images of Greece, the program continues and this Friday the island of Skyros will be “present” at the airport for a day dedicated to its traditions.

Between 12 noon and 4 pm, at the Departures Level (Entrance 3 – All Users Area), travelers and airport visitors will be able to experience unique Skyrian customs, music, dance and fine local recipes.

The main feature of the event will be the custom of the “Geros” (old man) and the “Korella” (young girl), played out on the island during carnival season. Full of images of Dionysian celebrations, the event promises an unforgettable festive experience.

The lead characters, dressed in traditional costumes, will entertain but also “protect” all spectators from evil! The “Old Men” characters will create a lively atmosphere with their bells, applianaces and rhythmic movements, while the “Korella” characters will clear the way by dancing and waving a white handkerchief.

A “Geros” (old man) of Skyros. Photo source: Visit Greece / Kyriakos Antonopoulos

According to the elderly of Skyros, the “Geros” and the “Korella” come every year to remind islanders of a natural disaster which destroyed all the flocks of the island, whereupon a shepherd girded himself with the bells of his sheep and goats and went to the village to warn the others about the disaster.

Moreover, the airport audience will also meet typical folklore elements of the island, such as woodcarvings from the Faltaits Museum and Skyrian embroideries; taste local dishes; and enjoy traditional dances of Skyros.

Previous destinations that were introduced at the airport, as part of AIA’s Fly me to the Moon – Sounds Greek to Me! program, included mainland Greece, Chania, Epirus and Kozani.

Fly me to the Moon is a joint cooperation between Athens International Airport and elculture cultural platform which takes place for sixth consecutive years.