Gregory, Agis and Stelios CARNIVAL ASH THURSDAY Gregory, Agis and Stelios

A special Thursday full of joy and delicious food !!!! In Greece and particularly in our region Peloponnese we celebrate a special Thursday two weeks before the final day of Carnival .It is traditional to eat meat all these days before the Fast for the Easter. In this celebration we eat grilled souvlaki and steak with our families and friends . In every neighborhood shop owners have barbecues , they grill meat ( souvlaki ) from early noon , they serve customers ,and they play traditional music .Everybody has fun and it is a special celebration for carnival! Later in the evening Sometimes we eat at home or we go to restaurants (taverns).

An old traditional carnival custom! In the evening there are also carnival parties .Here in Patrai we have a traditional custom of Gianoula Koulourou a poor woman from the past (she lived in the 1920s ) who thought that she was a duchess from America and what is more she believed that president Wilson wanted to marry her . He would come in Patras port by boat to marry her ,but everything was in her imagination . Nowadays every Thursday they make a performance of this story and a man gets dressed as the woman Gianoula . The <bride> and the <guests> in the wedding are all in a float and they do a parade along the streets in the centre of Patras .This special performance makes people have fun and enjoy themselves.

People celebrating, eating grilled meat of course and dancing in neighborhoods around the town !