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The village of Arnados is located to the east of the Kechrovounio Monastery in Tinos. It lies at an altitude of 450m, the highest and one of the oldest villages on the island, and enjoys a view of the sea with Mykonos in the distance. It is deeply traditional in character and its elaborate roofs form remarkable arcades that date back to the Middle Ages. These medieval arches make Arnados reminiscent of an impregnable fortress and were built in order to allow local Christians to escape from the pirates who occasionally raided Tinos. One of the characteristics of Arnados is the houses with the original architectural style of Tinos, the beautiful squares, the narrow labyrinthine paved streets, the wide terraces, and the steps.
Arnados has two big churches, Analipsi, inside the village, and Aghii Anargyri , which you encounter on the way to Dio Choria (‘Two Villages’). The Aghii Anargyri church holds a celebration on July 1st, and the festival follows after the Mass.
On the island of Tinos it is a tradition to whitewash inside and out every church whenever it celebrates the memory of the Saint to whom it is dedicated, while women of the village clean up the area around the church, polish the candle-stands, and decorate the sanctuary with flowers. After Mass, treats are served in the courtyard. The festival sometimes culminates in the main square with balo and syrto dances to the sounds of musicians playing instruments based on the violin.
People celebrating their name-day open their homes to the public, having decorated their tables with beautiful dinner sets and white tablecloths. A bounty of local dishes is served with abundant quantities of wine until late in the evening with offerings of psarakia, meringues, pasteli, and xerotigana along with homemade raki.
Tinos traditional dishes are artichokes cooked in a variety of ways, sun-dried tomatoes with batter, froutalia, savore with molasses, fried fish with petimezi sauce, pork sausages, the saltsisi, and the louza of Tinos. Cheeses include the famed graviera and the kopanisti. As for sweets, famous are the amygdalota, xerotigana, karidota, pasteli, loukoumi, and various kinds of halva as well as the renowned thyme honey of Tinos.
Photo: tinosnow.gr
