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The vision of Agia (Santa) Pelagia, which occasioned the discovery of an icon of the Virgin Mary, is celebrated annually on the 23rd of July. During the month of July 1823, the elderly Pelagia, a seventy-year-old nun of the Monastery of Kekchrovounio had two dreams in which the Virgin Mary revealed where an icon of her was buried. Pelagia, fearing her mind was playing tricks, told no one about the dreams. In the third dream on July 23rd of 1823, however, the Virgin again reappeared in Pelagia’s dreams and this time, the nun revealed the message she had received. Excavations began leading to the discovery of the miracle-making icon on the 30th of January 1824.
On the morning of July 23rd every year, after the morning liturgy at the Holy Church of Evangelistria, the priests and faithful accompany the icon to Eleftheria Square, from which the icon is then taken to the Kechronvouni monastery. At around 7 in the evening, an eight-km descent towards Chora begins. Led by nuns carrying the icon, the faithful follow while the chapels they pass along the way greet the procession by ringing their bells. Just before 9 pm, the procession reaches the church of Agia Paraskevi at the entry to the town and heads towards the port accompanied by music from the island’s band. The celebration ends at a marble podium where, amid a display of fireworks, the Holy Despot and local priests sing prayers. The icon is then returned to the Church of Evangelistria accompanied by the municipal band.
After the liturgy at the Holy Church of Agia Pelagia, the elders of the Monastery treat visitors to coffee, loukoumi, Tinos‘ raki and traditional sweets. Local food, including local delicacies of Tinos, are offered at midday.
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.
