The largest celebration on the island of Anafi takes place at the Monastery of the Holy Virgin of Kalamiotissa on the 7th and 8th of September each year. The icon of the Holy Virgin is carried by the locals to the crest of Kalamos, where the old Monastery of the Holy Virgin of Kalamiotissa is located, and a night-long service is conducted. All of the island’s faithful inhabitants participate, where “goat kokkinisto” with potatoes and rice pudding is offered and the locals, with their traditional costumes, dance folk dances. Small boats bring worshippers from Santorini and return the following morning.
The old monastery of the Holy Virgin of Kalamiotissa is found on the highest peak of Kalamas and is dedicated to the Holy Virgin. It consists of a single-roomed church surrounded by a few cells and a cistern. Kalamos is visible from everywhere on the island. It is an imposing limestone bluff that is 460 meters high and connects with the rest of the island via a small isthmus.
