The monastery of Ai Giannis in Lakki is nestled within a cave at Cape Vroukounta, and its festival is celebrated on August 28, lasting two days and two nights. Locals begin their journey on the eve of the festival, either on foot from Avlona or by boat from Diafani.
Their donkeys are laden with traditional handmade bedding and garments, including the vibrant “herani” dresses—deep blue or other colours, signifying whether the wearer is married or single—which they will don in the evening to join the upper dance. When they arrive, they set up their supplies and start with a big meal, then rejoicing and dancing until dawn. After sunrise, the exhausted locals sleep in the open air outside the cave. The next morning they attend the church service and continue the feast until the evening.
Tradition on the island is a living reality. The Karpathos feast brings the folk songs of Karpathos to life but also presents the poetic talent of the Karpathians with their impromptu mantinades. These short songs express pain or joy, depending on the occasion.
One can attend such festivities with traditional food, local musical instruments, and traditional hospitality. All visitors are welcome, while the island is flooded with the fragrance of freshly-baked sourdough bread, xerotigana, stifado, macarounes, and other local delicacies.
