Paros, Ageria, Festival for the Raising of the Holy Cross

Ageria is located close to and is an extension of the little port of Alyki. It is a small settlement with scattered houses and pine forest to its north. Every year, Ageria celebrates the Exaltation of The Holy Cross. The festive events start with the evening prayer at the church of Saint Georgios on the eve of the feast and continue the next day, until the orthros or morning prayer before the liturgy.

All residents as well as numerous visitors participate with religious solemnity to the festivals of Paros, attending vespers and, following the divine liturgy, contribute in their own way to the feast. Some bring the traditional alcoholic beverage, souma, or wine while others bring pies, revithada, or other delicacies they have prepared before at home and the festival culminates with feasting, dancing and singing that goes on for many hours.

The most famous Parian dishes are the kakavia, gouna (salted sun-dried fish), salatouri, kolokythokeftedes, tomatokeftedes, chickpeas in the oven, ambelofassoula, fava, karavoli, kalfa with skordalia. The cheeses are also exceptional. Xinomizithra, ladotiri, brine cheese, touloumisio and mizithra, combined with paximadi, and kritharokouloures. Housewives make spoon sweet, rafiolia, mizithropitakia, lambrokouloura, lazarakia, petimezenia (cookies using petimezi instead of sugar) and skaltsounia as well as the traditional alcoholic beverage souma.

Photo: parianostypos.gr