The Virgin Mary Annunciation festival takes place on the same day as the Greek national holiday, celebrating the anniversary of the Revolution of 1821 which ended in the liberation of Greece from the Ottoman rule. The celebration takes place with splendor at the Holy Church of the Annunciation on March 25th. A great festival is held on the eve of the celebration.
In the morning, after the Holy Liturgy, a eulogy for the National Holiday is given, followed by a procession with the icon of the Blessed Sacrament. The holy icon is returned to the church and the faithful place it back to its shrine. The icon, uniquely fashioned, is considered by some researchers to be the work of the Apostle Luke. Following the noon-time procession, a show of traditional island dances takes place on the seashore of Chora, Tinos, with offerings of local sweets and raki. Following that, the celebrants engage in dancing and festivities.
You can enjoy local Tinos cuisine at the tavernas in Chora. 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.
