Carnival
Travelling to a Christian country during springtime means experiencing lots of religious festivals. One of these was "Carnival". Carnival (with the emphasis on the last syllable), or Apokries , is a season that traditionally begins ten weeks before Greek Orthodox Easter and culminates on the weekend before "Clean Monday" or "Ash Monday". This year, Carnival took place on Thursday, February 28. This celebration is very similar to Mardi Gras in New Orleans. There's all kinds of masquerade parties and it's celebrated before the Lent season. The Greek name Apokries means abstention from meat, because after that, the period of Easter Lent begins. The characteristic of Carnival is disguising and wearing costumes and masks that offer anonymity and freedom of expression. This festival dates back to Dionysos, the ancient Greek god of wine, fun and fertility. The biggest carnival that is organized in Greece is that of Patras. Other popular carnival...