The Carnival of Patras

    ITS ROOTS

The Greek Carnival has its roots in ancient Greece. It is connected with the worship of Dionysos, God of wine and celebration. A happy, noisy company dressed up as Billy goats joined him. Later, when Christianism appeared, even though people stopped worshipping the Gods of Olympus the Greek’s’ habit of getting dressed up and of celebrating in the streets remained. Once a year, at around this time, carnivals take place in various cities and towns of our country.

       PATRAS CARNIVAL

The Patras Carnival is a continuos meeting of myth with reality, imagination and creation over the years. The most important elements (records) concerning the course of the Patras Carnival are drawn from recent investigations, which sent us back to the 19th century. From these we can conclude that the first Carnival Ball in the capital of Achaia was held in the house of the merchant Moretis in 1829. The very first records of organizing the biggest institution of the country, in its kind, began to appear in 1860 and after the influence the West and the Ionian Islands. Even since then the Patras Carnival has been naturally influenced by the culture of the dwellers of the area and the Greek element remains dominant.

Confetti appeared in Carnival Balls in 1894 and chocolate throwing in 1899.

The end of the 19th century finds the Patras Carnival on an upward course.

At the beginning of the 20th century the Patras Carnival is enriched with satirical floats while at the same time the “Black Domino” Masked Ball is established.

In 1941 and for the next ten years under the weight of events of this period the Patras Carnival does not take place.

In 1951 the Patras people return with the intention of covering lost time and enrich Carnival with activities that make it known all over the world.

The turning point for the Carnival in taking the form that it has today was in 1966,with the introduction of the “Treasure Hunt Game”.

It is not known when and how the beginning of the Patras Carnival was established to be on Saint Antonio’s name day, but this is the date when the first ’’boules’’(in fancy dress) appeared.

 

    THE TREASURE HUNT GAME

 

The Treasure Hunt Game, ever since 1966 when it first appeared, until today, has turned the anonymous participant into the leading person of the Carnival. The talent of the thousands of young people, who participate with their groups every year, is opened out in all its glory through Patras Carnival.

The “Treasure Hunt Game” is a series of questions, riddles and activities, which turn out to be a head spinner for the “contestants”.

The members of the groups take part in pantomime, mixed spectacle, theatre, dance, creations and quizzes. Fantasy, talent, multiformity, laughter, variety and liveliness come together to add something special to the Patras Carnival each year.

 

    KIDS CARNIVAL

The “Kids Carnival” is the “successor” of the well Known “Baby Rally and is now in its fourth year. It is a completely separate entity with its own parade, games, contests, activities and seminars. Its purpose is for the children to gain Carnival knowledge, through the kids’ Carnival, in combination with their getting used to cultural creativity, and one day they may take the future of the institution and the cultural efforts of the city in their hands.

      OLD TIME CARNIVAL

It is the entity that revives memories and brings moments of the Patras Carnival into the limelight from the days gone by, which were the starting points for the greatest festivity of its kind in the whole country. The “Old Times Carnival” will take place on Sunday the 7th of January this year, starting from Ipsila Alonia Square and finishing in King George Square.

The “Old Time Carnival” brings the very first games of the “Treasures Hunt Game” in the limelight, as there will be “masqueraded” cars with as many participants as possible in them.

This entity was first established in 1997 and ever since has had an upward course both in participation and reception.   

       GRAND PARADE

  

This is the greatest moment of the Patras Carnival, though which a grand parade makes its mark on what seems to have been touching every cell alive in the capital of Achaia for 365 days. The whole town, plus more than 300.000 visitors move to the rhythms the participants impose, and floats with the Carnival King lead you to the paths of high spirit, merry making and freedom from care. What happens in Patras, on the last Sunday of Carnival, is the pinnacle of the pyramid, which the Patras Carnival has been built on every year. The parade starts some time after noon with high spirit, dancing and participants, while those taking part in the ‘Treasure Hunt Game’ write their own history in their own way in the streets of the Capital of Achaia.

     CLOSING CEREMONY

Right after the completion of the Grand Parade, in a unique night of its own, the King of Carnival will bid farewell to the lovers of the kind, while making a rendezvous for next year.

It is the moment when the King of Carnival will be given to the pyre and the sky of Patras will be filled with light and color. Meanwhile, dancing liveliness won’t stop, as the thousands of participants will goon living in frenzied rhythms till dawn.

The moment the first rays of sun appear, the thousands of young people in the city of Patreas will start making plans for their participation in next year’s Carnival.

      THE CARNIVAL WORKSHOP

The place where art, imagination and creation meet with the Kind of Carnival bears the name of the Carnival Workshop.

There, Carnival imagination has the power while every design is brought to space.