Festivals
Throughout the summer, hundreds of festivals are organised in Greece that involve all forms of art and music.
One of the major cultural events of Santorini is the Festival of Jazz which has been taking place for the last 6 years during the summer months. The festival welcomes some of the finest jazz bands and attracts many international followers of jazz from all over the world.
Many of the popular Greek festivals have a religious significance to them and are planned in accordance to the Orthodox calendar, which is similar to the Catholic calendar.
Easter is the most important celebration in Greece as it marks the resurrection of Christ. The first ceremony takes place on Good Friday where the "Epitafios", an imitation of the Christ's funeral bier, is beautifully decorated with many flowers by the women of the parish. The "Epitafios" is then paraded through the streets of the villages and neighbouring cities. In some regions of Greece such as Crete, this ceremony is accompanied by the burning of effigies of Judas Iscariot.
Other important festivals in Greece have a cultural nature. Many theatrical plays are performed in the country's ancient and modern theatres. Greece has an interesting musical scene during the summertime with many national and international bands.
Greece is a country that offers a vast wealth of cultural tradition.