Dancing again, the Diamantis Paleologos dance festival will be happening on Skopelos again

8ο Folklore Dance Festival “Diamantis Palaiologos” 7-8-9 July 2023

A festival that has grown into an institution. Dancing, fun, passion, tradition, music, guided tours, seminars, parallel activities, shows, parties and so much more in store for you this July on Skopelos!

After three years of hiatus and silence, it’s time to pick up where they left, once again, with #meraki. More than 600 dancers and 7,500 spectators will be meeting in Skopelos this summer.

The Folklore Dance Festival “Diamantis Palaiologos” is back in full swing for the eighth year and applications for participation just opened!

The civil non-profit organisation “Plegma” and its large team of volunteers, would like to invite dance groups from every corner of Greece to apply for participation in the 8th Folklore Dance Festival “Diamantis Palaiologos”, which will be held in Skopelos from 07 to 09 July 2023.
Anyone interested to take part can review the terms and conditions and submit their applications online, on the festival’s website: https://www.dancefestivalgr.gr

The Folklore Dance Festival “Diamantis Palaiologos”, a member of the European and Word Folklore Festival Association and certified with the EFFE LABEL quality mark by the European Festivals Association, has established itself through the years as a vibrant institution of tradition and culture with international reach.

Over the course of this three-day celebration, Skopelos will tune in to the melodies and dances of different traditions and cultures, which will showcase their diversity, richness and depth through a series of dance performances, along with parallel activities, such as workshops, seminars, exhibitions, open rehearsals, parties, etc.

The Folklore Dance Festival “Diamantis Palaiologos” has won recognition in the Tourism Awards 2017 competition (SILVER award in the “festival” category) and in the Best City Awards 2016 competition (SILVER award in the “culture” category), It has also been the subject of academic research and studies by both Greek and foreign universities and presented as a case study at numerous academic conferences.

Info: https://www.dancefestivalgr.gr/| http://www.plegma.org

Youtube: Dance Festival Skopelos
Facebook: Dancefestival Scopelos
Instagram: dancefestivalskopelosgr

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Glorious and cake

Winter does not seem to touch Skopelos at the moment and we are having glorious days, sometimes with strong winds.
These photos are from today on the small beach at Joannis tou Kastri in Glossa.

As you probably know Greece celebrates the New Year with lots of cakes. Many organizations meet and talk about the New Year and what is being planned and people have a reason to see each other and socialize. Last week I went to two events.

The first one was organized by the various schools and the committees that help them. Present was the mayor and the junior minister of education Mrs. Zetta Makri. In the speeches they held promises were made to try and solve the housing problem for teachers (but also for doctors, police, fire brigade and port police) Secondly they announced that a new, more modern, high school will be built in Skopelos. Hopefully the school will be built soon and the housingproblems will be adressed.

A drive to Old Klima and Limnonari earlier in the week gave us sunshine and beauty.

And last but not least, tonight, the New Year’s cake of the Folklore and Cultural organization, was cut.

Many citizens were present and the choir of the organization gave a small concert. This could be the last cutting of a cake but maybe not….

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Work in progress and Ta Fota

Work is progressing on the road to Glyfoneri beach. Several walls have been built and the road is wider in some places.

and the beach and the view are a beautiful as always. Tomorrow it is Theophania/Epiphany or Ta Fota. The Holy Theophany, also known as the Epiphany, the Celebration of the Lights, or ta Fota (the Lights) is held on January 6 and is one of the most sacred and holiest Feast Days on the Greek Orthodox Calendar. The most important tradition, which takes place amongst Greek Orthodox Churches worldwide is the blessing of the waters with the Holy Cross by a local priest. Priests will throw a Holy Cross into the sea or lake(usually with attached to a long ribbon) then the faithful jump into the water to try to find the Holy Cross. The person who retrieves the Holy Cross and returns it to the priest is said to be blessed for the year ahead. The ceremony on Skopelos will take place in the harbors on the island after the church ceremony so at least after 10.30 hours. Usually people are dressed up for the occasion and afterward, in Skopelos town the New Years cake will be cut. Many cuttings of New Years cakes will follow, well into January. Χρόνια πολλά !! Many shops and services will be closed tomorrow. On Saturday it is the nameday of everybody that is called Jannis, Ioanna, Janna, Jannoula. It is good to have a Jannis in your home because a Greek saying goes, a household without a Jannis is no household!

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Skopelos Christmas Party and bazaar

The municipality, the schoolboards, the school parent’s boards, the cultural and folklore association, the scouts, the amateur theatre group Takis Moschsos and Faros Skopelos invite everybody to the yearly Skopelos Christmas party and bazaar on Sunday the 11th of December. The party will be held in Skopelos harbor in front of the municpal cafe. Most of the gifts in the bazaar are hand made and the earnings are used to support the various schools and causes on the island. Please come and support them.

11.00 to 18.00 hours: Christmas Bazaar

12.00 to 15.30 hours: Song, dance and theatre from various groups

15.30 to 16.30 hours: Games organized by the cultural and folklore association

17.00 to 18.00 hours: See the stars organized by mr. George Michail

18.00 hours: Lightning of the Christmas tree and arrival of father Christmas.

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The week of Skopelos

It is always interesting to learn about historic and cultural tradtions of a place. Next week for three days near the municipal cafe in the harbor you can see and taste how Skopelitan cheesepies are made, what traganas is and how a traditional woman from Skopelos was dressed. Come and have a look! The evenings start around 20.30 hours.

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New mural

A new mural at the Glossa Culture and Arts Centre dedicated to the lovely creatures on Skopelos island was created this summer by artist Mira Modly, longtime summer resident of Glossa with the assistance of local and international children.

Mira’s paintings of the island are on view until 5 August.

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Greek newspapers available again

Kritikos supermarket, halfway on the road to Stafylos, has now several racks with everyday Greek newspapers. For a long time there was only the cigarette kiosk at the end of the harbor that had some but Kritikos supermarket now has many more.

They are situated close to the check out counters.

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Mira Modly art exhibition

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Cultural and Folklore association, three day event

The cultural and folklore association will hold a three evening cultural event on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 21.00 hours. All participants of the classes of the association will on Friday perform traditional dances, on Saturday ballet and modern dance and on Sunday the choir will perform and the students that study musical instruments will perform. Everybody is welcome in the amphitheater of the elementary school from 21.00 hours.

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Open house

Jan has an “open house” on Monday from 10 until 12 in the morning. She lives on the Stafylos road, towards the end on the right side if you drive towards Stafylos. Follow the balloons.

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