Rogatsaria
On the night of New Year’s Eve, in many villages, among which Deskati itself, you will encounter the famous Rogatsaria, a custom with deep roots in time. Young men dressed in traditional or improvised costumes —sheepskins, masks, and bells— gather in groups and wander from house to house, filling the neighborhoods with dances and songs, offering wishes for a good year, harvest and health. The main characters are the “Boula”, a man disguised as a bride, and the Rogatsaris or “Arapis” who, with his face blackened with soot, wears large bells and holds a wooden club, protecting the bride by driving away the trolls and all evil spirits, thus ensuring a good year — a ritual symbolising good prevailing over evil.
