The Argos Orestiko New Year’s Carnival and the “Pateritsa” custom
It might come as a surprise for you to know that Argos Orestiko hosts the first carnival of the year! On New Year’s Day, the city’s main pedestrian street fills with carnival revelers, music, color, liveliness, and laughter brought about by politics-fueled satire. The festivities peak on January 2, with the hugely popular “Pateritsa” custom—when women disguise themselves and parade, holding a distinctive walking stick which they do not hesitate to use, jokingly pushing away and teasing the men whose attempts to unmask prove themselves to be unsuccessful. The tradition dates back to the years of Ottoman rule and survives to this day in a different kind of carnival, one with a strong local identity, that sweeps participants along from the very first moment.
