This is probably the oldest paniyiri (traditional Greek festival) in Greece. According to local authorities of Kato Ksechoro village in Filiatra of Thesprotia Prefecture, a paniyiri in honor of Virgin Mary of Labovo has been annually without interruption for the past 150 years.
The paniyiri is organized in September, on the Eve of Virgin Mary of Labovo day at a small church in the countryside, just outside the village. The picturesque scenery in combination with the historic importance of the paniyiri offer an amazing opportunity for everyone to celebrate and honor “their” Virgin Mary.
However, residents of Kato Ksechoro have noticed a significant decline in attendants’ rates over the course of time. Many years ago, as was typical in Greece, paniyiria was the hot event of the year, where everyone attended, danced, and ate the local dishes. But in the modern times, fewer and fewer people decide to head to their birthplace or their ancestors’ birthplace for the one-day paniyiri.
A few kilometers away from Kato Ksechoro, residents of Thesprotiko village (or Lelova as locals call it) in the neighboring prefecture of Preveza celebrate the Virgin Mary of Labovo in a two-day-event as well. Traditional Greek musicians join the festivities every year and residents of the village, or even neighboring ones, participate in the paniyiri of Thesprotiko. The best evidence that local authorities of Thesprotiko organize a good paniyiri is that everyone leaves replete and joyful (probably some tsipouro and retsina help somehow).
The President of the Community of Thesprotiko Petros Tsatsos said that the “financial crisis encouraged younger Greeks to return to smaller cities or even to their villages, and made them tighten their relations with Thesprotiko as well. As a result, we see many young people paying special attention to this year’s paniyiri and thus, we wish that all together we will keep doing our best for our community.”
(Source: katoci.gr)
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