The customs and traditions on Skiathos have been preserved not as attractions but adapted to the daily lives of its inhabitants and visitors.
The celebration on the 21st of November is a great religious event since Panagia Kounistra (whose saint’s day it is) is the patron saint of the island. With faith and reverence, the icon of the Panagia (Virgin) is carried in procession from the Metropolitan church of Skiathos where it is kept, to its place of discovery at the Monastery of Panagia Kounistra. It is passed from hand to hand and a crowd accompanies the icon, following, on foot, a route which takes almost three hours.
On the feast of Agios Nikolaos (St. Nicholas), the patron of sailors, there is a festival. A decorated ship is placed in front of Bourtzi, while smaller decorated ships adorn many houses.
The festivities of Apokries with its traditional events, such as the Skiathos Wedding and the prize for the best traditional costume, provide the opportunity for much fun and rivalry. of special interest is the women’s costume which consists of a chemise, vest, stockings, a “gournaki” (a robe made of felted cloth), “baboukli” (a waistcoat with velvet sleeves), a “kouzouka” (sleeveless jacket of velvet or cloth, fitted under the bust and decorated at the neck), a petticoat, a “mallina” (a woolen underskirt), a gold belt, a “zonari” (silk sash tied at the front) and a “bokstas” (a large, winter woolen fringed shawl). The outfit is completed with long earrings made of coins, bracelets, rings, brooches, and “koulaina” (a necklace of gold coins).
The aubade (a song that accompanies the dawn) and the candlelit procession on the 25th of March are customs that survive from the years of the Ottoman occupation. They celebrate both the resurrection of Christ and the birth of the Greek State.
Easter is especially interesting. On the Thursday of Holy Week, after the morning church service and communion, children return home carrying reed crosses decorated with rosemary, violets, roses, lilies, and poppies and sing calanta (carols).
Good Friday follows the Athonite tradition. The Epitaphios begins at 1 am on Saturday morning and the procession begins at 4 am as a vigil, passing through all the cobbled streets of Chora. The Kamara is a traditional song of the island. Women in traditional costumes dance to it at the festival of Zoodochos Pigi.
When the town of Skiathos relocated to the Kastro, Kamara was danced on the terrace. On the festival of Agios Georgios (St. George), the patron saint of riders, horse races are held as part of the festival which is dedicated to the saint. A crowd watches as the horses and riders compete in different events.
In the middle of September, the Katsonela takes place. It is a commemorative event for the infamous sinking of the submarine, the Katsonis, which was rammed by the Germans in 1943 taking the captain and 30 soldiers with it to their watery grave.
