Easter (Pascha)
Greek Orthodox Easter is the most important celebration in the country, and it falls on a different date from Western Easter — sometimes weeks apart. The entire Holy Week builds to the climax of Holy Saturday night, when churches fill with candlelight just before midnight and the priest announces Christos Anesti ("Christ is risen"). Fireworks erupt, bells ring, and families head home to break the Lenten fast with magiritsa, a lamb offal soup. Easter Sunday is spent outdoors: whole lambs turn on spits, tables extend into the street, and the eating and drinking goes on all day. The best places to experience Easter are smaller island towns and villages, where the processions are intimate and the atmosphere is electric.
Apokria (Carnival)
Greece's pre-Lent carnival runs for three weeks before Orthodox Easter, with the final weekend — Apokria proper — being the most raucous. The most famous is the Patras Carnival, one of the largest in Europe, with parades, floats, and tens of thousands of costumed revellers. Corfu also celebrates with distinctive Venetian-influenced traditions, inherited from four centuries of Venetian rule.
Athens Epidaurus Festival
Running from June through August, this is Greece's major arts festival, staging ancient Greek dramas, opera, contemporary theatre, and concerts in the ancient theatre of Epidaurus and at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus below the Acropolis. Performances at Epidaurus in particular — held in the original ancient theatre on summer nights — are something special. Tickets sell out; book ahead.
Ohi Day (October 28)
National holiday commemorating Greece's refusal of Mussolini's ultimatum in 1940. Military parades are held across the country, the largest in Athens and Thessaloniki.
Assumption of the Virgin (August 15)
The most significant summer religious holiday. Much of the country heads to church, then to the beach, then to the family table. Ferry traffic peaks around this date — book accommodation and tickets well in advance if you are travelling in mid-August.
Local Panigiri
Almost every village and island has its own panigiri, a religious feast day honouring its patron saint. These local celebrations — often featuring live traditional music, dancing, and mountains of food — are among the most genuine cultural experiences you can stumble into. Dates vary by location; asking locally is the only reliable way to find them.