In summer, the residents of Kefalonia light fires all over the island in honor of the tradition of St. John the Lampadar. The night of June 23rd turns into day. According to folklorists, locals would light fires and jump over them, saying the phrase “I leave behind the bad year and go to the better one.” This is a custom with a strong symbolic character, whose roots are lost in the depths of time. Young people, in particular, jump over the fires while making various wishes. Even today, they think of the Saint and pray for the purity of their soul. According to popular belief, the power of the fire brings purification, and people, freed from evil, can enter a better period, clean and vigorous. The fires of St. John are an ancient custom that survives and is also characterized as a celebration of the summer solstice. According to the folklorist Dimitrios Loukatos, "together with St. John, the sun of the summer solstice is worshipped; fires are lit and divination and prophecy are practiced with ritual skill. Good luck, health, and beauty are sought, along with the collection of medicinal and aromatic plants (chamomile, oregano) for winter remedies and beverages."
“Jump over the fire, so illness won't catch me”
On the same day, June 24th, on the feast day of St. John, another summer custom, that of the straw Gligorakis, draws all eyes in Lixouri every year since 1995. Gligorakis is a human effigy, dressed in a suit and cap, sitting on a chair. According to the Kefalonian Gerasimos Sot. Galanos: “The purpose of this effigy is to satirize social elements, to communicate and express the creators' thoughts through a poetic act, but above all, to burn the effigy to produce St. John's fire. Over this fire, both young and old will jump, and with the blessing of St. John, purification will come to nature and the soul.”
Another custom that is revived every year in August and enchants everyone is the nighttime summer “Varkarola” with traditional Ionian serenades. The port of Lixouri resembles Venice, filled with fireworks and traditional songs. It is a Venetian custom that has been revived for centuries in the Ionian Islands and has its roots in the years of Venetian rule. The event of the Varkarola is a modern celebration in remembrance of the victory of the European Powers who, together with the Corfiots and the Ionian Islanders, managed to keep the territories of the then Venetian Republic free from the Ottomans. This significant victory of the European forces prevented the last attempt of the Ottoman state to expand westward. Thus, Venice maintained its presence in the Southern Adriatic for over a century, and the Ionian Islands remained part of the western world, allowing them to shape their unique cultural identity.
Like all Ionian islands, Kefalonia has its own traditional music and dances. Locals honor their roots by organizing many local festivals. They have established the Robola Festival, which naturally features plenty of free Robola wine, the most important in terms of quality wine of the Ionian Islands. Local entities organize the wine festival every year in mid-August, with the largest celebration taking place in the village of Fragata. The first Robola Festival in Fragata was organized in 1978 and was very successful. For the first time, the uniqueness and value of Robola as a distinct local cultural product were highlighted, at a time when no efforts were being made to promote the agricultural products of Kefalonia. From 1978 to today, it has been organized without interruption.
The small traditional village of Faraklata in Kefalonia is honored every year on March 25th with the custom of Vangelistra. According to historical texts, it is a very old custom, whose exact date no one knows. On the day before the festival, the residents of Faraklata go to church and place in a basket four small breads, a large loaf, a bottle of oil, and a bottle of wine, to be blessed. After the end of the Divine Liturgy, they take back the large loaf, cut it into pieces, and distribute it to the faithful, leaving the bread, oil, and wine in the church for the evening prayer and vigil. At dawn, they carry the icon of Vangelistra in a procession throughout the village accompanied by the Philharmonic of Argostoli. In recent years, the procession takes place in the afternoon of March 25th. It is worth mentioning that on this day, Kefalonians do not bring flowers or herbs into their homes, as according to folk tradition, they will find a snake in their house the following year.
The festival of Saint Gerasimos, the Patron Saint of the island, is one of the most popular on the island. The Patron Saint of Kefalonia is celebrated on August 16th all over the island. Saint Gerasimos arrived in Kefalonia around 1555. Initially, he practiced asceticism in a cave in the area of Lassi in Argostoli for more than five years. In 1560, he decided to withdraw to the plateau of Omala, at the foot of Mount Ainos. In the ruined chapel of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, he founded a women’s monastery named New Jerusalem. Gradually, Kefalonian faithful began to gather to hear his teachings, and his fame slowly spread throughout the Christian world. According to tradition, Saint Gerasimos passed away on August 15th, 1579. The Monastery of Saint Gerasimos in Kefalonia is located on the plateau of Omala and is the most important religious monument on the island. It was founded in 1560 by Saint Gerasimos himself, who shortly after his death was declared the patron saint of Kefalonia. Therefore, the largest celebration in Kefalonia is not on August 15th, but one day later. Thousands of faithful flock to venerate the relics of the Saint in the newly built church.
An interesting custom is the “breaking of the pot,” which is still performed on Holy Saturday in Kefalonia. It has roots not only in ancient Greek traditions but also in the Orthodox Christian ritual life. This custom was maintained on all the Ionian Islands, especially during the period of Venetian rule. It is found in an old written testimony from a foreign traveler in Kefalonia in 1829: “On Holy Saturday, when the hymn 'Arise, O God' is sung in the church, they throw whole or half-broken vessels out of their houses. They do not step on the fragments but move them if they need to pass by.”
Finally, the celebrations for the anniversary of the union of the Ionian Islands with Greece in 1864 are a badge of honor for the island. A beautiful celebration with parades is organized in Argostoli on May 21st. This day is a public holiday in Kefalonia. Local Kefalonian bands play festive music in traditional costumes. All public and private buildings, banks, houses, and docked ships are decorated with flags and illuminated. A memorial service and wreath-laying are also held by the authorities at the Monument of the Radical Leaders Iosif Momferatos, Elias Zervos-Iakovatos, and Gerasimos A. Leivadas, at the Argostoli Municipal Cemetery.
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