Ai Giannis Klidonas, Saint John Klidonas  
Social life  
 

Klidonas 

On 24 June, the custom of Klidonas is followed whose roots go back to ancient times. According to this, people in various areas light fires in the middle of the street. Klidonas reveals to unmarried girls the identity of their future husband. On the eve of the feast, they choose in which of the houses of the village, Klidonas will be “opened”.

In the afternoon, a young girl, whose parents must still be alive, goes to a spring and gets water in a clay pot, the “pot of Klidonas”. Then, she takes the pot home without speaking to anyone (“unspoken water”). When she gets home, she puts the water in a pot with a narrow neck and each girl throws in a personal item. The pot is then secured.

Klidonas is covered with a cloth or scarf of red color and is "crowned" with laurel or myrtle leaves. The unmarried girls pray to St. John and place the pot in an open space where it stays all night during which the girls see their future husband in their dreams.

Α Tracian traditional klidonas song (in Greek)

 

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