In a unique and exemplary way that can only be found in Zakynthos, the curtain falls on the Zakynthos Carnival. The famous “Povero” or “the funeral of the mask” takes place on the last Sunday of the carnival and is essentially a well-made “mancia” (farce), as they say in Zakynthos, and is purely satirical in nature.

Printed obituaries with a red frame and black letters make their appearance on the streets of Zakynthos.

The action represents a funny funeral. The municipality’s philharmonic orchestra leads the way playing mournful marches and four “Dettori” carry the coffin on their shoulders, in which is a “Conte Carnavalos” dummy.

This is followed by a procession of people dressed in black, holding candles in a procession through the streets of the city! Under the sounds of alternating purposes (Harmolypis) everyone was “weeping” for the dead and “mourning” intensely!

The procession ends in the main square, then to “exorcise the evil” and to keep the spark burning for the next carnival they burn this coffin on the pyre! The purpose of “Povero Carnival” is to say goodbye to the past, to this fun season!

At exactly midnight, all the church bells rhythmically ring 365 mournful chimes and notify Zakynthians that Carnival is over and Lent has begun!

The “Venetian wedding” in Zakynthos in the 16th century

The “Venetian Wedding in Gade” is an action inspired by the long history of the Ionian Islands that transports the audience to the era of the nobles (Conti) and the common people (Popolari), when the former in their expensive costumes enjoyed the power and their wealth and the latter with their participation in the secular events of the time, experienced the generosity of the former.

The event, since 2004 and every year, represents the Halloween season, the wedding ceremony in Zakynthos in the 16th century with the customs and traditions brought by the Venetians to the island. During it, hundreds of young men and women of the island, wear the beautiful aristocratic costumes of that time and capture in a majestic way the “Venetian wedding in Djade”.

The grandiose procession of the Venetian wedding starts from the square of Agios Pavlos, where the urban fabric of the city used to begin. From there it crosses Alexandrou Roma Avenue, and ends at the historical square of Agios Markos. There and in a splendid park, the lords of the city, the bridegroom and the bride and the following people, sign the marriage contracts in front of the “Nodaro” (notary) and the wedding feast begins with dances and songs.

Drummers and flag bearers are in the procession of the “Venetian Wedding”. Next are the newlyweds and their close relatives. The nona (grandmother) is carried in a lentika (a closed carriage of exquisite art for the nobility) followed by the bride’s chests with dowries.

The procession is flanked by the guests, who wear expensive replicas of 16th century costumes, while girls hold canisters of rose petals and bonbonnieres. Then follows the wedding feast, with renaissance dances and many local traditional dishes, such as zaharokoukas (kufeta), orzades (sumada) and pantoles (sponge cake).

The “Venetian wedding in Gade” shows the quality of culture that developed without the use of violence in the Ionian Islands during the Renaissance centuries and is for the younger Zakynthians a charming and at the same time rich heritage.