The Ministry of Culture announced the registration of twenty-one (21) new items of intangible cultural heritage in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Index of Greece, as well as the updating of two registered in 2013 in the National Index. Indicatively, some of the well-known and wonderful new records are the Silversmithing of Ioannina, the Halloween Lanterns of Kozani, the pistachio culture of Aegina, the Xinomavro of Naoussa.

The bulletins for the 21 new items were submitted in 2021. They were systematically processed by the Department of Newer Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Scientific Committee for the Application in Greece of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO, 2003) and by the operators’ communities themselves.

In detail, the elements registered in the National Index of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Greece are as follows:

1. Giannio silversmithing-silversmithing

The art of Ioannitian silversmithing/silversmithing is an emblematic traditional art of processing silver and manufacturing handmade objects (ecclesiastical, secular, decorative) as well as jewelry. It is an art that developed in the city of Ioannina as early as the 16th century and remains thriving and popular to this day.

2. Karabassi: the know-how of its preparation, in Apokoronas, Chania

It is about the traditional know-how of making the essential oil of the same name, as found in Tzitsife Apokoronou of Chania. The oil is a product of distillation and is prepared from wild endemic laurel leaves. Today, this practice is practiced by the last remaining “Karabasa”. It is an important manifestation of the ethnobotanical knowledge of Apokoronas and Crete, in general.

3. Kurbani of Agios Athanasios in Kalamaki, Drama

The gurbani of Agios Athanasios in Kalampaki of Drama includes the collective/communal preparation, preparation and consumption of food (boiled with beef groats), on the eve and on the day of Agios Athanasios. It is an important expression of collective memory and identity, but also a top manifestation of the community spirit of the local society.

4. Camels and Dividzides in Philippoupolis, Larissa

It is about the representation of the ancient custom of the Twelve Days from Eastern Romilia, which takes place in Philippoupolis, in the Municipality of Larissa, where refugees from Eastern Romilia settled. The representation has been held since 2014 at the initiative of the Educational Club. The revival of the custom contributes to the strengthening of the collective memory and identity of the Philippopolitans of Larissa who are descended from Eastern Thracian refugees.

5. Traditional Fifteenth August Festival of Vitsa Zagori

It is a three-day festival, on the fifteenth of August, in Vitsa of Zagorochoria. It includes a vigil, procession of the image of the Virgin Mary and consecration, feasting and dancing around the centuries-old plane tree in the central square of the village of the area. It is a manifestation of the cultural heritage of Vitsa, inextricably linked with its memory and identity.

6. Kalogerodeutera, in Kalamaki, Drama

This is the event of Kalogeros, which takes place on Monday, after Halloween, in Kalampaki, Drama. It is a festive event of Halloween, in which two persons, one disguised as a monk and the other as a king, as well as the young people of the village, roam around the village with jokes and teasing, while in the afternoon they carry out the “ploughing” of the square, in order to cause the eugenics of land and people. The action ends with a feast.

7. Doxato Horse Races

The horse races are held at Doxato in Drama, on the day of the celebration of the patron saint of Agios Athanasios, on May 2. They include the ceremonial parade of horses from the Hippodrome to the historic and shopping center the day before. It is a custom that moves Doxatians everywhere, highlighting their love for the horse and is one of the most popular folk customs of Macedonia.

8. Kadis in the Spatharaios of Samos

It is a satirical event that takes place on the last Sunday of Shrovetide, in Spatharaios of Samos. It has the character of a satirical parody of a trial, with the Turk Kadis as judge, who at the end of the celebration is hanged by the rebellious Greeks. In between the satirical trials are presented carnival theatrical acts inspired by current events, which have been curated by the members of the local cultural association that organizes the event.

9. The Kosi custom, among the New Passengers of Thessaloniki

This is a custom that takes place on the second Sunday of May in the New Passengers of Thessaloniki, in honor of Saint George. It includes an impromptu road race with the presentation of symbolic gifts to the participants, since now women also take part in the competition. The custom was performed in the Passengers of Eastern Thrace. After the exchange, the refugees from Epivates settled and created the New Epivates

10. Lanterns of Kozani / Carnival traditional bonfires (center photo)

These are traditional carnival events that take place in Kozani, culminating on the last Sunday, that of Tirini, when groups of revelers, the fan groups, light traditional fires in neighborhoods of the city, dance and sing mock songs.

Fanoi are a living and highly popular customary practice, inextricably linked to the collective identity and memory of the residents of Kozani.

11. Pistachio and Pistachio in Aegina

The tradition of pistachio cultivation and pistachios in Aegina is already 120 years old, since its cultivation was introduced to the island. The preservation and promotion of this traditional knowledge is of particular importance for the collective memory and modern identity of Aegina.

12. The Sour Black Wine Culture of Naoussa.

The centuries-old winemaking tradition of the region is centered on the production of wine from the Xinomavro variety. It is intertwined with the various cultural manifestations of everyday life in the city of Naoussa, connected to the cultivation of the vine and the production of Xinomavros. The winemaking tradition of Xinomavros is of particular importance for the modern economy of the city and its wider region.

13. The pottery tradition of Thrapsan, Heraklion, Crete

The rich and centuries-old tradition of pottery art in the village of Thrapsanos in Heraklion has made it the largest center of pottery in Crete, a milestone in the history of modern Greek ceramic art. Today, workshops still operate in the village that still manufacture small and large storage vessels, known as “Thrapsani jars”, which are traded both in Greece and abroad.

14. Chancellor, dance event in ‘Arta (Epirus)

It is a dance event that is performed in twenty-nine villages of ‘Arta, during spring and summer festivals, as well as during Easter. It is a leading celebratory event for the local communities, but also a public expression of their collective identity and social cohesion.

15. Samples of Frankincense of Chios

This is a custom that takes place on Friday and Sunday of Tyrini, in Thymiana of Chios. The custom, as it is believed, represents the battle of the inhabitants of Thymia against the invading pirates, which resulted in the victory of the former and the repulsion of the pirate raid. It is an important manifestation of the collective identity and cultural heritage of the Thymians.

16. The Feast of Saint Barbara in Eleusis

The custom of Saint Barbara is performed on the feast day of Saint Barbara, December 4, in Eleusis by the women members of the Asia Minor Association and the Asia Minor community of Eleusis. In the afternoon, the priest blesses the traditional preparations (doughnuts, pancakes and cream with wheat and nuts) to have the blessing of Saint Barbara (she protects children from diseases) and for a good harvest. The women of the community then distribute the bulk of the offering to all who attend the ceremony and keep a portion of it to offer to those who, while wanting to attend, were prevented by health problems.

17. Traditional Festival of Skotoussa of Serres

It is a festival that takes place between September 7-11, on the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin. It is a five-day event, which includes litanies of the image of the Virgin Mary, food, feasting and dancing, as well as commercial and sporting activities. It is an important manifestation of the history and tradition of Skotoussa, which has significantly contributed to the preservation of historical memory and the formation of local identity.

18. The Lazarines in the communities of Agia Paraskevi, Aiani, ‘Ano Komi, Karyditsa, Kaisarea, Kipi, Kato Komi, Kroko, Kteni, Lefkopigi, Metamorfosi and Rodiani of the Municipality of Kozani.

These are the customary events performed by young girls and women of the specific twelve local communities of the Municipality of Kozani, on the occasion of the Resurrection of Lazarus. The custom begins on the Saturday of the Akathistos Hymn and culminates on Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday, with ritual wakes, dances and feasts. It is a customary practice that strengthens both the bonds of the communities in which it is performed, especially the bonds between older and younger women, and the sense of a single cultural heritage that binds the twelve communities together.

19. Ceramic tradition of the Rodios family in Skopelos

The Rodiou family has a long tradition in ceramic art that begins at the beginning of the 20th century, contributing greatly to the development and evolution of modern Greek ceramics. The reputation of the workshop with the characteristic black vessels has gone beyond the borders of Greece. Today, traditional knowledge continues to be practiced, developed and enriched by the younger members of the family.

20. Holy Carnival

These are the carnival events that take place in Agiaso, Lesvos. Main elements of the carnival are the carnival review of the Reading Room, the parade of carnival floats, the skating in the streets of the village by disguised people who sing mock songs and the satirical skits recited in the dopiolalia. The Agiasotiko Carnival is an important expression of the living tradition of Lesvos, which to this day enriches and transforms us, remaining one of the most important manifestations of the collective memory and identity of the Agiasotians, wherever they live.

21. The art of embroidered bread in Barnabas of Attica

The tradition of embroidered bread refers to the special technique of decorating leavened breads by women in Varnavas, Attica. It is associated with major religious festivals and life-cycle rites of passage (eg marriage). The particular symbolisms that this art carries document the importance that embroidered bread still has today, mainly as a symbol linked to creative expression, especially of women, the important moments in the lives of individuals and families, but also to the identity and the collective memory of the community.

In addition, in accordance with the terms of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to which the updating, at periodic intervals, of the data entered in the National Indices of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the states-parties of the Convention, the entries of the elements: Tinian marble craftsmanship and the know-how of traditional mastic cultivation in Chios. These are two of the first elements registered in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage Index of Greece, in 2013, which communities continue to preserve and highlight their importance at local and supra-local level. In the year 2023, the process of updating the rest of the first registrations, which were made exactly ten years ago, in 2013, is to be continued and completed.