The history of the custom of Flour Smudge has its roots in the depths of the centuries, probably in the Byzantine era, a period during which the clowns of the racetracks painted their faces
It begins at noon on Holy Monday, in Galaxidi, Aleuromotzuromathe great event of the region in which young and old alike enjoy and participate.
The municipality distributes bags of flour to everyone and the procession starts from the bridge at the entrance of the city. Locals and visitors and those not masked plan to dress casually, as well as protect their eyes with swimming goggles.
Besides, the war with flour is… hard.
The feast, the dancing and the smearing last until late in the evening of Clean Monday. The entire program of events can be found here, alevromoutzouroma.gr.
In the era of sailing shipping, that is, from 1840 onwards, this celebration took on great proportions. The period of Halloween and especially “Clean Monday” were peculiar traditional holidays for the maritime state of Galaxidi. It was time for feasting and revelry. The sailors, immediately after, would leave for a long period of time while for the landmen it was an opportunity to escape from the routine of everyday life.
From the beginning of the Triodium, almost every day, a fire was lit in the neighborhoods. In many cafes of the city, the instruments played until the morning hours. The culmination of this carnival feast was the Galaxidiotika kouloumas of “Clean Monday”. “Rejoicing” – as it is characteristically mentioned in historical books – gathered in the “Agora”, in the port of Galaxidi and the flour war began, the infamous Flour Mudzoura, in which only men took part. They attacked each other and threw flour on their faces, heads, clothes and all this with laughter, jokes, fun and joy.
Later women also participated. Visitors who didn’t want to get dirty had to have a smudge or cross on the forehead made of shoe polish. Those who did not accept it, automatically became “victims” of would-be smearers.
Until today, the custom of Flour Smudge remains unchanged over time and is a pole of attraction for thousands of visitors, young and old, who actively participate every year, with fun and joy.
Source: Skai
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