The Rethymno Carnival<\/strong> is the most popular carnival in Crete<\/a>, Greece<\/strong>. The first edition of the Rethymno Carnival took place in 1914<\/strong>. At the time, one of the main events was the treasure hunt which was the reason for the creation in 1990 of the teams that, still today, organize the entire carnival.<\/p>\n The Carnival takes place every year between February and March<\/strong>, but preparations begin during the previous autumn. Moreover, every year the theme is different<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Although it lasts 3 weeks, the main events of the Rethymno Carnival take place in the final days. Among these, the aforementioned treasure hunt<\/strong>, the dance of the teams<\/strong> and the final bonfire<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Then, there are concerts, children’s shows, music, traditional dances, themed parties in the clubs, barbecues on the streets<\/strong> during Thursdays on Fat Thursday and much more.<\/p>\n However, the main event is the final Grand Parade or Sunday Parade<\/strong>. There is no party without alcoholics and the Carnival of Rethymno is no exception. And, of course, the Cretan drink par excellence is raki<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Originally called tsikoudia, raki is served after every lunch and on all special occasions.<\/p>\n But beware: Cretans don’t drink raki to get drunk, but to celebrate friendship and sociability<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This liqueur is prepared with pomace which, after having fermented in barrels for more than a month, is boiled in a special container.<\/p>\n A tasty variant of raki is rakomelo, or raki with honey<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\nWhat’s special about it? First of all,\u00a0 <\/span>it lasts almost a month<\/strong>! Then, it is a succession of parties, parades of allegorical floats and events. In short, it is a time of joy and real fun. In addition, it is an opportunity to discover the folk traditions of Crete<\/strong>.<\/p>\nTHE RETHYMNO CARNIVAL<\/h2>\n
The origins of the Rethymno Carnival<\/h3>\n
The main events of the Rethymno Carnival<\/h3>\n
\nDuring this parade, the carnival teams display their allegorical floats by parading along Rethymno’s main boulevard.<\/strong> The party then goes on all night.<\/p>\nThe tsikoudi\u00e1, also know as raki<\/h3>\n