Genitsari Procession
Spectators line the street to watch masked Genitsari with bells dance; traditional folk music and church blessings often accompany the rite.
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The Naoussa Carnival is famous for its unique Genitsari and Boules procession on Cheesefare Sunday (Tyrini). Dressed in traditional costume (fustanella) with bells and chains, the men of Naoussa (the Genitsari) parade through town accompanied by women (the Boules) 1. The Genitsari wear ornate headdresses and wooden masks, and their dances symbolize fertility and ward off evil. The event is deeply local: villagers have preserved this drinking-and-merriment ritual for generations, combining ancient Dionysian symbolism with Christian Lent. The streets and town square fill with music, rattling bells, magazine (of costumes, foods), and communal revelry 1.
Naoussa’s carnival is rooted in pre-Christian rites and local folklore. The Genitsari/Boules dance likely evolved from ancient Dionysian festivities, reinterpreted in a small-town context. It provides social cohesion and marks the end of meat-eating before Great Lent.
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Κεντρική Πλατεία Νάουσας · Naoussa
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Spectators line the street to watch masked Genitsari with bells dance; traditional folk music and church blessings often accompany the rite.
Reference notes for once this becomes a real plan.
Moderate crowds