The Tsakonian Easter

Leonidio

The Easter celebration in Leonidio is a unique experience. All the parishes compete each-other every year for the most beautiful Epitaph, whose procession is met in the town’s center, where they chant all together with a common Prayer. The celebration’s peaks in Leonidio is on the night of Resurrection, when the construction and the elevation of colorful hot-air balloons takes place, lightening gratefully the Tsakonian sky, a uniquely spectacular custom.

Tyros

The Easter traditions and the unique way of celebrating Easter, pose great interest for the visitors of N. Kynouria. At Tyros the procession of the bier of Christ takes place along the beach accompanied by fishing boats. On the night of Holy Saturday, thousands of candles are placed on the sea which light up the bay and symbolize the lost souls of the Tsakonian sailors and fishermen. Also, the Tsakonians have the tradition of burning Judas in the sea on a special raft. At Leonidio and Tyros on the evening of Easter Sunday, during the ritual of love as it is called, the Bible is read in the Tsakonian dialect.

Photos Credits: Tranas Konstantinos – leonidion.gr & visitkynouria.gr archives

Zarmpanitsas Canyon

It was created by the amount of water of the Vrasiati river. It is a very big gorge that starts from the castle of Zaggolis and ends up to Agios Andreas. In order to cross it you need knowledge and equipment, because it has two difficult and dangerous spots that cannot be passed by easily. To the Zarbanitsa gorge, you can reach from Platanos through Spilakia. The scenery is impressive, since both left and right there are high rocks. In summer the visitor can view the waterfalls and small lakes and why not swim.

Platanos Canyon

The village with plenty of water and the waterfall in the south entrance has the famous Spilakia gorge that has dense growth and ends up to the Vrasiati river. The gorge is suitable for trekking and walking close to nature – there is also the cave of Sotiras. The gorge leads to one of the greatest gorges of Parnonas, the one of Zarbanitsas. You can visit it in September, when the local club organizes gamble competitions, after the unforgettable experience of the gorge.

Lepidas Canyon

Even if it is not particularly big, it has natural beauty. To reach the gorge you can go either from Kato Doliana or from the villages of Kastri. It has 2 waterfalls, the big one oh 70m and the small one of 45m, that impress the visitor. Apart from the view, the walker can admire a variety of flora and fauna that are in abundance in Parnonas. It is actually said that you can count 80 species of herbs and plants. The gorge is suitable for extreme sports and canyoning. For those who want to try the gorge, it has two impressive waterfalls, jumps and slides in clean water. You need 6 hours to cross the gorge, good knowledge of swimming as well and previous experience.

Lepidas Waterfalls

The great waterfalls are in the gorge in a distance of 4km from the village Agios Ioannis of Parnonas. The big waterfall has height 70m and the small one 45m. The climbing clubs organise canyoing and rapel there. These waterfalls are considered to be of the most beautiful, but unknown miracles of nature of Parnonas. The rocks around the waterfalls are brown and the water falls harshly on them. The are smells origan, sage as the small plane-trees make a picturesque scenery. In summer there is a pond for swimming.

Mazias Canyon

One of the most beautiful gorges of Parnonas that offers unique experiences to the visitor and expects to discover it. The gorge starts after Kastanitsa and is crossed by a river, surrounded by green, mostly plane trees, and huge rocks. Through the gorge, you can reach the Monastery of Kontolinas. Walking through the gorge is really hard, but nature is brilliant and the area is really interesting because of the variety of herbs, as during the route you can see a lot of half-destroyed watermills.

Leonidio Climbing Park

Undoubtedly, Leonidio is a place inextricably linked to its impressive 250-meter high slope. The Kokkinovrachos, as the locals call it, towering over the city center and attracts the gaze unintentionally. The first climbing attempts on red rock, by D. Sotiraki and A. Theodoropoulos the route “Pillar of Fire”, the 80s were in the limelight among residents.

After 27 years of absence, frequent visits of famous Swiss climbers Claude and Yves Remy, in order to seek appropriate fields to open new climbing routes, were successful! During their stays in Leonidio thrown some 25 new routes amounting to 25-40 meters with difficulty 5 to 7c and follows and then!

The traditional town still offers a pleasant way of life and is the perfect place to choose for a relaxing and/or active vacation!

Currently, there are more than 1000 routes across a wide range of grades, and there is still potential for many more.

Moustos Wetland

It is one of the two wetlands of Eastern Peloponnisos – the other is the one of Fokianos. It is 4km far from Astros and it is a shelter of migratory birds. The flora of the region is also extremely important. The lake is supplied with water of springs and lead to the gulp of Astros through two canals. With the ecological park of Parnonas, it has been placed to Natura 2000 and it is a preserved region. The environmental importance of the lake is huge as it is said that there was the old port of Astros. The water of the lake is brackish and has healing properties because of the sulfides that contain it. This water is suitable for those who have rheumatic and other diseases. Apart from the Lake of Moustos, there is a smaller lake of Herronisiou, that extends in 20m and its water gushes from the hill. The lake leads directly to the sea.

Elliniko (or Teihio)

It is 8km from astros to the villages of Parnonas. At this point there is an inscription of the archaeologists that leads to a rural road and after 2km the visitor arrives at a valley, that is the start of a 15min route that leads to the top of the hill. There you can see ruins of walls, buildings and underground cisterns of Ano Thireas or Niriidas. North of Elliniko, at 500m there is a stone-made shed of Barlas, that was built over the ruins of an ancient temple, probably of the Apollon.

Villa Herodes Atticus

One of the most important monuments of The Roman Times is situated in the ancient village of Kynouria, Eva, whose remains are rescued. The place of the Villa is extended to 20.000km2, a little far from the village Kato Doliana and opposite the Monastery of Loukous and it is one of the richest findings that where discovered initially by the traveler Leake and later by the archaeologists Theodoros and George Spyropoulos. The latest archaeological find was the pillar with the names of the victims of the Marathon Battle. This finding proves the relationship of origin between Herod and Marathon and it was about his later creation. Herod of Attica was a philosopher, politician, and lover of works of art and extended his father’ s villa to Eva with aqueducts, baths, statues. The villa compromises the greatest monument of the Athenians hero-worship as it is located in a great landscape with fertile ground, several quarries and was a museum of ancient art. The villa, sample of special architecture and construction has an atrium, artificial ditch-river, three paths, mosaic floors, and pillars. The State is planning to build a shelter to protect the findings.