Before Greek Easter, a period of fasting (Lent) for seven weeks occurs, ie: no meat and only fish with no blood (calamari is OK).

Usually taking place ten weeks before Greek Orthodox Easter, Apokries – or Carnival – is a time for celebration and finishes the week before what's known as 'Clean Monday' - the first day of Lent.

Forget Rio & Venice, if you want affordable fun, check out Apokries, or Carnival in Greece.

History of Apokries

As with most things Greek, Apokries dates back to Ancient Greece, thought to be celebrated as a worship to Dionysis, the God of Wine & Feast.

Apokries literally means "Goodbye to Meat," Apoxh-apo-kreas.  Interestingly in the Latin language, Carnival also has the same translation: "Carne" = meat  "Vale" = goodbye.

When is Apokries?

Apokries runs for three weeks before Lent, usually February / March of each year, depending on when Greek Easter occurs.  During this time you can buy a lot of fancy dress, and street celebrations occur.  A majority of the street parades happen on the last Sunday all over the country, the largest–and one of the largest in Europe–takes place in the port city of Patras.