Corfu Carnival

Carnival exist since antiquity and at the beginning was a festival in honour of Bacchus, the God of wine, in order to pray to have a rich harvest.

Later the Venetian domination contributed to change the customs of Corfu and to introduce the masks, the coloration of faces with ash and new characters like the dotori (doctors), the nodari (notary) and the muzeta (musetti).

Today the carnival is truly felt, the floats are prepared months and months before and people dressed in clothing characteristic of past and present of Corfu island.

The Carnival in Kerkyra consist of:

– Rehearsal parade of floats through the city on the first Sunday, the Sunday of the Prodigal Son

– The last Thursday before Lent (Tsichnopempti) is dedicated to gorge oneself with meat before the period of Lent

– The last Thursday of Carnival, in the old city, there is the traditional ritual of “Petegolia” that consists of seeing women appear at the windows buzzing in dialect about all the Corfiot events.

The event is accompanied by music and songs.

– The official parade takes place the last Sunday and is called the parade of “Sir Carnival”.
Sir Carnival is the bringer of all ills and misfortunes in the year just past, so at the end of the parade, he is burnt in retribution to launch then dances, songs and amusements