The summer festivals and feasts in Andros bring together families and friends
One big advantage of visiting Greece in the summer months, apart from the wonderful climate and the exquisite beaches, is the chance to experience a ‘nisiotiko glenti’, i.e. a popular gathering with music, dance and food, a must in the islands of Cyclades like Andros.
Stay in Paraporti beach, in center of Chora
Held usually in the villages’ main square, the ‘glenti’ or ‘panigiri’ (as a rule associated with the celebration of a Greek Orthodox saint), bring together families, friends and…musicians of traditional Greek music. Ignore the fact that you don’t speak Greek, or that you don’t know the dance steps, drink up your wine, or ‘aspro pato’ as we say in Greece, get up and dance!
Truth be told though, the nisiotika songs, that is the songs of the islands, feature an idiomatic language which is quite evident in these songs and one can fully appreciate them only if they have a basic understanding of the language.
