First quarter 2005 Kalami Corfu NewsletterThis is our first attempt for a small newsletter. We will try in this few lines to bring to you a taste of what we think Corfu and Kalami is all about. It will just be a small newsletter each time and we will try to keep it as small and simple as possible. Most of all we hope this will prove a useful tool for us to communicate with our current and future clients. Comments and ideas are most appreciated. Enjoy! If you would like to be removed from our future newsletters, please sent us an email to removefromnews@kalamicorfu.com Kalami Travel changed its nameAccording to the recent law of the Greek National Tourism Organization, regarding the names of the tourist offices, we have renamed our travel agency to “Blue Bay Travel”. We hope that this has not caused any inconvenience to you, it has certainly caused to us! In the spirit of this, we would like to inform you that our official websites and e-mails now are: We will of course continue to receive any e-mails sent to our previous addresses and until the end of this summer season 2005. Latest news and offersWe would like to inform you that Dimitris and Frosso apartments are in redecoration programme, which will be ended in 2006. Our effort to offer a high standard accommodation to our guests based in reasonable prices, is the reason for our accommodation and services becoming more and more popular. Always motivated by respect for our residents, offering the quality that they deserve, we feel proud being on the top of self-catering accommodation in Kalami. If you are interested in our latest offers, just send us an email to offers@kalamicorfu.com. The Corfiot CarnivalMarch in Corfu is all about the carnival.  The Carnival in Corfu has its roots in ancient Greece, the Dionysian ceremonies and also combines the Venetian influence. Years ago, the Corfiots of the villages were celebrating the Carnival with old Corfiot customs, such as the “Dance of the Priests” (Episkepsi, Nymphes, etc.), the performance of a wedding and a funeral (Evropouli, Skripero, etc.) with Dionysian and Christian religious elements. Unfortunately, these customs are eclipsed.
The carnival starts on Saturday (the day before the second Sunday of “Tyrofagos”) with the procession of the children masquerades. The first Sunday in the morning, the groups of masquerades are having a musical and artistic promenade in Corfu Town. Early in the afternoon, the big procession of the king Carnival starts from Methodiou str. (San Roco Square) ending in Liston (Upper Square), where the groups of masquerades present a fiesta with Candilles, Tarantelles, etc.  The Pancake Day for Greeks is called “Tsiknopempti”. It is Thursday, and all the Corfiots are celebrating in tavernas, with all kinds of grilled meat, “mezedes” and a lot of wine or beer.
The same day, during the afternoon, the “Petegoletsia” takes place in Pinia in Corfu Town. Petegoletsia (gossips) are theatrical and satirical acts, where Corfiot women with the traditional costumes are gossiping in the accent and the dialect of Corfu by the windows or balconies and singing traditional Corfiot songs called “cantades”. These theatrical acts have their artistic roots from the Italian tradition. In traditional Italy, as well as Old Corfu Town, the houses’ architecture was based in very tall and narrow buildings among the very small roads called “cadounia”. The purpose was the protection of the local people in order to avoid the invasions of the pirates. They were able to be lost easily and disappear amongst these small roads. The buildings were so close to each other that you could lay your hand from your house and reach the window of another. The result was that everybody could hear everything happening in the neighbours’ houses. So, the gossips were inevitable, as the curiosity and the jealousy that exist in the human nature. On Saturday, before the last Sunday of Carnival, the people watch an evening procession of masquerades with historical costumes and Italian dances as Tarantelles of Castrovillari by the sound of trumpeters and drummers of Caronigno. The last Sunday, the groups of the masquerades with the Italian groups start in the morning having a promenade along the Historical Centre. In the evening the people watch the big procession of the king Carnival, ending in Liston, where he is having his will and burned after a trial in order to send away the evil. Fireworks follow the fiesta. The Clean Monday, the Orthodox people begin the period of Lent. All the Corfiots have picnics in the countryside of Corfu, with Lenten foods, such as taramosalata, octopus, calamari, flat bread and a lot of wine. The children enjoy the kite flying, which you can see all across the sky of Corfu. The Procession of Vlassios, the holy martyr and Theodora Augusta
(February 11th)The decapitated Holy relic of Saint Theodora is kept in a casket at the Metropolitan church in Corfu Town. The procession of the Holy relic of Saint Theodora happens the first Sunday of the Lent of the Orthodox religion every year. Saint Theodora was empress and wife of the emperor of the Byzantine, Theofilos. She lived during the difficult years of iconoclasm. Her husband, Theofilos, was one of the vicious iconoclasts and opposed to Saint Theodora’s faith regarding the icons of the Orthodox Church. The same day, the church gives to the religious people a little piece of watermelon in remembrance of a miracle of Saint Vlassios, who cured the children of Corfu by a disease.  
 
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