Guide: all countries » Greece » Karpathos Island » Traditions and festivals

Colors of Karpathos Island - traditions, festivals, mentality and lifestyle

While communicating with Greek people, do not forget that they have their own body language. When they want to say something, they touch or pat the lower lip with the index finger. When Greek people signal to somebody to join them, they extend their arms with their palms facing downwards. Then they open and close their fists, their fingers moving up and down. If you want to show neglect to a person, just pretend that you are brushing off the dust of the lapel of the jacket. They raise their eyebrows and their whole head upwards, while softly clicking with their tongue. It means «no». A nod of the head with the right hand on the heart means «thank you».
Best beaches and recreation areas around Karpathos Island
Karpathos won’t disappoint fans of beach recreation, as a choice of scenic stretches of coast is more than notable. Agios Minas Beach is reasonably considered one of the most beautiful … Open
Greeks are very emotional and spontaneous. They raise their voice, use a lot of hand movements and interrupt each other. It is customary to greet everyone in a tavern, shop or bank. It is customed to shake hands only at the first meeting. Then, people greet each other with a kiss on the cheeks. People usually refer to each other by the second name here.
There is a great number of taverns on the island. What's interesting, they are always all full of people. You should make every effort to find a free table in an evening. Greeks love to gather around the table with friends and family, drink retsina and ouzo and discuss the day's events, watching dancers in traditional costumes. Despite the fact that local citizens enjoy drinking local alcohol, you will hardly meet drunk people on the streets. This is because invariable behaviour is a disgrace for Greeks. So, if you don’t want to be condemned by locals, try to control yourself. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
Top hotels in Karpathos Island for business trip or short vacation
There are more than a hundred of attractive accommodation places, each of which is trying to attract guests with exclusive services and special offers. The most upscale hotel of Karpathos is … Open
Siesta plays a great role here. Try to plan your shopping because almost all the shops are closed from 2 to 5 o’clock. Locals spend their free time sleeping or lying on the beach. It is customed in Greece to make the most of life. They won't spend much time trying to earn money and move up the career ladder. Greeks can easily spend a large sum of money on a beautiful and useless thing or an evening in a tavern.
During a meal, Greeks don’t follow the rules of etiquette and can easily push a person or turn a plate with some food without any embarrassment. What's interesting, if a Greek invites you to his house, it doesn’t mean that you will have a meal there. However, locals are very hospitable and they always try to lavish care upon their guests. Greeks love to teach people and it is getting worse with age, but elderly people are highly respected in Greece.
Shopping in Karpathos Island - main shopping streets, outlets and boutiques
You should definitely buy a bottle of olive oil as a gift for your friends or family. It is a traditional Greek souvenir. Greeks have been using this product for several thousand years. … Open
Greeks are very patriotic people. They love their homeland but always criticize their government. But they can’t stand when tourists criticize the government. So try not to discuss this subject if you don’t want to hurt feelings of the locals. Karpathos citizens love festivals. Panagia is a Greek traditional festival. It is a religious holiday that marks the «falling asleep», the repose of the Virgin Mary, mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christmas and Easter are also celebrated here.
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National traditions of Greece

The wonderful climate, the history full of events and the antique heritage influenced the mentality of the Greeks. These people prefer to live today. They love and know how to enjoy their life. The Greeks have a special attitude to money. Everyone wants to become rich, to earn a large amount of money, but not all are ready to work hard to achieve their goal. This is why lotteries are so popular in the country. Local people traditionally buy scratch-offs. The Greeks know how to spend money in a posh way. They buy luxury clothes, expensive cars, and entertainment stuff. It’s not customary to save money and postpone fun for later. … Open

Traditions and festivals in cities around Karpathos Island

Tilos Island
Locals don’t like working too hard in order to get profit. There is a belief here that money should bring happiness, and if it doesn’t happen, then why does one need money at all? That is why a Greek can easily spend their salary on a cool but needless gadget or ... Open »
Rodos
Rhodes is an established place for holding of globally known festivals attracting annually thousands of tourists from all over the world to the resort. One of the most original holidays is the Watermelon Festival which commonly falls within July. The bright fest ... Open »
Kos Island
Note that on the island it is accepted to greet everyone presenting in the room when you enter, whether it's a tavern, a cafe, a store or a bank. This greeting is also accepted to be answered even by a complete stranger. The handshake is usually welcomed only at the ... Open »
Agios Nikolaos
Life in the city is measured and unhurried. It seems that nothing can force the Greeks to hurry up and devote all their energy to work and solving problems. In local cafes and restaurants visitors quite often need to wait for a long time to get their order. At a glance ... Open »
Kos
Going to the island of Kos, travelers should definitely find out more about local rules of etiquette; they are quite simple and can help to find common ground with natives. Entering to a public institution, shop or restaurant be sure to greet all those present. You have ... Open »
Kalymnos Island
Some of the gestures have a different meaning in Greece and on Kalymnos. When Greek people signal to somebody to join them, they extend their arms with their palms facing downwards. Then they open and close their fists, their fingers moving up and down. When they ... Open »
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