“Nights like this are not for wandering. They are in-betweens: between the seasons. Between the beats of the great clock of the year, like dawn and twilight. The veil between the worlds grows thin… this is the season of the dead and ancestors.” – Anna Tromara, “The Coming of Winter”
ATHENS, Greece – As a red-haired maiden personifying the goddess Brigid lit the flames of the Samhain bonfire, the bodhrán played alongside the tin whistle, and people danced reels and jigs to welcome winter and celebrate the final harvest. This is a scene familiar to many in the West, but for the almost 400 Greeks in attendance, this was a new cultural experience.
Athens Samhain Fire Festival – Image credit: Inis and Sallina Sorrentino
Samhain, the festival celebrating the final harvest in Celtic cultures, has become a tradition in many countries; but Greece was not one of them until Saturday, November 12, 2022, in Drapetsona, a neighborhood of Athens, when Inis and the Greek-Irish Society hosted the first Samhain Athens Fire Festival.
The Festival kicked off with events for children facilitated by Sovilos Festivals and LARPifiers edutainment, from pumpkin carving and face painting, to apple bobbing and dancing, introducing Western traditions of Samhain to a new generation of Greeks. Actors played Brigid, the Cailleach, and the Fae in a poetry workshop led by Chris Sakellaridis, as participants chanted a harvest spell around the blazing bonfire. A play, “The Coming of Winter”, written by Anna Tromara, was masterfully performed as well in both Greek and English, to teach the history and significance of Samhain. And all senses were engaged as revelers enjoyed mulled wine, hot toddies, and beer, as well as various seasonal food options. Perhaps the most transportive experience was the latter half of the night when musicians from Belo-Tanos and Iernis played traditional Irish music onstage while fire dancers performed for the crowd.
The Athens Samhain Fire Festival was a collaboration of the Greek-Irish Society, and Inis, a new group that spearheaded the initiative and has bold plans for the future. Inis describes their purpose as “a triskele” of culture, community, and education.
Greece is not a very diverse country, with only 10% of its resident being non-Greek, according to the Pew Research Center. As a result, the culture can feel insular and one-sided: cultural events usually correspond with the calendar for the Greek Orthodox church, and Pew also reports that 98% of the country identifies as Greek Orthodox. This makes introducing outside cultural events a challenge; but also more necessary than ever. There are many people in Greece with an interest in Celtic culture, as the turnout at Inis’ Samhain event testified. Over 400 people attended and RSVP’d online – and this is just the beginning.
Inis is a Gaelic word meaning both ‘island’, and ‘to tell a story’ – a very appropriate name for the organization bringing Celtic culture to Greece, from one set of islands to another. Inis’ message is to “design meaningful collective experiences” of Celtic music, food, dancing, festivals, mythology, poetry, art, and history, and bring the “communal islands” of both ex-pats and Greeks interested in Celtic culture together, Inis cofounder Chris Sakellaridis explained.
Inis’ main goal is accessibility. The first initiative towards this is to keep all festivals free for the public to attend. There are not a lot of opportunities for diverse cultural experiences in Greece. Since the financial crisis of 2011, cultural funding has been cut significantly and has not recovered. Paid events are not usually feasible for a country with some of the lowest wages in the European Union – and Inis wants everyone to have access to Celtic cultural events. Also to that end, they’ve already enlisted sign language interpreters for future events and chosen each venue with accessibility in mind.
Additionally, all events are held in both Greek and English, ensuring anyone can have an excellent experience at their events. Food was also diverse and accommodating, with vegan and allergen-friendly options.
As Inis grows, they aim to host Irish Trad nights, storytelling events, pen, and paper RPG sessions, folk orchestras for children, as well as partnering with schools, artist collectives, and musicians from across Greece – and hopefully even Ireland and the British Isles. Some immediate plans are the upcoming Athens Irish Festival in June of 2023, which they’re planning to host as close to zero-waste as possible. They also hope to host a Women’s Day celebration in March of 2023.
If the Samhain Athens Fire Festival was any indication, Inis will be successful in sharing Celtic culture with thousands of Greeks at future festivals and events.
“Winter had won. Gather around the fire, Brigid’s last gift. And the sun will be reborn. The Gods will play the roles they have had for thousands of years.” – Amy Tromara, “The Coming of Winter”
Inis was born out of the success of the first Athens Irish Festival in May 2022. A collective of artists, musicians, poets, storytellers, historians, craftspeople, educators, and all kinds of fantastical creatures, we focus on bringing together diverse communities with an interest in, or fascination with, Irish and Celtic culture. Events range from Irish Trad sessions to creative workshops, experiential learning activities, and of course, festivals and seasonal festivities! We aim to create a space for meaningful intercultural exchange, rooted both in tradition and current artistic practice. Culture, community, and education are the three branches of our spiraling nature. Follow Inis on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @inis.arts to keep up to date on future events and projects, including their upcoming Kickstarter campaign.
Elyse Welles is a regular contributor of pagan articles for Sunflower Journal and the Metaphysical Times and has been published in Yellow Arrow Journal, Free Verse Revolution, and Gypsophila Magazine, among others. Her debut novel, “Witch on the Juniata River”, is forthcoming from Running Wild Press. She co-hosts the Magick Kitchen Podcast and teaches spirit of place, sacred travel, and magickal living online, as well as through tours of Greece’s temples and spiritual sites. Follow her on Instagram and FB at @seekingnumina, or visit www.seekingnumina.com for more.
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