Klidonas

Klidonas is a custom that dates back to ancient times and is celebrated in various parts of the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos (Neapoli, Kritsa, Fourni, Lakonia, Milatos, and Pines) on June 23-24. Klidonas takes place on the Nativity of St. John the Baptist and it is a popular divination process, one of the most ritualistic traditions of Greece, in which unwed girls try to guess the profession or even the name of their future husband. In Homer, Klidon (Κληδών) was a presage contained in a word or sound, an omen and by extension the hearing of a prophecy. The celebration culminates with the “lighting of the founara (bonfire)” and women toss their wreaths made of May wildflowers to the bonfire and jump over it three times saying “I move on from this nice year to the better one…”