The notable cultural events (concerts, theatrical performances, sailing competitions, lectures, painting exhibitions, etc.), as well as the festivals with local music and dance groups organized every summer in Platanos, Lakki and Alinda by the Municipality of Leros and the Enterprise of Cultural Development in collaboration with local agencies gather the interest of every visitor.
Alindia
In the first ten days of August, the “Alindιa” sailing competitions take place,
which started in 1907.
Carnival
Of the traditional folk events that are organized every year, Carnival of Leros stands out,
the feast of Klidon and the feast of wine. The carnival is organized by the municipal authority of Leros with the participation of all people of Leros.
Disguised in costumes and masks, the “camouzeles”, they roam the streets dancing and singing. In the same spirit, the children of the island, also disguised as little hawks, turn to the doors and recite improvised verses with funny meanings.
Klidonas
The celebration of Klidonas starts every year on June 23, the eve of Saint John the Baptist. In every neighborhood, May Day wreaths and various dry branches have been gathered, which are burned in an atmosphere of joy and merriment.
On the same day also the girls of the island have collected small objects e.g. rings, buttons, thimbles, each belonging to some person. These “marks” or “roots”, as they are called, are thrown into a pitcher of “unspoken water” that they have brought from the springs, without speaking to anyone along the way. Then they cover the pitcher with a red scarf and at the same time say “We lock Kledona with the grace of Ai-Jannius and whoever had a good root, let him give and take.”
The pitcher is left covered in the open air under the stars all night, and at sunrise the girls “bring out the Klidona” and gather around him. A young man takes the signs from the pitcher one by one and at the same time sings a couplet that is considered divine for the owner of the object. The other participating girls laugh or sneer depending on the content of the song.
Feast of Alonaris
On the feast of Alonaris, threshing is re-enacted with a feast, dance, traditional music and wine that lasts until the morning.
Wine festival
The wine festival takes place every year in August, when the island has many holidaymakers, who along with the locals duly honor the custom.
Bulafentia
Another popular sporting event is the Bulafentia. As part of this celebration, in August the Municipal Organization of Youth and Sports organizes cross-country and football competitions dedicated to the heart surgeon Boulafentis, the great son of Leros.
Leros International Symposium
About 74 thousand fighters were exiled to the island during the dictatorship. The utilization, in a positive way, of even the darkest pages of modern history led the Prefectural Self-Government of Dodecanese in collaboration with the Municipality and other bodies of Leros and under the auspices of the President of the Republic, to the establishment of the International Symposium entitled: “Days of Memory and Democracy”. The aim is to make Leros an island – a beacon for human rights and to establish it as a place of reflection at an international level.
