In Greece the Carnival started in Ancient times, believed to be as a worship to Dionysos, the God of Wine and Feast. In the Orthodox tradition Apokries is the preparation period before Lent. Patras, Greece is the largest and most popular ranking within the top Carnival Celebrations on the planet. Some Refer to this holiday celebration as Greek Carnival or the King of Carninvals. Regardless of what you refer to this party as, one fact is that it is one of the best times of the year to visit Greece.
Apokries runs for 3 weeks immediately preceding Lent & in 2012 Apokries runs from Sunday, February 19th with the Main Carnival Weekend taking place Friday, February 24th thru Sunday, February 26th this year. Weekends, and the final carnival weekend in particular, are the most popular periods for dressing-up and many masked balls & dances are held throughout the three week carnival period. Image Credit
Triodion marks the religious start of the season, but is generally a quiet church ceremony. Burnt Thursday is usually the beginning of what visitors would consider to be the real Carnival season. For more information on the Greek Carnival visit here
Party on, Global Carnival Guide
* 1. New Orleans, USA – Mardi Gras
2. Barranquilla, Columbia – Carnival de Barranquilla
3. Nice, France – Nice Carnival
4. Venice, Italy – Carnevale di Venezia
5. Rido De Janeiro, Brazil – Carnival
6. Port of Spain, Trinidad – Trinidad Carnival
7. Patras, Greece – Apokries
8. Goa, India – Goa Carnival
9. Vienna, Austria – Fasching
* List Courtesy of am New York