The feast of Saint George in the village of Alevrou in Laconia
The mountain village of Alevrou is 23 kilometres from Sparta and neighbours the villages of Kastori, Perivolia and Georgitsi. The village’s central square is dominated by the church of Agios Georgios (patron of the village), built in 1887-1897 on the site of a small older church. Every year, on April 23rd, the memory of the Saint is commemorated, and the residents hold a grand celebration. When the date falls before Easter, the holiday is postponed to Easter Monday.
On the day of the memory of Agios Georgios, the residents of Alevrou go to church, where after the Divine Liturgy, the icon is paraded (three times) around the church. In front are two young men holding the icon, followed by the priest with the singers and the faithful. After the end of the liturgy, there is a baking ceremony, and the faithful are offered various sweets, appetisers and wine.
In earlier years, while the church bell was ringing merrily, some village men would go up to the public road ("dimosia"), where they would throw improvised firecrackers. Also, in the afternoon of the same day, the custom of "Master Saint George" took place, during which many of the young people of the village, riding their decorated horses, went around the temple three times. First was the village priest, followed by the musicians and the faithful. Then there was a big feast, which lasted until the early hours of the morning.
Tradition and custom also included the food of Saint George's day, which was roast goat with potatoes in the oven. An oven was lit in every neighbourhood, even though all the houses had their own. When the roasting pans were placed in the oven, the housewives would seal the lid around the perimeter with mud made of soil, ash and water. Then they would go to church, and after the service, they would return to take out the pans. Thus, the feast of St. George was the only day of the year when the whole village had the same food for lunch.