May the 1st is a highly anticipated holiday here in Greece; the term “highly anticipated” may even be considered an understatement! As many of you may or may not know, Labour Day or as some people refer to as International Workers’ Day, is a day that celebrates the achievements and accomplishments of workers worldwide. How did this day first come about? Well, in 1886 workers took to the street to peacefully strike for an 8 hour day. Lets just say the rally turned violent which resulted in a bombing that sadly caused the death of seven police officers and four workers.
May the 1st in Greece is called Protomagia, on this day there are many festivities that occur around the nation. Protomagia dates back to Ancient Greece where people celebrated spring, nature and flowers. If you have ever travelled to Greece in May, you may have seen hand-picked flower wreaths that are usually hung up above the entrance of many homes as a way to welcome nature and all good things.
May is the last month of spring here in Greece as well as in many other countries around the world. According to Greek folk stories, this day celebrates the victory of summer against the winter that is fought throughout half of the year. The first of May, is also dedicated to the Greek goddess of agriculture; her coming to earth is the reason for the blossoming flowers and for the rebirth of summer. On this topic, if the sun could choose a country to dedicate summer to- that would be a no brainer- it would choose Greece of course! With that being said, people have been known to come from places far and wide just to spend the day at the beach and since Halkidiki is right around the corner from Thessaloniki, you already know where we’ll be for Protomagia!
If you’re going to be in Halkidiki on this summer homecoming day then why not check out some things that you can get up to? There are so many things to do in Halkidiki, turquoise waters and sandy beaches will definitely not be put to waste in this mesmerizing location. Why not take up the chance to cruise along the waters in Sithonia? If that’s too relaxed for your liking, sign up for an adrenaline rushing experience with a variety of different water sports. Is that still not for you? Fishing, yoga, hiking are only just a few things that you can get busy with on the first of May.
If any of you happen to be in Thessaloniki or in Halkidiki on the first of May and simply don’t know what to do, join Grekaddict on our adventures and jump onto a party boat where you will feast on traditional Greek delicacies, listen to some cultural music and jump off of the boat into the deep blue sea! No matter what you’re planning on doing, we hope that you have an amazing time!
