The Kantis, a kamila, several lerades: these familiar carnival figures from Crete were on display at the Boston Lykeion Ellinidon’s annual Karnavali, held on February 10th, 2018 at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church in Somerville, MA. Sponsored by Grecian Look and ISOS Realty, Karnavali 2018 was the BLE’s sixth annual celebration of apokries, the Greek carnival season. This year, the BLE featured carnival traditions from the area of Rethymno, Crete.
The BLE dance troupe performed a set of comical local dances reserved for apokries, and an interactive treasure hunt, modeled on Rethymno’s Guinness World Record-breaking event, allowed the audience to join in the fun. The event culminated in the crowning of a Carnival King, who helped raffle off prizes from ten local businesses, including Old Neighborhood Foods, Athan’s Bakery, Rail Trail Flatbread Co., and New City Microcreamery.
Nearly two hundred guests enjoyed the traditional Greek dance favorites played by REVMA, featuring Sandy Theodorou, Rohan Gregory, Fabio Pirozzolo, Panos Aivazides, Thanasi Athanasiades, and Georgios Galanakis. One guest praised BLE for providing “the opportunity to experience some of the most excellent aspects of Greek culture – the music and opportunity for danc
ing at a level of depth and quality that is amazing yet not readily available.” Visit the BLE Facebook page to view photos from the event.
The BLE is a volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of traditional Hellenic culture in New England. A chapter of the international Lykeion ton Ellinidon (Λύκειον των Eλληνίδων) headquartered in Athens, Greece, the BLE celebrates the diversity of Greece’s distinctive regional cultures, and strives to enrich, educate, and entertain through a rich program of dance performances, classes, workshops, lectures and special events.