The Assumption of the Virgin Mary is celebrated with magnificence and enthusiasm throughout Greece this year as well. The biggest religious holiday of the summer. The festive events, the festivals and the feasts in the courtyards of the churches and the squares will give life again even in the smallest village of our country. It is not only Panagia of Tinos, Ekatontapyliani of Paros and Panagia Soumela in Vermio, which gather thousands of pilgrims every year. Each church and chapel dedicated to Megalohari will be festively decorated, while the customs of each place will give a special color to the events.

In our small and remote Kasos, I counted about thirty churches of Panagia. Many of them celebrate today, the 15th of August. However, the interest of the inhabitants and the seasonal vacationers is concentrated in a Virgin Mary. That of the Assumption of the Virgin in the village of Panagia, which is celebrating today.

This church, which was established by the older inhabitants to be called “Pera Panagia”, adorns the homonymous settlement of the island and was named Panagia in his honor.

The history of this temple begins about 120 years ago. As the elders tell us, in the same place where the present majestic church of the Virgin Mary is built, there used to be three small churches. The Assumption of the Virgin, the Cross and Cassiani. It was decided in 1895, these three churches to be demolished and in their place to build a larger church that would meet the needs of the ever-developing settlement. For the construction of this imposing temple it was necessary to transport the best materials of that time, mainly from Marseilles, as well as other valuable materials, which were transported by sailing ships of the Cassian captains. In addition, “acacia” stones were selected, which were chipped appropriately to obtain a rectangular shape. In fact, as the older ones often said,

Eventually, this temple, built with the help of Olympian craftsmen from neighboring Karpathos, was completed in 1902. An anecdotal story is told about the hundreds of Olympian craftsmen who came to Kasos at that time of the building orgasm. Let me tell you:

It was customary for the teachers of that time, when the school year was over, to organize a celebration in honor of the graduates. The program included poems and sketches by older children. Younger children were asked questions, which children had to give a breathless answer to show in this way, after all, what they learned in the last school year…

So when in the religious lesson a student was asked: “who built the world?…”. The student, seeing the influence of the Olympian craftsmen not only in Panagia, but in the whole island of Kassos, answered that: “the world was made by the Olympians!…”.

I return to the Church of Pera Panagia.

In the large courtyard of the church, a sarcophagus is preserved. According to tradition, it belongs to Osia Cassiani, whose memory is celebrated on September 7. Again from the stories of elders we learn that once the bones of Ossia were inside the sarcophagus, but these were stolen by passing sailors.

Countless are the golden tributes and gifts of Pera Panagia as well as her real estate, which rank her among the most prosperous temples of Kasos.

A few days before the celebration, the preparations of the church begin. In the settlement of Panagia a small group of men and women, who constitute the committee of the church, but also of others, of the other settlements of the island, undertake the fundraising process. They pass door to door, from every house on the island, in order to collect money from the inhabitants, or various other useful materials exclusively for the cassio dish and the delicacies of the festival.

The religious culture and tradition of the island wants the eve, after the Vespers, for everyone to help prepare the cassio food and appetizers. The women gather in the courtyard near the event hall and the kitchens to wrap the dolmadas. Cassian dolmadas are small and wrapping them requires more patience and art. The cassia dish, as well as the appetizers that will be offered free of charge to all the pilgrims after the service, the next day, at noon, includes: red pilaf with cinnamon broth usually sheep, braised meat, french fries and dolmadas.

To prepare all this, as you understand, the mobility in the kitchens is great. Others carry wood for the fires, others chop the meat and prepare the broth for the pilaf, others clean the potatoes and some others have to take care of the entertainment. Usually on the eve, although the fatigue of those who help is great, one of the best parties is set up. Where with the accompaniment of the lyre and the lute, and after the first tuning of the instruments, the atmosphere warms up, the fun of helping and drinking wine peaks. It is natural and inexhaustible the charisma of the people of Kasio to make improvised mantinades. Fifteen-syllable lyrics and musical “contras” with readiness, exceptional quality sensitivity and lyrical perfection.

The next day, after the service, the people gather patiently outside, in the spacious courtyard of the church, where the pilgrimage of the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary will take place. In turn, the faithful will kiss the image of the Virgin Mary, leave their obol in a large basket and receive a piece of bread, as well as some local sweets, usually kourabiedes and xerotigana, offered in the memory of a dear relative.

After the kissing of the image, the people take their place in the two courtyards of the church and while the traditional musicians wind the instruments and the first mantinades for the Virgin Mary and the guests are heard, the dances begin and the serving begins patiently in the event hall. Thanks to the help and readiness of dozens of male volunteers and children, who wear white aprons with the embroidered name “Panagia” and stand, side by side, pass the dishes hand in hand, so that everyone in the room, who are sitting on benches and long narrow tables. The capacity of the room is limited, so as soon as the first wave of food is over, the second, the third, and so on follow until all the pilgrims taste the most delicious and famous cassio dish.

(photo credits: eudemonia.gr)