Greeks celebrate the "Night of the Spirits" with a carnival

A bell tolls signals the arrival of Amphisa's ghost, while a sound system blares the cries of ferocious beasts and crowds of carnival-goers brandish smartphones.
In this small town in central Greece, near the ancient sanctuary of Delphi, the "Night of the Spirits" is the culmination of festivities being celebrated across the country this weekend, AFP reported.
The ghost of Amphisa is a giant monster made of cardboard, ropes and cloth that roams the night. His head is deformed, his teeth are long and his eyes are bulging.
For the past three decades, the night festivities mark the story of the tragic fate of the local Romeo and Juliet and take place on the last Saturday before the beginning of the Orthodox Lent.
The lovers are called Constantis, a hard-working and conscientious tanner, and Lenio, a young girl from Amphisa.
The two swore an oath of love and fidelity, but one day Lenio was struck by lightning and killed at Charmaine's well. Desperate, Constantis commits suicide.
Since then, his spirit inhabits the well and roams the town, uttering beastly cries that frighten the locals.
"In honor of a legend"
Many of Amphisa's 6,000 inhabitants dress up as elves, tanners, and spirits using goat skins. On their heads they attach horns, and on their belts - bells and chains.
"We are celebrating a legend, not a custom," as in the rest of festive Greece, says Nikos Loupakos, deputy mayor of Amfisa. "That's what makes us special".
On Saturday evening, the "Ghost of Harmaina" descends the 120 stone steps from the church to the central square, surrounded by orange groves and cafes with wooden doors and shutters.
There, before the eyes of the crowd, he stands up and finally defeats two equally large and terrifying ghosts.
Then, around the large tables in Amfisa's cafes and bars, the souvlaki vendors take center stage and the party really begins.
Tradition
"We've been celebrating this legend for 29 years now," said Kostas Panagiotas, a 42-year-old firefighter who leads the ghost through town.
The tradition continues "because we want it, because we love it and most of all ... we want our children to carry it on" after us, he added, before pulling on the leather.
Next to him, 35-year-old Christos Doukas is untying the chains he'll attach to his belt and says he's happy to get in on the fun every year.
"It's incredible," he pointed out. "It's really an opportunity to escape... We don't worry about anything. We forget our problems for a day."
These are the main elements of the ghost disguises, related to the historical roots of the local economy, which, says the deputy mayor, "was based on leather, bell-making and rope-making".
Carnival, "Apokris" in Greek, is the season of the Dionysian procession that begins three weeks before Lent. Traditionally, it is celebrated most strongly in Patras, the main port of the Peloponnese, in Xanthi in the northeast, Naoussa in northern Greece and Rethymno on the island of Crete.
The beautiful coastal town of Galaxidi, 30 km. from Amphisa, will join the festivities by organizing flour fights on "Katara Deftera" ("Clean Monday") - a public holiday at the beginning of Lent, when the sky of Greece will be filled with kites. /BGNES