City of Patras aims to be a cultural hub
The program for Patras, Cultural Capital of Europe 2006, will span the entire year, with events organized in seven thematic units, starting with the customary annual Carnival festivities in February and continuing with poetry and music in March and April, new takes on ancient drama in May and June, music and theater in July and August, a festival of children’s art in September and October, and, last but not least, religious art centered on the figure of Aghios Andreas (Saint Andrew), the patron saint of the city, in November. «We have just 10 months before the start of events and the institution is not in operation yet because the Culture Ministry has chosen to change it,» said the artistic director of the program, Thanos Mikroutsikos, at a recent press conference. «Nevertheless,» he added, «despite the fact that a lot of time has been wasted, I am not concerned about the program. The planning has been done and we are at the phase of organizing the details of the events. I believe that it will be more than just decent, it will be an exceptional program, at least, that is, if we are given the funds and the venues, and we are given as little instruction from above as possible.» The thematic units were explained as follows: Next year, on the 70th anniversary of the city’s Carnival, organizers will try to give it a truly international character and worldwide exposure by inviting well-known troupes from around the globe to perform impressive street shows. The poetry and music festival will be an international one with invitations extended to great European poets. The ancient drama project is ambitious, as it foresees approximately 70 performances of ancient dramas by Greek and foreign theater companies held over two weeks at various venues, indoor and open-air, around the city. July and August will see a few, but «significant,» organizers stress, concerts and theater performances in Patras and the surrounding area, while the Festival of Children’s Art will encompass theater, music, art, dance, cinema, literature, puppet theater and other events in cooperation with the Olympia Festival. The final thematic unit is dedicated to Aghios Andreas – who, before being crucified in Patras, had made his way through Rome, Edinburgh and Saint Petersburg – with the aim of drawing international attention to the city with events in music, the arts and literature. «With these cycles, we are establishing a time frame and the building blocks for a new Patras Festival, which will be held annually as of 2007, according to an announcement by the Patras Municipality,» explained Mikroutsikos. «The program for 2006 may not contain great operas or concerts because we do not have the infrastructure for such events, but I assure you that it will be one of the best festivals the country has ever seen.» Carnival 2005 highlights The Carnival of Patras, the biggest in Greece, which attracts not just hordes of local revelers but Carnival-goers and groups from abroad, is already under way. Nevertheless, there are still a lot of fun events in store until the Grand Parade on Sunday, March 13. These include the start of the 40th Treasure Hunt, which promises to run well into the night, and an evening of ballads at Aghios Georgios Square today, starting at 8 p.m. Tomorrow and Sunday will also be focused on the Treasure Hunt, with a parade of the groups that will participate in next Sunday’s peak event being held tomorrow and on Sunday, the gala finale of the hunt. Next Friday, March 11, the best groups participating in the Grand Parade will hold a competition and display their skills starting at 6 p.m. at Aghios Georgios Square, while on Saturday evening the paraders of Patras will take to the streets on foot, in a warmup walk for Sunday’s grand finale, which begins at 2 p.m. at Papaflessa Street and ends at 9 p.m. at the Aghios Nikolaos Harbor. ‘Bourboulia’ Another intrinsic part of the Patras Carnival that should not be missed is the so-called «Bourboulia.» In the interwar years, theater owner Andreas Loverdos dubbed the customary afternoon dances «Bourboulia,» after a simple boiled meat dish called bourbouli, because they took so little preparation and effort to put together. The men used to attend the dances in order to woo women, who were hidden behind black-and-white costumes and masks. Admission for all women was free of charge, while men had to dress in their Sunday best and pay a small fee at the door. These dances often turned into orgiastic revelries, where risque songs were sung and innuendo-soaked poems recited, while the dancing got all the more frenetic as the night wore on and people would let down their guards and reveal themselves from behind their masks. Today, the Bourboulia are celebrated as the oldest Carnival custom in Patras. They are held at the Apollon Theater at 9 p.m. today, Sunday and March 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13, and the dress code of the past still applies.
