One of the most important carnival events held in Thessaly, specifically and in Greece in general, with roots that stem directly from ancient Greece, is the Tyrnavos carnival, more widely known as Bourani.
It is an event characterized by the worship of the phallus during the celebrations as a symbol of fertility and prosperity, drawing its roots from antiquity.
The festival is in honor of the ancient Greek god Dionysus, from whom it draws its roots, and takes place at the beginning of Greek Orthodox Easter, during the fasting period. Due to the strongly pagan character of the carnival, the festival does not have the approval of the Church of Greece.
During the 20th century, there was intense criticism of the organization of the event, which was considered disrespectful, and there were periods when it was banned, such as during the "7th years military junta" period. However, it reappeared some years after the re-instalment of Democracy and specifically in 1980 and since then its fame has increased.
Local authorities today officially participate and actively support the events as part of local tradition, while municipal schools are also involved in the celebrations.
During the events, there are concerts, dances, a carnival procession, and an oath to King Carnival. The overall supervision of the carnival is entrusted to a person with the title of "arhibouranitis."
The day with the most activity is the last Sunday of the carnival, when there is also a parade of floats with the participation of thousands of people, locals but mainly visitors.
During the celebrations, participants start dancing and teasing each other using deliberately vulgar language as part of the tradition. Some participants carry large wooden or clay phalluses as scepters or oversized phalluses that they hold with both hands. In recent decades, there has also been active participation of women.
You can combine your visit to Tyrnavos, with a visit at Ktima Zafeirakis