A journey back to time
Tracing back the presence of man in this area, we found ourselves very back in the past. In the ancient times, the town Keletron used to occupy the place of modern Kastoria. In the Byzantine years, the emperor Justinian fortified the town by building walls. Bulgarians, Normands, Francs, Serbs, Turks, all manged to take control of Kastoria in the past. During the times of Macedonian Struggle, Kastoria was one of the most important centres of Hellenism and the starting point for the liberation of Macedonia from the Turkish yoke. In November 1912, it was liberated from Turks and its last captors were pushed out in the end of 1044.
When we got to the peninsula the mansions of the city came into view, next to one another, in the districts Doltso and Apozari. We were impressed by their architectural style and their full harmonization to the natural environment.
We ran into numerous Byzantine and Medieval churches during our walk in the picturesque little streets. They all stand out due to their characteristic tall cylindric cupola, "Kube", and the excellent murals.
The enchanted lake
When we got to the edge of the city we followed the narrow road surrounding it. Here the colours follow the seasonal change. Colourful spring is followed by dark green summer. Orange summer is the prelude to gray winter. The branches of platan-trees, wilows and poplar-trees hang over the water, creating a scenery out of a fairytale, where elfs and fairies play the lead role.
That's about where the "ships" of Kastoria appeared in front of our eyes. In these vessels, called "plaves", the locals, express their need to travel, to become lake-farers. This lake is the trademark of the city. Its 2,8 ha of surface area often ice-over for a few days in winter, giving an alpine look to the scenery. The lake Orestiada is sure to enchant anyone being around it. In our case, it did very well.
Life and folkways
Kastoria has maintained many old and unique folk traditions that are revived all year round. The event called "Ragoutsaria", taking place every year from 6th to 7th of January (Epiphany and St. John Baptist day), is the unique carnival event of Kastoria, stemming from the period of the worship of ancient god Dionysus. “Rogatores” in Latin means "beggars". During the two days of celebration, the disguised members of the groups used to "beg" for presents. In the modern days, younger and older people get together in a wild celebration spreading to every district of the city.
Large open fires, the "boubounes", are lit in the evening of the last Sunday of Carnival on the large squares of the city, and treats are offered, while there is plenty of dancing and singing. The traditional celebrations of Rodani in Easter, Klydonas in June and Veggera in December complete the picture of traditional celebrations in this majestic city.
In the windows of most stores we can see that furs are the most prominent commmodity. For four centuries, the residents of Kastoria work on the fur-processing craft, this traditional craft that made Kastoria known all around the world.
After enjoying a warm coffee by the lake, we left Kastoria, and felt like leaving behind us a sweet melody, a lake-jewel, a window with a view. This is what Kastoria is all about, and it always expects its next visitors to seduce them with its enchanting beauty. |
