Revival of the custom of “Koutsmanos” in Arnea

The Cultural and Educational Association of Arnea oversaw the revival of the custom of “Koutsmanos” in Arnea.

“Koutsmanos”, which is revived every year in Arnea, is a custom from the years of the Turkish occupation and its name comes from the alteration of the name of the Turkish Aga of the area, Kotsmanlis.

This tradition refers to the third day of Easter, when the men of Arnea wore their best clothes, with their rifles and horses and climbed the hill of Ai-Lia. Both women and children and the priests of the village also climbed the hill. After the conclusion of the festive Divine Liturgy, the young men competed in shooting with red egg targets, as part of the custom. The celebration continued in the grove of Agia Paraskevi.

This year, dozens of young men and women gathered in the morning at the hill of Prophet Elias and participated in the Divine Liturgy, however, it was not possible to complete the custom with the organization of the shooting due to the adverse weather conditions.

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