Greek carnival celebrations get a little flour power
For a few hours every year, residents and visitors of this pretty Greek seaside town have a license to lose their civility.
They have what’s known as a “flour war” — participants pelt each other with bags of dyed flour along the coastal road lining Galaxidi’s old harbor.
It’s an explosion of color that takes place every Clean Monday, an Orthodox Christian holiday marking the start of Lent and the end of the carnival season which holds onto many of the country’s pre-Christian traditions.
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, people gather to participate in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Revelers throw flour as they participate in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season, in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, revelers throw flour as they take part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, a man cleans the front window of a moving vehicle as he takes part with others in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, revelers take part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
in this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, revelers take part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens, Galaxidi only has about 1,700 inhabitants but it was once an important trading port. Its influence declined with the advent of steam power in the 19th century.
Some of the town’s former grandeur remains, including many of its traditional stone houses.
The town only acquired a proper road link to the rest of central Greece in the 1960s, leaving much of Galaxidi with the appearance of a Greek island.
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, twin sisters sit outside a house as they watch revelers taking part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, children throw flour as they take part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Revelers throw flour as they participate in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season, in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Revelers throw flour as they participate in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season, in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Revelers throw flour as they participate in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season, in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens, Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, revelers throw flour as they take part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, revelers dance as they take part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, revelers dance as they take part in the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
In this Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 photo, a reveler with a bottle of wine dances near a fire during the flour war, a unique colorful flour fight marking the end of the carnival season in the port town of Galaxidi, some 200 kilometers (120 miles) west of Athens. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
Text from the AP news story, Greek carnival celebrations get a little flour power, by Petros Giannakouris.
Visual artist and Digital Storyteller at The Associated Press